Vermont Bar Association Seminar Materials

Online Legal Research Using Casemaker: Tips and Tricks from a 30-year Veteran of

Online Legal Research

September 27, 2013 Lake Morey Resort

Fairlee, VT

Faculty:

Jim Corbett

Online Legal Research Using Casemaker: Tips and Tricks from a 30-year Veteran

of Online Legal Research Vermont Bar Association

135th Annual Meeting Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, Vermont

September 27, 2013 Jim will provide some insights into the most effective ways to use Casemaker to conduct your online legal research. Join the session and bring questions you have on how to approach and solve your research questions. Speaker: Jim Corbett Bio: Jim Corbett has a Masters in Library Science and attended Seattle University Law School in the evening program while working for Lexis. He was the Law Librarian at the Wall Street law firm of Hughes, Hubbard & Reed and has worked for over 30 years in teaching online legal research and leading teams to develop new online features and functionality for online legal research.

Online Legal Research Using Casemaker:

Tips and Tricks from a 30-year Veteran of Online Legal Research

September 2013 Jim Corbett, Director of Business Development

• Introductions:

– Casemaker Background – Relationship w/VBA

– Goals for Presentation • Exciting New Announcement • Review some Basics • Highlight 3 Functional Areas

– Browse Materials (Fed/State; cases/codes) – Search Techniques (strategy, connectors) – Manage Search Results (Navigate, Save, Share )

– Outline goals for Presentation – Online Navigation Tools/ Techniques – Annotating Codes – Additional Services

» Cite Verification (CaseCheck+) » CiteCheck (Checking cites in a brief) » CasemakerDigest

Browse Vermont Material

• Cases • Vermont Code • AG Opinions • Other

Browse Federal material

• Cases (Sup, Cir, Dist) • US Code • CFR

• Searching Databases

– Boolean Search Techniques • Connectors • Strategy (precise/comprehensive) • No single path to success • No penalty for trying new/different approaches

• Some Sample Searches:

– trademark w/10 infring* and logo – “equal protection” w/25 hir* and supervisor – Contract or agreement w/10 breach* w/30 fungible Compare searches: government contract and confidentiality “government contract*” w/35 confident*

• Advanced Search Options

– Isolate opinions by judge

• Start in the Jurisdiction of the Judge • Run substantive terms of search • Add Judge’s name via search box

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Add scalia; click go

• Annotating Codes

– 42 USC 1988 – Civil Rights Cases – attorney’s fees and fees for

experts

– Use Proximity Connector with substantive terms • 42 w/4 1988 w/20 expert • Alternately:

– Accountan* forensic – Psychiatr* economics

• Annotating Codes

– Sec 25-824

– Attorney fees

• Search: 25-824

• Citation Tools

– CaseCheck+ • Verifies validity of cites

– CiteCheck • Checks validity of cites within briefs or other documents

• Thank You

• Q&A