Westlaw

Westlaw is an online legal research platform with a multitude of different subscriptions you can buy (and, frankly, different services). Essentially, it’s a proprietary database of case law, statutes, treatises, and other secondary sources from legal technology heavyweight, Thomson Reuters. Along with LexisNexis, it’s currently the industry standard for case lookup and secondary source searches. And, just like LexisNexis, many have found Westlaw to be cost prohibitive. However, if you need comprehensive legal research, you’re unlikely to find a more thorough database. Take a look at our Westlaw review and features, below, to see if it’s the right solution for you.

Who Westlaw is For

Westlaw’s new, more affordable, Essential plans are likely to be more attractive to firms of all sizes who are looking for a legal research solution. But these plans are actually more limited than other, less expensive, resources out there. If you need sources from more than one state, or you bill on a flat fee, Westlaw may not be the review platform for you.

Alternatively, larger law firms who are billing for associate research time, may actually find Westlaw Edge to cost less for their clients. Additionally, those who need a specific secondary source along with their case law review, will likely benefit from buying a Westlaw subscription.

Westlaw Features

Additional Details

Buying Westlaw Subscriptions

Westlaw Essentials

Westlaw Essentials is just that—the essentials. It is intended to compete with some of the less established legal research platforms out there like ROSS Intelligence, Casetext, Casemaker, and Fastcase. It’s much less expensive than Westlaw’s other plans. But it is Basic. Buying this Westlaw subscription at $89/user/month, will get you State Court case law (for one state), KeyCites, Statutes, and Court Rules. You’re not really getting access to what they are known for, which is robust secondary sources.

Westlaw Plus

The Plus package is a substantial jump above Essentials (both in content and in cost). At its simplest, when you buy this Westlaw subscription, you get access to case law and statutes from a single state and its corresponding federal jurisdiction. In addition to this expanded case law, you’ll also get secondary sources from that state, more robust statutes searches, legislative history, and more.

Westlaw Edge

Edge, is now Westlaw’s premier product. And at nearly $400/user/month, it’s likely beyond the budget of many attorneys. However, it has a lot of research power. For one, it comes with case law and statutes from all states and federal jurisdictions. Then, it gives you access to state specific secondary sources. And lastly, it gives you access to AI and Data driven tools that are specific to Edge.

KeyCite Overruling Risk

KeyCite Overruling Risk comes included in the cost of the Westlaw Edge subscription. It expands KeyCite by flagging a case if it relies on bad or overruled law. To be clear, you can still find cases that have been explicitly overruled by using Keycite alone. The Overrulling Risk portion simply saves you time by looking at all those cases at once.

Statutes Compare

Statutes Compare allows you to compare statutory revisions on the state and federal level to help you understand the legislative intent. This insight lets you incorporate legislative intent in your business advice and litigation advocacy. Statutes Compare shows you exactly how a statute has evolved, but it is only included when you buy a Westlaw Edge subscription.

Secondary Sources

Westlaw’s software features a comprehensive secondary sources database that lets you bookmark favorite publications and browse through publications in a streamlined user interface. This is where Westlaw (and LexisNexis) set themselves apart from the rest. However, this is also where they charge the most. You’ll have to at least purchase a Westlaw Plus subscription. Even then, however, you’re initially limited to a single state.

Alternatives to Westlaw

LexisNexis

Fastcase

Casemaker