Legal Research | Online Database Services

When is the last time you held a law book in your hands? For me, a sole practitioner, it was about 1996. Prior to that, I had the West Michigan Digests and some treatises--books to help me out in the middle of the night if I awakened with a deep concern about a case. [Home office disavantage!] I could read the cases at the courthouse. Then I had Lexis, then West Law online. When I moved in 2006, I gave my entire library (except for my ICLE books) to a young lawyer I was mentoring.

I use TheLawNet and I supplement with volumes from the Institute for Continuing Legal Education at University of Michigan--the online versions that are keyword searchable. We all learned keyword search--with digests, etc. at law school. As a member of the Law Review at Detroit College of Law, I had unlimited access to LexisNexis, and refined my skills at Boolean research to the point that I can reduce a search on any database from 2 million (for example) to 12. [See a tutorial on Boolean research here.] But I have chosen TheLawNet as my online database legal research tool for several reasons.

When I discovered the Internet in 1998--because a California client with a Michigan case pushed, pulled, and shoved me into the Internet--I first used LexisNexis, with a special rate for a sole practitioner. [Note: I did not say I "invented" the Internet. See Snopes. What I mean is that I became aware of it.] But I found LexisNexis a problem for me. I could not resist all of those hyperlinks that would take me off on a long  wild goose chase. Curiosity killed the cat, you know . . . Access to law review articles were outside of my contract and cost a fortune--$50 a pop. When Internet glitches disrupted law review searches, and I started a new search . . . again and again, and my monthly bill was $750 rather than something like $250 . . . I pulled the plug.

Sometime in the mid-2000s I discovered TheLawNet. With TheLawNet, I did not have the distraction of internal hyperlinks to other cases. That was perfect for stifling the curious cat. In those days, it was $365/year for a sole practitioner--much less than I was paying LexisNexis. [Note: Plans are based upon the number of lawyers in the firm doing research--just as is done with competitors.] The current price is $575/year for a solo new subscriber, and $475 for renewals. What a bargain!

The Clincher:    One day I had a deadline for an appellate brief and there was a brown-out in San Diego where TheLawNet has its data center. Imagine this: I was able to get Mark Whitney, the founder of TheLawNet on the phone. Because he, as a lawyer, former litigator, understood my crisis, he responded in such a way that I had unlimited access to what I needed to make it through the brief and the day. That was what made me a confirmed subscriber of TheLawNet. [1]

Upgrades to TheLawNet:    Not too long ago, Mark Whitney updated his service. Now we have the internal links to cases cited within a case. I've learned to put blinders on and block them out. Of immense value is the "Virtual Assistant," part of TheLawNet service that provides many otherwise costly resources without extra charge. Mark's wife, Vickie, is the virtual assistant, and I offer great praise for her assistance that is usually provided within 24 hours.

THELAW.NET VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

That does the Virtual Assistant do for free?

(1) Retrieve and email any known Federal or state judicial opinion,

(2) Provide hands on assistance in structuring advanced search queries, [2]

(3) Retrieve and email Federal docket report,

(4) Double check an opinion's published, unpublished, depublished, finality status,

(5) Check the precedential value of a citation and email results [i.e., never do your own Shephardizing],

(6) Email so-called official internal page numbers,

(7) Email official/parallel citations of an opinion,

(8) Retrieve and email most law reviews or law journal articles,

(9) Retrieve and email requested statute, rule or regulation,

(10) Assist in locating secretary of state records and other public records or perform advanced public web and discussion group search.

Having now seen the personalized and prompt responses to requests for law review articles and other materials, I am a confirmed believer in TheLawNet. I will admit that I have never gone back to check out the price of LexisNexis for a sole practitioner and/or costs for what LexisNexis would offer under the contract for the services provided without charge by TheLawNet Virtual Assistant. Mark Whitney's Support section and his help with constructing the perfect search query are an additional perk.

I am more than content with the services from TheLawNet. TheLawNet is awesome.

Here is a YouTube video: Mark Whitney explains how TheLawNet works:

 

Footnote 1: Disclosure. In the past 12 to 18 months, I have provided TheLawNet with a free click-through on my blog Update in Family Law in exchange for free access to TheLawNet.

Footnote 2:   I confess. Mark Whitney is even better at Boolean research than am I! See his blog Legal Research Best Practices.