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Lexis
Best tip for Lexis research is to start broad and then narrow your search. In Lexis, select your topical database, create a search string or select terms, then focus (narrow) your search until your hits become managable. Although you should always be thorough when researching your topic, you must also figure out when to stop. A guide to stopping is to recognize when you are getting the same results with each search.
- Nexis UniNexis Uni is available campus-wide to all UW students, faculty and staff. Locate federal and state case law and statutes, or use the LexisNexis citator to Shepardize a citation. Law reviews, legal news and general news stories are also available at this site.
Westlaw
Westlaw has the added feature of ResultsPlus to help you locate secondary material. Westlaw also has a Directory tab to locate databases & treatises on your topic. You can also locate keywords within your search with Westlaw's locate feature. Using boolean operators and FIELD searches also helps to narrow your results.
Other Useful Legal Databases at the Law Library
These databases are available to law students from the Law Library.
- Bloomberg LawBloomberg Law is well known for analysis of corporate news and financial markets, however recent database enhancements include legal resources (cases, statutes, regulations, a citator service, as well as federal and state dockets and filings comparable to PACER). Bloomberg is only available to Law Students.
You will need to request a password to use this database from the Law Library Staff (available only to law students) but use of this database is free. - Wolters Kluwer VitalLaw (formerly Cheetah)Full-text federal, state, and international tax information and materials. Includes legislation, reporters (Standard Federal Tax Reporter, Federal Tax Guide, U.S. Tax Treaties Reporter, state tax reporters, etc.), journals, treatises, and more. Also includes business and finance materials such as Federal Securities Law Reporter, Blue Sky Law Reporter, Trade Regulation Reporter, FERC Reporter and more.
Formerly known as CCH Internet Research Network and CCH Tax Research Network.
Making of Modern LawOver 22,000 legal treatises from the 19th- and early 20th- century. Covers all aspects of American and British law and encompasses a range of analytical, theoretical and practical literature for research in American and British legal history.