Low-Cost Legal Research Services on the Web
Updated June 26, 2009.
Prepared by Nancy McMurrer and updated by Lori Fossum (2009) and Kristy Moon (2006).
This guide describes three low-cost online legal services that are available to current UW School of Law students and faculty. Links to online review articles are UW Restricted.
For information on who has access to these services, see the Gallagher guide on CALR Access by UW Law Students, Faculty, Staff & Librarians
For information on free or other low-cost legal research resources, please see Georgetown Law Library’s thorough and well-designed guide on Free & Low Cost Legal Research.
Casemaker
| URL | Casemaker |
Contents |
Federal and State materials. Washington State Library has Supreme Court (from 1854) and Court of Appeals (from 1969) with official pagination; RCW; session laws; Attorney General’s opinions (from 1949); WAC; Growth Management decisions; Environmental Board decisions; court rules (including Superior Court rules); Rules of Professional Conduct;, and ethics opinions. Secondary Sources available for purchase via CaseKnowledge tool. |
| Student Use | The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) provides student access for academic use only. Ask a reference librarian for a password. WSBA members may share their password with you for work-related legal research, so ask your supervising attorney for more information. |
| Review | Carole Levitt & Mark Rosch, Meet Casemaker and Fastcase: Legal Research Databases You May Not Have Heard About, Legal Information Alert, Oct. – Dec. 2008. |
Loislaw
| URL | Loislaw |
| Contents | Federal and state materials. State materials include case law, codes, administrative codes, court rules, and some additional materials such as administrative decisions, attorney general’s opinions, and bar publications. Unpublished opinions available for some states (including WA). Treatises Libraries include twenty-six subject areas. UCC filings and corporate public records available. Some databases only available through additional subscription. |
| Student Use | Obtain a "special access code" from a reference librarian. Then go to http://www.loislawschool.com and click on “Register Here.” Access is good until six months after graduation. You may use Loislaw for both academic and work-related legal research. |
| Review | Stacey Gordon, Update XXV: What’s New on Westlaw, LexisNexis, HeinOnline, and Loislaw, Legal Information Alert, Jan. 2009. |
top
VersusLaw
| URL | VersusLaw |
| Contents | U.S. Supreme Court (from 1886), Courts of Appeals (from 1930 for most Circuits), District Courts (coverage varies), other federal courts, US Code, CFR, state appellate courts (coverage varies, WA from 1935), state codes and regulations, court rules, tribal courts, and Australian courts. |
| Notes | Multiple federal or state case law databases may be searched simultaneously. A non-subscriber may search and retrieve the document hit list as a guest by providing a name and email address. A citation tool, while somewhat limited, (V.Cite) is available. Formal privacy policy. |
| Student Use | To register, click on “Law School” under the heading “Special Groups.” Registration is good for one year from Aug. 15 through July 15. You must reactivate your account each year. You may use VersusLaw for academic purposes only. |