Fact-finding on the Internet: Using search engines and subject guides to make your online research pay off
Article Abstract:
Legal research often requires much more than caselaw, statutes and regulations. A medical malpractice attorney, for example, may need to find information about anatomy or medical experts. The Internet is an excellent tool for searching for this type of information. Both subject guides and search engines can be used for this purpose. A subject guide is a set of links for jumping to relevant sources. A search engine, on the other hand, has no directory, but searches for key words entered by the user. There are a number of free resources on the Internet, the most valuable of which is the Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR database. All publicly held companies must now file documents electronically, and EDGAR is a central repository for these SEC filings.
Publication Name: Law Office Computing
Subject: Law
ISSN: 1055-128X
Year: 1996
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Federal caselaw on the net
Article Abstract:
Attorneys can use the Internet to research caselaw. Lawyers traditionally have used hardbound reference volumes and fee-based online services to research their cases, but the Internet is opening up a new avenue for research. When using the Internet for legal research, users need to consider cost, comprehensiveness, citability and accuracy. Cost is the best part of using the Internet, with much of available information costing nothing. Comprehensiveness, however, is not as great, with Supreme Court information going back to 1990 and appellate court opinions going back to 1992. Citing references on the Internet is a problem with many courts not accepting the cites. Another concern is the accuracy of cited references from the Internet.
Publication Name: Law Office Computing
Subject: Law
ISSN: 1055-128X
Year: 1996
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
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