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CALR Access by UW Law Students, Faculty, Staff, and Librarians

Updated March 21, 2006.
Prepared by Nancy McMurrer.

LexisNexis™

Westlaw

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LexisNexis and Westlaw

Loislaw and VersusLaw


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.

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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."

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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©2008, M.G. Gallagher Law Library, University of Washington