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Blog » An Insight to the Best Legal Research Tools in the Market

An Insight to the Best Legal Research Tools in the Market

Last updated: 15 Mar, 2024 By | 6 Minutes Read

legal research

In this techno-savvy world, there are a number of legal research tools accessible to every single person in this world through the use of the Internet. In today’s scenario, there are hardly any people who make use of books, newspapers, journals, etc., to search for something they need.

A large number of people use electronic gadgets such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops to do research. The use of the Internet is rising at a very high speed in this era of Information Explosion. The Internet is used for doing all kinds of research, whether it relates to legal topics or others.

Today, every person in their profession utilizes the Internet for enhancing their business and other professions. Legal research services are a pertinent requirement of people in the field of Law like advocates, attorneys, students, judicial members of the lawmaking process, judges, and even the general public sometimes.

There are various online legal research sites, such as LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters, Lexisweb, Justia.com, Findlaw.com, Casetext.com, Westlaw.com, Plol.org, and Court listener. Some websites are free for all users, while others are subscription-based.

What tools do legal researchers use?

LexisNexis:

This is a big corporation that provides different services such as legal research services, business-related research, and risk management services, public and business information, market intelligence etc. They provide different services on a paid bases. One has to get a subscription to their different plans to get their services.

Thomson Reuters:

They have various online sites to provide different legal solutions. They provide subscription-based services and provide different packages for business owners. Their different services include Practical law, which delivers hand on legal know-how. Westlaw UK provides legal research and authoritative commentary. Lawtel includes online precedents and covers legislation, cases, and judgments, articles, and media coverage.

Lexis Web:

This site is also very useful for legal research. They provide Subscription-based legal research services. This is a legal search engine that includes legal journals, legal terms, and different citation cases.

Westlaw:

In the United States, Westlaw is one of the famous primary research sites for online legal research that is useful for lawyers and other legal professionals. In it, we can research case laws, newspapers, magazines, public records, law journals, legal forms, and other related resources. 

Justia, Findlaw, and Casetext:

These three sites are very famous among Advocates, businessmen, Law students, and consumers because these sites provide specific free information about case laws, codes, and regulations. They provide free services without any subscription fee.

Pros and Cons of Legal Research Tools :

PROS –

  • A huge amount of information can be gathered through the internet. The bulk of resources are available on the Internet.
  • Some services on the internet are free to access, and some are paid based on the subscription fee, but that fee is also a minimal amount. So we can say online legal research method is cost-effective.
  • As we know, competition is very high in this competitive world. Everyone is in the race to defeat others by providing their best legal research services. On the Internet, we have access to the services of other firms, which can help us improve.
  • Social media allows you to take instant real-time knowledge on any topic.

CONS –

  • The information available on the internet is more superfluous or excessive than required. Sometimes it becomes a very time-consuming process to gather some specific information.
  • Vague, ill-defined, irreconcilable information on the internet sometimes leads to devastating results for the user.

In Summation

For conducting legal research on the internet, one needs experience and command of internet usage. Obtaining pertinent, authentic, definitive, and amended legal information for conducting qualified legal research and understanding the latest and fast-changing processes of the web and other internet search engines is essential.

    We at Cogneesol offer custom, top-quality, and in-depth legal research services to attorneys and law firms worldwide. Our in-house team members are experts in making optimal use of all the leading legal research tools. Contact us at +1 646-688-2821 and get to know why you should outsource legal research services to us.

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