Who is Entitled to LexisNexis and Westlaw
LexisNexis and Westlaw are
commercial legal research services. The Gallagher Law Library subscribes
to these services under contracts that restrict access to the
following users:
- University of Washington law students
- University of Washington law faculty and
staff
- University of Washington law librarians
- University of Washington graduate
students enrolled in law librarianship classes.
top
Restrictions
on the Use of LexisNexis and Westlaw
Students may only use Westlaw and LexisNexis for academic purposes; that is, for research related to
coursework. Students may not use their academic IDs or passwords for work
projects for their full-time or part-time jobs (including part-time work
during the academic quarters), or for summer clerkships. Students may use their academic access to Westlaw and
LexisNexis during externships for which the student receives law school credit.
The Westlaw contract signed by each law
student as a condition of being issued a password outlines one possible
penalty for violating the restrictions in the use of the academic
password: "West reserves the right to collect from User all Westlaw
Charges incurred through use of the Law Student Password for purposes
other than Educational Purposes at the then-current commercial Westlaw
rates."
top
Where to Access LexisNexis and Westlaw
Law students are encouraged to develop and
improve their skills in searching Westlaw and LexisNexis. Expertise in
these services is a marketable skill!
CALR services are available at
the Law School in the Computer Lab (Room 222), and throughout the building
on laptops through the wireless network, and off-campus by accessing LexisNexis, http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/,
and Westlaw, http://lawschool.westlaw.com.
High-speed standalone printers for students are located in the Computer
Lab and in the staff offices of the student-edited law reviews. Another
LexisNexis printer is located in the copy alcove on L2 near the library
elevator.
Representatives from both companies visit
the Law School at least once a week to assist users. In addition, Westlaw
and LexisNexis employ law student representatives who maintain office
hours in the Computer Lab (Room 222). The
student reps' schedules are posted there. Stop by during scheduled office
hours for one-on-one training.
Other sources of information and assistance in using LexisNexis and
Westlaw are:
- the librarian on duty in the Reference Office
- "chat" style online help services
top
Use of Assistive
Technology Software with LexisNexis and Westlaw
Those who use
assistive technologies, such as screen readers, voice recognition
software, and screen magnifiers, can find help with problems with those
softwares' interaction with lexisnexis.com by calling for technical help
at 1-800-543-6862. Technical advisors have stated that lexisnexis.com
functions with a range of software, such as ASAP, HAL5, IBM Screen Reader,
JFW (Jaws for Windows), and others.
Westlaw has a text
only version of its web product that facilitates use of assistive
software, http://text.westlaw.com.
Questions should be directed to West Customer & Technical Services at
1-800-937-8529. Note that this text version is also useful when using a
slow Internet connection.
Summer Use of LexisNexis and Westlaw
During the summer months, when most law
students are clerking in the "real world," your access to LexisNexis and Westlaw is restricted to the career databases and files.
However, both services extend full access for certain categories of
students:
- those taking law classes or working on a
project approved by your professor for class credit during the summer
quarter (including externships for which the student receives law
school credit)
- those working for a law professor for
the summer
- members of the moot court honor board
- members of law review who are
working on that publication.
If you meet any of these criteria, you
should extend your LexisNexis ID before the spring quarter
ends so your full access will not be interrupted. The quickest and easiest
way to extend is to complete the form on the law
school section of the LexisNexis website. Westlaw automatically
extends passwords for students engaged in the activities listed above.
Remember, neither Westlaw nor LexisNexis may be used in a summer
clerkship.
top
Obtaining a LexisNexis ID and a Westlaw Password
First Year Law Students
Westlaw
passwords and LexisNexis IDs are distributed to UW JD students early in
the fall quarter of their first year. Training on job search
resources occurs in the fall; students are trained in selecting and
searching the many legal and nonlegal databases and files of the two
services in the winter quarter as part of the Basic Legal Skills course.
Transfer Law Students
Students who transfer to the University of
Washington School of Law should come to the Reference Office. To obtain a Westlaw password, complete and sign a Westlaw contract
and take the password card. We will mail your contract to Westlaw. To
obtain a LexisNexis ID, provide your name, graduation date, and email
address. We will obtain and email the ID to you.
Graduate Students in Law
University of Washington graduate law
students in most LL.M. programs (other than those who did not graduate
from law schools in common-law countries) typically receive LexisNexis
IDs and Westlaw passwords at orientation. If you cannot attend
orientation, please stop by the Reference Office to complete the Westlaw
contract and leave your name, graduation date, and email address with the
reference librarian on duty so that a LexisNexis ID can be obtained and
emailed to you.
If you graduated from a law school in a
civil law country, you will receive training in LexisNexis and Westlaw as
part of the Legal Analysis and Research course.
top
Access by Law School Visiting Professors or Visiting Scholars
Visiting Professors and Scholars at the Law School are entitled to
Westlaw passwords and LexisNexis IDs. Please stop by the Reference Office and leave your name, email address, if any, and the ending date of
your appointment at the Law School. We can send you the password and ID by email if you have an email account. Otherwise, the
information will be delivered
to your law school mail folder. Westlaw will send a contract to you at the Law School that you must complete, sign, and mail back to the company
in the enclosed self-addressed, stamped envelope. Please remember to check your mail folder for the contract, since if you fail to return it,
Westlaw will cancel your password.
top
Access by Law
Students from Other Law Schools
Students enrolled in other law schools
may access LexisNexis and Westlaw via the Internet from any computer in
the Law Library. Please obtain a temporary ID to sign on to a computer at
the Circulation Desk. The Law School's Computer Lab is available only to UW law
students.
We recommend that you download print results to a media device
(diskette or USB drive) or email
results to your personal email address. If you need a paper printout, please use the web browser's print command
(LexisNexis) or use Westlaw's
option to print to the attached printer, both of which will initiate a printout identification system for the
pay-to-print option.
top
Access to LexisNexis
by Non-Law UW Students, Faculty, and Staff
The University of Washington Libraries have
a contract with LexisNexis for educational access to its Web product, LexisNexis Academic
for nonlaw students, faculty, and staff. It
is available through the UW Libraries Information Gateway, http://www.lib.washington.edu/.
Use is limited to UW students who are enrolled in degree programs, active
faculty, and staff. Non-law students, faculty, and staff who want more
information about LexisNexis Academic should contact the
reference staff of one of the UW
Libraries.
top
Access to Loislaw and
VersusLaw by UW Law Students, Faculty, and Staff
Loislaw, http://www.loislawschool.com,
and VersusLaw, http://www.versuslaw.com,
are two low-cost legal services with national coverage. Their contents are
limited in comparison to LexisNexis and Westlaw, but their subscription
costs are also considerably less. They are available through our contracts
only to UW law students, faculty, and staff.
Each user must sign up individually in
order to use these services. A one-time registration with VersusLaw
will yield a login and password that will be active until law school
graduation. Use of VersusLaw is limited to academic purposes only and it
may not be used in your part-time or summer jobs. For more information
about VersusLaw, see the May 15, 2000
issue of the Law Library News column.
Loislaw
requires that everyone register to use its service each year. To complete
the registration form, you will need the Law School's Special Access Code,
which you can get by stopping by the Reference Office or by calling 206/543-6794. Unlike VersusLaw, LexisNexis, or Westlaw, Loislaw may be used
both for your law school classes and in your part-time or summer job! For
more information about Loislaw, see the May
8, 2000 issue of the Law Library News column.
If you have any questions about searching
Loislaw or VersusLaw, stop by the Reference Office.
top
|
