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Cost-Effective Legal Research: Practice Materials, AI, and More

To Do Items

Welcome to Week 9!

This week, you will learn about cost-effective legal research, including free websites, where to find helpful practice materials & dockets, and how to use the new generative AI tools in Lexis+ and Westlaw.

Before Class:
  • Make sure you are able to log in to both Westlaw & Lexis. Please also test whether you can access the new Lexis+AI tool called Protégé (you'll see this in the left margin after you log into Lexis+ AI) and Westlaw's AI-Assisted Research tool (on their main research page).
    • If you are unable to access Lexis+ AI's Protégé, contact Katie Riordan (katie.riordan@lexisnexis.com).
    • If you are unable to access Westlaw's AI-Assisted Research tool, contact Mark Frongillo (mark.frongillo@thomsonreuters.com).

  • Review the training schedule below to see what classroom your training will be in (some sections will not be meeting in their usual classrooms).
  • Review: Selected Research Databases and Websites (located at the bottom of this page).
  • Remember to bring a laptop (recommended) or another internet-connected device. 
Classroom Schedule
Professor  LPS section Day Time Location
Prof. Hennessey 1 Wed. March 19 2:00PM - 2:55PM 285
Prof. Crane 2 Wed. March 19 2:00PM - 2:55PM 285
Prof. Ramos  3 Wed. March 19 2:00PM - 2:55PM 305
Prof. O'Leary 4 Wed. March 19 2:00PM - 2:55PM 315
Prof. Vinson  5 Wed. March 19 2:00PM - 2:55PM 315
Prof. Eckart 6 Thur. March 20 10:00AM - 10:55AM 335
Prof. Black 7 Thur. March 20 10:00AM - 10:55AM 335
Prof. Leahy 8 Thur. March 20 10:00AM - 10:55AM 335
Prof. Kim 9 Thur. March 20 10:00AM - 10:55AM 275
Prof. Moppett 10 Thur. March 20 10:00AM - 10:55AM 275
Prof. Eckart 11 Thur. March 20 9:00AM - 9:55AM 335
Prof. Black 12 Thur. March 20 9:00AM - 9:55AM 335
Prof. Leahy 13 Thur. March 20 9:00AM - 9:55AM 335
Prof. Kim 14 Thur. March 20 9:00AM - 9:55AM 275
Prof. Moppett 15 Thur. March 20 9:00AM - 9:55AM 275
Prof. Hennessey 16 Wed. March 19 8:00PM - 8:55PM 335
Prof. Bolen 17 Wed. March 19 8:00PM - 8:55PM 275
Prof. Spangenberger  18 Wed. March 19 8:00PM - 8:55PM 275
Prof. Crane 19 Wed. March 19 8:00PM - 8:55PM 335
Prof. Spinelli 20 Wed. March 19 8:00PM - 8:55PM 335

During Class:
  • Students will use an online form to complete & submit an in-class exercise to get hands-on experience using cost-effective legal research tools and the new generative AI tools on Westlaw & Lexis. You do not need to complete the exercise before class. We will have paper copies of the in-class exercise available in class, for those who need them.

  • The legal research librarian will review the in-class exercise and lead a discussion about the benefits of using practice materials, other secondary materials, and dockets to be efficient and cost cost-effective, and the pros and cons of using the Westlaw & Lexis AI tools.
     
  • In-class Exercise
After Class (optional): 
  • Review: PowerPoint presentation
  • Westlaw & Lexis Pricing Information
  • Bibliography: Cost of Doing Legal Research & Cost Effective Methods

Selected Research Databases and Websites

This chart lists free and fee-based resources. Some lead to primary law, some lead to secondary law and practice materials; others are comprehensive and lead you to a broad range of legal resources.

We encourage you to become familiar with all of these resources, always consider accuracy and cost, and use all the research tools that are available to you.

Name of Research Database / Website This Resource Will Be Covered in Your Training Description Availability
Lexis+ CourtLink Yes Docket searches on Lexis+. Learn about the status of pending cases and locate filings. Contains documents in PACER and selection of other court dockets. Suffolk Law School community members with Lexis+ access credentials
Westlaw Precision Dockets No Docket searches on Westlaw Precision. Learn about the status of pending cases and locate filings. Contains documents in PACER and selection of other court dockets. Suffolk Law School community members with Westlaw access credentials
Court Listener RECAP Archive No Free docket searches. Contains a subset of documents in PACER. Free, public access
Massachusetts Trial Court Libraries Yes Use the “Massachusetts Law About” section (under "Popular Legal Topics") for time-saving research guides that list key primary and secondary materials on your topic

Free, public access
Massachusetts Practice Series Yes Series of treatises on Massachusetts law, including substantive analysis of major areas of law as well as forms and trial practice materials. Available on Westlaw Precision and in print. Suffolk Law School community members
MCLE OnlinePass Yes eBooks, webcasts, and audio files on mostly Massachusetts law for practicing attorneys. Practice Portals contain self-guided development plans on specific practice areas. Browse or search to locate materials. Extensive search filters are available (e.g., limit to forms, webcasts, etc.). MCLE practice guides are also available on Westlaw Precision and Lexis+. Suffolk Law School community members
Social Law Library
No Massachusetts primary resources, such as cases, statutes, regulations, and administrative decisions. Includes some state-specific content unavailable on Lexis+ or Westlaw Precision. Suffolk Law School community members
Lexis+ Practical Guidance Yes Practice notes, forms, checklists, drafting tools, and more. Suffolk Law School community members with Lexis+ access credentials
Westlaw Practical Law Yes

Checklists, forms, articles, and other practice materials available on Westlaw Precision. Materials are arranged by practice area.

You can use Thomson Reuters products, including Westlaw, Practical Law, and the Practice Ready solutions, over the summer for non-commercial research. You can turn to these resources to gain understanding and build confidence in your research skills, but you cannot use them in situations where you are billing a client. Examples of permissible uses include the following: summer coursework; research assistant assignments; law review or journal research; moot court research; non-profit work; clinical work; externship sponsored by the school.

 Suffolk Law School community members with Westlaw access credentials
Caselaw Access Project No More than 6.5 million decisions published by state and federal courts throughout U.S. history. Free, public access
Google Scholar No

Case Law: Published opinions of US state appellate and supreme court cases since 1950, US federal district, appellate, tax, and bankruptcy courts since 1923 and US Supreme Court cases since 1791.

Articles: Scholarly articles, theses, books, and abstracts from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, and other websites.

 Free, public access
Decisis No Cases, statutes, administrative materials, and court rules. Exact content varies by state depending on the preferences of the state bar association. Free, unlimited access for members of the Massachusetts Bar Association