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Summer Experience: Advanced Legal Research
Before you begin work, I want to review how to conduct legal research at our firm. You have a school Lexis ID. This student ID can be used all summer long for any purpose. You do not need to register or do anything special.
While you are at the firm you will be using a firm ID. Although some firms allow you to use your student ID for firm research, we do not. You should know that under your firm ID, your searches will be viewable by myself and your managing partners and associates. Please be sure to practice good terms and connector searching since it is faster and more accurate. All of the searches you do will be used to bill clients, albeit at a reduced rate since you are students.
The first thing you need to know after logging onto Lexis is that you will not see the Lexis Lawschool home page. For this exercise, just log on and then click on Lexis Advance Research.
While you are at the firm you will be using a firm ID. Although some firms allow you to use your student ID for firm research, we do not. You should know that under your firm ID, your searches will be viewable by myself and your managing partners and associates. Please be sure to practice good terms and connector searching since it is faster and more accurate. All of the searches you do will be used to bill clients, albeit at a reduced rate since you are students.
The first thing you need to know after logging onto Lexis is that you will not see the Lexis Lawschool home page. For this exercise, just log on and then click on Lexis Advance Research.
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1. Setting a client code. At our firms, like most legal employers, you will be using a client code for all research on Lexis. This allows us to keep track of which client your research should be charged to but it also allows you to see your research on your history page divided by client. Our firm is like many others and has its own system for client codes but I will explain that later. For now, find the client code and choose “set/add client code.” Aside from the spot to enter either an existing or a new client ID, what other information can you enter on this page?
1. Setting a client code. At our firms, like most legal employers, you will be using a client code for all research on Lexis. This allows us to keep track of which client your research should be charged to but it also allows you to see your research on your history page divided by client. Our firm is like many others and has its own system for client codes but I will explain that later. For now, find the client code and choose “set/add client code.” Aside from the spot to enter either an existing or a new client ID, what other information can you enter on this page?
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The date
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Research Description
Your Start date at the firm
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2. Click cancel on the Client Code box. In law school you probably began your research by a search in the large box. I recommend looking at other ways to search on this main page by scrolling down to “Explore Content.” This area allows you to limit your search to a certain content type, jurisdiction, practice area or industry, international sources or you can look for a particular source or topic. I recently had to do a search for an attorney who wanted to know if he could find the fall 1982 Ohio State Law Journal on Lexis. I used Find a Source and entered Ohio State Law Journal. Several publications appeared but I found the correct one and used the “i” for information to find out what is available. Was the Fall 1982 Ohio State Law Journal available?
2. Click cancel on the Client Code box. In law school you probably began your research by a search in the large box. I recommend looking at other ways to search on this main page by scrolling down to “Explore Content.” This area allows you to limit your search to a certain content type, jurisdiction, practice area or industry, international sources or you can look for a particular source or topic. I recently had to do a search for an attorney who wanted to know if he could find the fall 1982 Ohio State Law Journal on Lexis. I used Find a Source and entered Ohio State Law Journal. Several publications appeared but I found the correct one and used the “i” for information to find out what is available. Was the Fall 1982 Ohio State Law Journal available?
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3. I encourage all researchers to use terms and connectors. There is an excellent guide on Lexis. Find the “help” button on the upper right and enter “Using Connectors and Commands to Search.” Now click on the Search Connectors Quick Reference Card. Many researchers print this out for quick reference. The second command on this card is the atleast command. What is a proper example of how to use this command?
3. I encourage all researchers to use terms and connectors. There is an excellent guide on Lexis. Find the “help” button on the upper right and enter “Using Connectors and Commands to Search.” Now click on the Search Connectors Quick Reference Card. Many researchers print this out for quick reference. The second command on this card is the atleast command. What is a proper example of how to use this command?
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AT LEAST 5 medical
Atleast (5) (medical)
Atleast5 (medical)
Medical within 5 atleast
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4. Let’s practice some research in Lexis Advance. In the main search box (not under Explore Content-the top of the page) enter the following search:Covid or coronavirus /s provider and protection You should retrieve 41 cases. To find the most-relevant and most-cited case, use Ravel View. Ravel is on the right side at the top of the results list. It looks like bubbles. Click it and Lexis will show you a chart with all of the cases. Each bubble on the chart represents a case and the one with the largest bubble is the most-cited, most-relevant case. What is the name of that case?
4. Let’s practice some research in Lexis Advance. In the main search box (not under Explore Content-the top of the page) enter the following search:Covid or coronavirus /s provider and protection You should retrieve 41 cases. To find the most-relevant and most-cited case, use Ravel View. Ravel is on the right side at the top of the results list. It looks like bubbles. Click it and Lexis will show you a chart with all of the cases. Each bubble on the chart represents a case and the one with the largest bubble is the most-cited, most-relevant case. What is the name of that case?
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In Re Abbott
In Re Rutledge
In Re Jent
In Re Durkin
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5. Click on the case that was the answer for the fourth question. Often you will be asked to provide information about a particular attorney or judge. Lex Machina does this for you. On the right side of your screen, you will see under Legal Analytics, a link to information about the firm, Meyer Brown. These reports provide a wealth of information. How many Federal District Cases do you see?
5. Click on the case that was the answer for the fourth question. Often you will be asked to provide information about a particular attorney or judge. Lex Machina does this for you. On the right side of your screen, you will see under Legal Analytics, a link to information about the firm, Meyer Brown. These reports provide a wealth of information. How many Federal District Cases do you see?
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5
3071
4511
987
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6. Close that window and return to your case. You can see from the yellow triangular Shepard’s symbol and the Shepard’s preview on the right side that the case has a “caution, possible negative treatment” warning. If we Shepardized the entire case, we would have to sort through 36 cases. However, Lexis headnotes provide a quick way to see if the point of law that you care about is affected by that warning. If we are only interested in Headnote 6 regarding the Bill of Rights, you can click on “Shepardize this Headnote” and you would see that there is only positive treatment regarding this point of law. Remember, only Lexis gives you positive treatment-no other citation service does that. Conversely, if I click on “Shepardize this Headnote” for Headnote 8, what would I find?
6. Close that window and return to your case. You can see from the yellow triangular Shepard’s symbol and the Shepard’s preview on the right side that the case has a “caution, possible negative treatment” warning. If we Shepardized the entire case, we would have to sort through 36 cases. However, Lexis headnotes provide a quick way to see if the point of law that you care about is affected by that warning. If we are only interested in Headnote 6 regarding the Bill of Rights, you can click on “Shepardize this Headnote” and you would see that there is only positive treatment regarding this point of law. Remember, only Lexis gives you positive treatment-no other citation service does that. Conversely, if I click on “Shepardize this Headnote” for Headnote 8, what would I find?
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One case overruled the point of law
One case followed the points of law but one case distinguished it
Two cases followed it
There was no treatment
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7. In the 3rd headnote for our case, you will see a link to a statute. Enter 28 USCS § 1651 in the search box. First, take note that you can Shepardize statutes on Lexis-many students don’t know that. When doing statutory research, it is a good idea to Shepardize and then use the “Notes to/of Decision” to find cases which talk about and explain the statute. Use the “Go to” button at the top of the page or scroll down to reach this area. In point 6, what case would I look at to find more about how in determining what auxiliary write are “agreeable to usages and principles of law within meaning of 28 USCS Section 1651(a) courts look first to common law?
7. In the 3rd headnote for our case, you will see a link to a statute. Enter 28 USCS § 1651 in the search box. First, take note that you can Shepardize statutes on Lexis-many students don’t know that. When doing statutory research, it is a good idea to Shepardize and then use the “Notes to/of Decision” to find cases which talk about and explain the statute. Use the “Go to” button at the top of the page or scroll down to reach this area. In point 6, what case would I look at to find more about how in determining what auxiliary write are “agreeable to usages and principles of law within meaning of 28 USCS Section 1651(a) courts look first to common law?
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United States v. Tiger King
United States v. Hayman
In Re Endsley
I don’t know but I will call customer support at 1-800-45-Lexis for help.
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8. Often attorneys will ask for the information that you find to be sent to them. What are the ways that you can send things from Lexis?
8. Often attorneys will ask for the information that you find to be sent to them. What are the ways that you can send things from Lexis?
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Print
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All of the above
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