Most research performed on Westlaw is by topic. In other words, the researcher has an issue that he or she would like to find an answer to, or for which he or she would like to locate relevant authority.

SEARCHING BY TOPIC

In order to search by topic, you will need to first choose a database, and then type in a search query (see Essential Skills for Paralegals, Volume 2, Chapter 10.)

There are two ways to choose a database.

1. You can click on a link on one of the Tab pages (such as the Paralegal Tab page). Each link on the page represents a specific database.

2. The other method is to use the Short Cut box on the left column titled "Search databases":

To use this method, you need to know the database abbreviation. Some common databases are:

ALLFEDS for all federal courts
ALLSTATES for all state courts
CTA4 for the U.S. Circuit Court, 4th Circuit (of course, you can choose your circuit number)
NC-CS for North Carolina Cases (CS = Cases) Use any state abbreviation and a hyphen before the CS.
FL-ST for Florida Statutes (ST = Statutes) Use any state abbreviation and a hyphen before the ST.

For now, choose one of the following databases:

• ALLSTATES
• NC-CS or your state abbreviation
• or click on a database link for state law in the main window.

ENTERING YOUR SEARCH QUERY
You will now be brought to the Search Query page. There is a dialogue box for you to enter your query:

There are two ways to enter your query: Terms and Connectors or Natural Language.

Eventually, you will have to decide which you are most comfortable with. Here we will introduce you to both.

Terms and Connectors
As mentioned in Chapter 10, Volume 2 of the Essential Skills for Paralegals, a query is a collection of words that the computer will use to find relevant authority. We are not going to teach you query formulation here. Please see the manual for that. But a common query might look like this:

pay "responsible for" & cost payment /p "electronic discovery" "e-discovery"

This query is actually asking the computer to find a case that has the term pay or the phrase "responsible for" and the terms cost or payment in the same paragraph as either "electronic discovery" or "e-discovery".

If you want help with the connectors, just use the list below the text box:

Natural Language
Click on the Natural Language tab above the text box. This method is a bit simpler, and because of the advancement in algorithms in search engines natural language searches have become very efficient. Instead of using the above terms and connectors, the researcher would simply type a question or phrase, such as:

Who pays the cost of electronic discovery?

The researcher is basically relying on the computer to search for similar terms and concepts.

For now, use the natural language text box, and either type in the above query about electronic discovery, or try one based on your own client's case.

SEARCH RESULTS
If your query is successful, Westlaw will provide a results page. The cases will be listed in chronological order with the most recent on top. Westlaw will also provide a brief description of each case with a link to the full opinion.

Now click on the first case link (the title). The appearance of the page will change.

Notice that the page is once again broken into two parts: The Navigation column on the left and the results main page on the right.

The Navigation column has two tabs of its own. This is what it looks like:

The default tab is called the Links tab. The Links Tab has some great tools, including:

• Full History
  This provides a list of citations (links) to every previous and/or subsequent published opinion in the same litigation. For instance, if the case was later appealed, the history would include a link to that opinion.
• Direct History
  This is a graphical map of the history of the case. Very cool.
• Citing References
  This provides a list of all cases that have mentioned (cited) the case you are looking at. In other words, if the case you are viewing is called Smith v. Jones, and you click on the Citing References, a list of all other cases that cite Smith v. Jones is provided. If Smith v. Jones is a relevant case for your research project, you may be able to locate even more cases this way. (Citing References are part of what Westlaw calls KeyCite.)
  
• Monitor with KeyCite Alert
  A very helpful tool, this alert emails you new cases that affect your case. In other words, if a new case affecting its validity cites to Smith v. Jones, you will be notified.

The second tab is the Result List tab. This provides your entire list of search results. It is a good way to review the cases on the left column, and click on the ones that appear most relevant to view full opinions.

The Results page is the main window on the right side, and shows the case you are currently linked to. It provides the following (with the most critical elements in bold face):

• Title of the case
• A simple citation (not usually Bluebook form)
• Abbreviation of the court and the year the opinion was written
• Approximate length of the opinion
• Alternate citations to additional publications that have printed the case (if any)
• The full title of the case (including all parties, full names, and attorneys)
• KeyCite references (a way to validate the case you are looking at to be covered later)
• Headnote references (indicated by a symbol of a key with a number and topic) followed by the headnote description
• The full court opinion

Don't get too bogged down now in all the extra tools, such as the flags, the links to headnotes, or the "KC" (KeyCite) graphics. There will be time for that later. For now, concentrate on finding an opinion that looks relevant to the query you entered, and getting a feel for the layout of Westlaw.