Free Electronic Legal Research for Summer Clerkships

Sue Altmeyer

April, 2010

Topics Covered

Loislaw and CasemakerFree Internet SourcesOhio Citation Manual

Loislaw and Casemaker

Loislaw and Casemaker

Links to Loislaw and Casemaker on the library’s Electronic Resources page

Have primary sources – cases, statutes, regulations for states and federal

Loislaw and Casemaker

What does Lexis/Westlaw have these do not?

Editorial features – headnotes, annotations

Practice Books Law Review articlesBetter search mechanisms and coverage

Loislaw

Lois Law Instructions for obtaining password

Casemaker

Casemaker –Free w/ free student OSBA membership

Best low cost database for OhioOhio unreporteds back to 1981

Free Internet

Benefits of Low Cost Databases Over Free Internet

Better Search MechanismsCoverageMay be more currentTrustworthiness Aggregated Info – One stop shopping

What’s on the Free Web

All US Supreme Court CasesReported Federal Appellate from 1882Some Unreported Fed App, Fed District State cases: reported – 1950-

unreported: early-mid nineties

What’s on the Free Web, contd

Statutes & Regulations- federal and states

Municipal OrdinancesLaw Review ArticlesFormsDockets, Briefs & Pleadings

LOTS more!

Start with a Good Internet Portal

From the Library Home Page – Legal Research on the Web

Public Records & People Finders Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII) FindLaw Other Portals

American Law Sources Online

Use LEGAL Search Engines

Cornell University Legal Research Engine

LexisWeb FindLaw LawCrawler Justia List of Search Legal Engines

Try with ADA example

Case law

Legal Research Workstation - Case Law Google Scholar – state reported 1950-, fed

circuit/ district 1923-Ohio Supreme CourtLexisOne – Last 10 yrs, Lexis searching

Demo Ohio Supreme Court case search

Gov’t Sites

GPO Access – Fed’l Govt. will be FDSys A-Z Index of U.S. Government Depts. &

Agencies

E-CFR – current to last Federal Register, one day or so

Thomas.gov – Federal Legislative History

Dockets

PACER – Federal Court docketsLLRX to find state court docketsOhio – full text of documents on Summit

and Montgomery CountySee –

Legal research on the Web- Dockets

Other Web Sites to Know

C-M Guide Forms & Practice Materials

Library Research Guides, ex. Major Legal Treatises by Subject

Martindale Hubbell Law Digest

Ohio Citation Manual

Ohio Supreme Court >Clerk of Court and Case Info>Reporter of Decisions>note 1992 Manual of Citations, Revisions to manual

Camtasia presentation re. Ohio public domain cite, citation manual, reported v. unreported

Citation format

Cases decided after May 1, 2002 must use web cite, and Official Reporter cite. Revisions to Manual of Citations, Bluebook p. 226

Bonacorsi v. Wheeling & Lake Erie Ry. Co., 95 Ohio St.3d 314, 2002-Ohio-2220, 767 N.E.2d 707

Brown v. McClain Constr. Co., 3d Dist. No. 16-01-19, 2002-Ohio-2834

Citation format

Web cite not available, and case is reported:

Mers v. Dispatch Printing Co. (1985), 19 Ohio St.3d 100, 483 N.E.2d 150.

Compare to Bluebook format - Mers v. Dispatch Printing Co., 483 N.E.2d 150 (Ohio 1985)

Citation Format

Web cite not available and case not published :

Jones v. Brown (Apr. 4, 1998), 8th Dist. No. 18220, or Jones v. Brown (Apr. 4,1998), Cuyahoga App. No. 18220

Library Resources

C-M - Lexis AcademicCleveland Public - Ohio Westlaw Pro se Lexis - Justice CenterCounty Law Libraries – may charge fee

to use computer. Lexis, Westlaw or both

E-Handout

http://www.law.csuohio.edu/lawlibrary/resources/lawpubs/free.html

C|M|LAW Library Can Help

Call or email us - Contact a Librarian Stop in for review of print materials or

online materials