Free Electronic Legal Research for Summer Clerkships Sue Altmeyer April, 2010

1. Free Electronic Legal Research for Summer Clerkships Sue Altmeyer April, 2010

2. Topics Covered • Loislaw and Casemaker • Free Internet Sources • Ohio Citation Manual

3. Loislaw and Casemaker

4. 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

5. Loislaw and Casemaker What does Lexis/Westlaw have these do not? • Editorial features – headnotes, annotations • Practice Books • Law Review articles • Better search mechanisms and coverage

6. Loislaw • Lois Law • Instructions for obtaining password

7. Casemaker • Casemaker –Free w/ free student OSBA membership • Best low cost database for Ohio • Ohio unreporteds back to 1981

10. Free Internet

11. Benefits of Low Cost Databases Over Free Internet • Better Search Mechanisms • Coverage • May be more current • Trustworthiness • Aggregated Info – One stop shopping

12. What’s on the Free Web • All US Supreme Court Cases • Reported Federal Appellate from 1882 • Some Unreported Fed App, Fed District • State cases: reported – 1950- unreported: early-mid nineties

13. What’s on the Free Web, contd • Statutes & Regulations- federal and states • Municipal Ordinances • Law Review Articles • Forms • Dockets, Briefs & Pleadings • LOTS more!

14. 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

18. American Law Sources Online

24. Use LEGAL Search Engines • Cornell University Legal Research Engine • LexisWeb • FindLaw LawCrawler • Justia • List of Search Legal Engines

25. Try with ADA example

27. Case law • Legal Research Workstation - Case Law • Google Scholar – state reported 1950-, fed circuit/ district 1923- • Ohio Supreme Court • LexisOne – Last 10 yrs, Lexis searching

33. Demo Ohio Supreme Court case search

36. 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

39. Dockets • PACER – Federal Court dockets • LLRX to find state court dockets • Ohio – full text of documents on Summit and Montgomery County • See – Legal research on the Web- Dockets

40. Other Web Sites to Know • C-M Guide Forms & Practice Materials • Library Research Guides, ex. Major Legal Treatises by Subject • Martindale Hubbell Law Digest

41. 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

44. 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

45. 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)

46. 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

47. Library Resources • C-M - Lexis Academic • Cleveland Public - Ohio Westlaw • Pro se Lexis - Justice Center • County Law Libraries – may charge fee to use computer. Lexis, Westlaw or both

48. E-Handout • http://www.law.csuohio.edu/lawlibrary/resources/lawpubs/free.html

49. C|M|LAW Library Can Help • Call or email us - Contact a Librarian • Stop in for review of print materials or online materials