Legal Research in 2009
There are numerous programs out there for medical malpractice and accident lawyers conducting case and statutory research. The general maxim is that you get what you pay for, but several free research sites are useful, if nothing else, to perform preliminary investigation. We’ve all heard the horror stories of the new lawyers who did not know his firm’s subscription plan and inadvertently cost the firm thousands of dollars for what should have been routine research. Therefore, it is important that all employees know the terms of the subscription. Some of your options are:
Westlaw and LexisNexis: These are the premium legal research companies. Subscriptions can be limited to specific databases (for example, all federal and state cases, or just cases from specific states). The two companies are extremely competitive with each other, and are typically equivalent for most features.
LoisLaw: A more inexpensive legal researching tool, LoisLaw bills itself out as a research solution that helps practitioners manage their costs and streamline their research time.
Fastcase: another inexpensive legal researching tool that includes state, federal and appellate decisions, as well as statutes and regulations.
Additionally, you should check governmental websites, which frequently have their statutes easily available and searchable for free.
