Westlaw Advance Login (2024)

FAQs

How much does Westlaw cost per month? ›

Westlaw License.

If User is a Student, user may access and use Westlaw solely for educational purposes directly related to User's coursework at Law School or for bar preparation purposes ("Educational Purposes"). If User is Law School Personnel, Educational Purposes include scholarly research.

Westlaw was created in 1975 by West Publishing, a company whose headquarters have been in Eagan, Minnesota, since 1992; West was acquired by the Thomson Corporation in 1996.

Cons: Limited resources and unfamiliar functions: Some users have mentioned that certain functions and features in Thomson Reuters Westlaw may not be familiar to those coming from other platforms, and that certain resources may not be as comprehensive as those available on other search engines.

A one-year commitment to Westlaw Classic for one state costs firms $102.05/month. This Westlaw pricing tier includes case law, statutes, KeyCites, and Court Rules for one state. Westlaw Edge, which includes the above features and “additional next-generation features by AI,” starts at $148.85 for a single state.

When asked if their law library could subscribe either to Westlaw or LexisNexis, 70 percent of respondents choose Westlaw. Lomio says the survey results astonished him because he always perceived the two search engines as “interchangeable. I was surprised to find a strong preference for Westlaw.”

Further, limited use of these and other subscription databases may be available for free at a local public law library, and many colleges and universities also offer access to limited versions of Lexis and Westlaw (Nexis Uni and Westlaw Campus Research) and other subscription databases.

The best overall Westlaw alternative is Lexis. Other similar apps like Westlaw are Smokeball, Practical Guidance®, Law Insider Contract and Clause Search, and MyCase. Westlaw alternatives can be found in Legal Research Software but may also be in Legal Case Management Software or Legal Document Drafting Software.

Important: In Westlaw, if you want it to use advanced search syntax, type adv: at the beginning of your search string, e.g., adv: puppy or kitten.

Does Westlaw do background checks? ›

Here is the kind of information we can help you find: Criminal Background Checks. Criminal Driving Violations. Traffic and Criminal Records.

Westlaw -- Profiler

You can search by names, organization name, location, practice area/area of expertise or keywords. It also generates reports that reflect their work histories. Provides information from litigation where the expert witness was challenged for admissibility.

A yellow flag warns that the case or administrative decision has some negative history but has not been reversed or overruled; that the statute has been renumbered or transferred by a recent session law; that an uncodified session law or proposed legislation affecting the statute is available (statutes merely ...

Getting Started on LexisNexis and Westlaw

LexisNexis and Westlaw are powerful tools for legal research. Not only do they help you find particular cases, but they can help lead you to other relevant law. One of the differences between LexisNexis and Westlaw is how you find those other relevant sources.

See the difference

The latest version, Westlaw Edge, builds on this trusted foundation with the most advanced artificial intelligence, providing intelligent document analysis, integrated litigation analytics, the most powerful citator, and more.

Note that California's online regulations and online case law are made available through "free" portals provided by Westlaw and Lexis, respectively.

LexisNexis provides access to an extensive collection of legal content, case law, statutes, regulations, verdicts, and more. Westlaw also has expansive content but has a narrower focus specifically on US legal research.

As of this review, the price of a three-year commitment to LexisNexis starts at $105.00 per month. This tier provides case law, statutes, and legislation for one state and the ability to Shepardize your results.

Anyone can buy a subscription to Westlaw. There is a representative in your area that would be happy to sell it to you and train you how to use it. Some public libraries may have a subscription that patrons to use.