Keith Mack
There are several ways to obtain case law in Lexus Nexis. You can search by citation, party, or topic. If you know the legal citation, you can enter it into the 'By Citation' field. If you only know one party name, or want to find all cases with a specific party, you can use the NAME segment in your search. You can also use case recognition technology to search for names in the case name. Additionally, you can use the WRITTENBY segment field to find decisions written by a specific judge, or the Court segment field to retrieve cases from a particular court.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of ways to search for case law | 3 (Citation, Party, and Topic) |
| Legal citation components | 3 (volume, abbreviation for the book (reporter), and the page number) |
| Search by party name | Order of names does not matter |
| Search by topic | LexisNexis searches the case law's headnotes |
| Search by attorney name | Yes, when you know the name of the attorney or law firm representing one of the parties |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Using case recognition technology
LexisNexis uses case recognition technology to search for names in case names. When you enter a case name in the search box, the system retrieves exact matches, which appear at the top of your results list when sorted by relevance. Non-exact matches, which still include your party names, appear lower in the results list. For example, when you search for "Matsushita v Zenith", your results include "Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp." and "Zenith Radio Corp. v. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co.". The first result is an exact match, while the second is a non-exact match.
When searching by topic, LexisNexis searches the case law's headnotes, which quickly identify the different legal topics and issues covered in the case. LexisNexis will search for the singular, plural, and possessive forms of your terms. For example, a search for "first amendment" and "free speech" will retrieve results dealing with those issues.
Another way to search for case law within LexisNexis is by citation. A legal citation has three parts: volume, abbreviation for the book (reporter), and the page number. The volume is indicated by the first number in the citation, helping you locate the specific text containing the case. The book abbreviation or reporter abbreviation comes next. For example, the Northwestern Reporter is abbreviated as "N.W.". The series number of the reporter follows the abbreviation. Most reporters are well into their third series, and knowing this piece of the citation is important for locating your specific case law.
Additionally, you can search for case law by party name. The order of the names does not matter, so searching "Jones v Clinton" will retrieve the same results as searching "Clinton v Jones". You can also use the Party Name segment field in the Advanced Search form to retrieve a case when you know the parties' names. For example, to retrieve the Supreme Court of the United States' decision in "Wright v. Universal Maritime Serv. Corp.", click on "Advanced Search", select "Cases" as the content type, and enter "wright and universal maritime" in the Party Name field.
Previous Cases: Understanding the Rule of Law
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Basic Legal Research: Tools and Strategies, Revised 8th Edition [Connected eBook with Study Center] (Aspen Coursebook Series)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81t2iaBh45L._AC_UL320_.jpg)
Searching by party name
When searching for case law in Lexus Nexis, there are three main ways to search: by citation, party, or topic. This answer will focus on searching by party name.
Single-Party Cases
If you are searching for a single-party case, where the case name includes "In re", "Ex parte", "Ex rel", "In the matter of", "Estate of", "Will of", "Matter of", "On the relation of", "On behalf of", "For the use of", "As next friend of", "Petition of", or "Application of", enter the party name in the Search box and run the search. Case recognition technology will be used to search for the name along with the designation. For example, when you run a search for "In re Witherspoon", your results include "In re Witherspoon", "In re Estate of Witherspoon", and "In re Objection to Nomination of Williams-Witherspoon".
Two-Party Cases
For two-party cases, enter the party names separated by a "v" or "v." and run the search. The "v" must be lowercase. The order of the names does not matter. Searching for "Jones v Clinton" will retrieve the same results as searching "Clinton v Jones".
Using Advanced Search
You can also use the Advanced Search function to find cases by party name. Click "Advanced Search", then "Select a specific content type", then "Cases". Use the Party Name segment field to enter the party names. For example, to retrieve the Supreme Court of the United States' decision in "Wright v. Universal Maritime Serv. Corp.", enter "wright" and "universal maritime" in the Party Name field.
Finding Briefs
To find briefs, you can search by docket number or party name. Under Advanced Options, uncheck the box for "All Federal & State Cases", then check the box for "U.S. Supreme Court Briefs". In the search box, enter "name()" and put the party names within the parentheses. For example, enter "name(United States) and name(Alfonso Lopez)".
Other Tips
- Using quotation marks around "v", "In re", "Ex parte", etc. will ensure that the case you want will be near the top of the results list when sorted by relevance.
- If you only know one party name or want to find all cases with a specific party, use the NAME segment in your search to search only the case names. For example, to find all cases involving Samsung, run the search "name(samsung)".
- If you know the attorney's name, you can use the Attorney Name segment field in the Advanced Search form to retrieve cases when you know the name of the attorney or law firm representing one of the parties.
Spotting Legal Issues: A Lawyer's Guide
You may want to see also
Explore related products
](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81uR4LG5eAL._AC_UL320_.jpg)
Searching by attorney name
To search by an attorney's name in the Keywords field in LexisNexis CourtLink, follow these steps:
- Select a court or courts from the drop-down menu.
- Enter your search in the following format: plaintiff-attorney([attorney's name]) or defendant-attorney([attorney's name]) or others-attorney([attorney's name]) in the search box. Note that "others" refers to attorneys representing other party types, such as the counter-claimant, appellant, counter-defendant, cross-claimant, or cross-defendant.
- Click "Search".
The Keywords field uses Lexis search logic, allowing for Natural Language or Terms & Connectors searches. Wildcards and segments can also be utilized, and search terms can be put in quotation marks to find an exact phrase.
To search by an attorney's name in the Attorney field:
- Select a court or courts from the drop-down menu.
- Enter the attorney's name in the Attorney field, leaving out initials, middle names, and/or abbreviations as the court may not use these. For example, enter "Benjamin Matlock" instead of "Benjamin L Matlock" or "Ben Matlock".
- Click "Search".
Note that if the Attorney field is not available for your selected courts, you will see a message indicating that you will not receive results from these courts.
Case Law: Understanding the Judicial System's Evolution
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![The Process of Legal Research: Practices and Resources [Connected eBook with Study Center]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71OG9MNqOCL._AC_UL320_.jpg)
Searching by jurisdiction
When searching for case law in Lexis Nexis, there are three main search methods: by Citation, Party, and Topic.
When searching by jurisdiction, you can select from a list of sources or click "Add All These as Search Filters". The following guidelines apply to the Jurisdiction, Location, and Location by Publication filters for News, Company, Financial, Scientific, and Directories materials:
- If you select Non-Jurisdictional, this applies to sources that either have no jurisdiction or apply to multiple jurisdictions.
- If you select U.S. Federal, the results will primarily include U.S. publications where the original state cannot be determined.
- If you select International, the results will include international publications.
- If you select a specific State or Territory, the results will include publications originating from that state or territory.
It is important to note that some Company, Scientific, and Directories publications are jurisdictional, while others are not. Applying a Jurisdiction filter before your search may exclude helpful publications.
To add a Jurisdiction filter, follow these steps:
- Click the Filters drop-down menu to the left of the Search button in the Search box.
- Click Jurisdiction.
- Select your Jurisdiction.
- Click Search.
You can also use "Find a Source" under Explore Content to locate sources within a specific Jurisdiction.
Additionally, when using the Jurisdiction pre-search filter, your selection will be reflected in the results under the Location by Publication filter. For example, if you select Ohio as your Jurisdiction, it will appear within the Narrow by section under the Location by Publication post-search filter.
When selecting a Jurisdiction filter before running your search, your selection will be reflected in the results under the Location filter. The Location filter is based on the company's location, while the Location by Publication filter is based on the location where the source is published.
It is recommended to use the Jurisdiction filter only when you know the exact jurisdiction for the publication.
The Evolution of Law: Case and Statutory Origins
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Basic Legal Research Workbook: [Connected eBook with Study Center] (Aspen Coursebook)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/713yVkqxiRL._AC_UL320_.jpg)
![The Legal Writing Handbook: Analysis, Research, and Writing [Connected eBook with Study Center] (Aspen Coursebook)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71PYHTsY+bL._AC_UL320_.jpg)
Searching by docket number
LexisNexis is a powerful tool to search for case law, dockets, court documents, transcripts, and recordings. Docket numbers are a series of alpha and/or numeric characters assigned by the court to identify a case.
To search for case law by docket number on LexisNexis, you can follow these steps:
- Click on "Advanced Search".
- Click on "Select a specific content type".
- Click on "Cases".
- Enter the docket number in the "Number" field. If there are any intervening characters such as "cv", "civ", "cr", or "crim", use the "AND" connector to find the docket number. For example, if the docket number is 3:19cv2034, enter "3 AND 19cv2034" in the "Number" field.
- Enter the court information in the "Court" field. For example, if you are searching for an Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals case, enter "Eleventh" in the "Court" field.
- Click "Search".
It is important to note that the format of docket numbers may vary, so it is helpful to use the "AND" connector to find docket numbers with intervening characters. Additionally, when searching for an individual litigant, judge, or attorney's name, you can place "/3" between their first and last name to retrieve cases that include their middle name.
Case Law in Chicago: Understanding the System
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
You can search for case law by case name in Lexus Nexxis by entering the party name(s) in the search box. You can also use the NAME segment in your search to search only for case names. For single-party cases, enter the party name in the search box and run the search.
To find case law by attorney name, click on 'Advanced Search', then 'Select a specific content type', and select 'Cases'. Enter the attorney name in the 'Attorney Name' field and click 'Search'.
To find case law by court, click on 'Advanced Search', then 'Select a specific content type', and select 'Cases'. Enter the court in the 'Court' field and click 'Search'.
To find case law by docket number, click on 'Advanced Search', then 'Select a specific content type', and select 'Cases'. Enter the docket number in the 'Number' field and the court in the 'Court' field, then click 'Search'.
 (Aspen Paralegal Series)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91X0CqY7ddL._AC_UL320_.jpg)
