Introduction to LexisNexis, Fall 2006

Introduction | Search Tabs | Get a Document | Search Advisor | Sources | Cases - Terms & Connectors | Shepard's | Print | History | Quiz

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1. Introduction

A. Contacts & Background Information

• Instructors:   Femi Cadmus, ocadmus1@gmu.edu, Christine Ciambella, cciambel@gmu.edu, Deborah Keene, dkeene@gmu.edu
• Reference: Room 141, 703- 993-8076
• LEXIS Customer Support: 1-800-455-3947 (1-800-45-lexis)
• Research Aids: http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/learning/reference,
  Online Tutorials: http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/learning/tutorials
• Policy: Lexis is restricted to educational use only. Use for law firms or outside employers is prohibited.
• Printers: Free printing is available on Lexis stand-alone printers in Labs 342 and 350.
• Pricing: Law schools receive a lower annual flat rate but firms pay very high prices.

B. Signing-On

• From your browser, enter http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool
• From the Sign On page, enter your custom ID & password. Then click on Research System tab at top.

2. Search Tabs (Across the Top Left)

• Search — starting point for doing full-text searching in any Lexis database.
• Search Advisor — quick way to find cases and secondary sources from among 42 broad legal topics.
• Get a Document — use to retrieve a case or other document by citation, party name, or docket number
• Shepard's — helps you update your citation and find related citing documents

3. Get a Document

A. Finding A Case by Citation

• Click on Get A Document tab.
• Make sure that the Citation tab is selected.
• You can use Citation Formats to determine correct abbreviations.
• Enter 410 us 113 in citation box and click Get.

  

B. Finding A Case By Party Name

• Click Get A Document.
• Click the Party Name tab.
• Type in names in party boxes: roe v. wade
• Select a Jurisdiction for your search: Select US Supreme Court.
• Under Restrict by Date, click the radio button next to From and type 1/1/1973 in the "From" Box and 12/31/1973 in the "To" box.
• Click Search to retrieve the case.

 

 

4. Search Advisor

Research Problem: Seller/developer's duty to disclose to buyers a toxic waste site located adjacent to residential property in New Jersey.

Search Advisor is a quick way to find cases, law reviews, and legal news from over 40 broad legal topics. Not as comprehensive as "Search".

• Click on the Search Advisor Tab (top).
• Two ways to Look for a Legal Topic:
  • Option 1: Find a Legal Topic — enter search terms or
  • Option 2: Explore Legal Topics — click through the outline.
• Use Option 1: Find a Legal Topic and type duty to disclose and click Find.

• On the Results page, under Real Property Law > Remedies >, click Duty to Disclose.
  
  
• Under Step 1, select jurisdiction NJ Real Estate Cases .
• Under Step 2, click Go to retrieve all headnotes and additional cases on this topic.
  
  
  
• You will retrieve a list of citations. Browse through your results.
• Use Focus bar at top to narrow search to cases with the terms toxic or hazardous.
  
• Also, take a look at results under other tabs, e.g. Analytical Materials.

5. Sources

To get back to the Sources Directory, click on the Search tab and make sure that the Sources tab is selected.

Three Ways to choose a database to search:

1. Recently Used Sources — Lexis saves a list of the last 20 databases that you searched.
2. Look for a Source under one of the 3 main directories: Legal, News & Business, Public Records.
3. Use Find a Source to look up a specific title.

Question: Is George Mason Law Review available on Lexis?

• Click the tab marked Find a Source.
• In the text box, typegeorge mason law reviewand click Find.
  
• 
• Click onto see a description of the title and the years of coverage.

6. Searching Cases Using Terms and Connectors

• Choose key words from the issue.
• Select synonyms or alternate terms for key words.
• Link search words with appropriate connectors.

a. Words or Search Terms

Truncation: Exclamation Point (!)	Replaces an infinite number of letters that follow the root word.	disclos!= disclosure, disclose, disclosed
Singulars, Plurals, Possessives	Lexis automatically retrieves the singular, plural and possessive form of words that form their plurals by adding s or es but does not automatically pick up nouns with irregular plural endings.	party=parties but child will not pick up children

b. Connectors — establish the logical relationship between words in a Boolean search request.

or	Requires at least one term appear in document.	realtor or broker or seller
and	Requires both terms in document no matter how far apart (broad connector).	toxic and property
/n	Requires that terms appear within a certain number of words of each other. (from 1 to 255)	duty /3 disclos! retrieves duty within 3 words of disclos!

 

C. Formulating Your Search

• Click the Search tab.
• Click the Legal tab.
• Under Look for a Source
  • Under States Legal - U.S.,click New Jersey
  • Under Cases, choose NJ State Cases, Combined
• Check the radio box for Terms and Connectors.
• Type the following query in the search box:

• Check Spelling
• To retrieve a list of suggested synonyms for your search terms, click Suggest Terms for My Search
• Complete your search by clicking Search,
• Browse through the Cite list. Note: you can choose to Hide Hits (your search terms) or Show Hits.
• Click on case number 1 in the citation list: Nobrega v. Edison Glen Assoc.  

D. Page Display — Note that there are 4 ways to view a document.

• Cite — displays the citation for each document retrieved.
• KWIC — (keywords in context) displays a window of text of about 25 words around search terms in your document.
• Full — displays full-text of the document.
• Custom — allows you to select the segments of the document to display.

E. Key Features of a Case

(1) Subsequent History (if available)
(2) Prior History (if available)
(3) Case Summary - concise, targeted synopses of cases prepared by Lexis editors. Each summary comprises three sections:

• Procedural Posture — Describes case's procedural history.
• Overview — Brief review of court's holding on legal issues raised.
• Outcome — Reviews procedural disposition of the case.

(4) Headnotes— Key legal points of a case prepared by Lexis editors. Similar to Westlaw's Topic & Key Number system. Can choose to Hide Headnotes.
(5) Use Explore (bottom left )
Navigate to different parts of a case, e.g., history, case summary, counsel, judges, opinion, etc.

(6) Term Browse (bottom right)
Use the term navigator to jump to each occurrence of your search terms.

(7) Star Pagination (at bottom)
Allows you to navigate to a specific page in a parallel reporter by typing a page number in the box and clicking Go.
Note: You can identify each Reporter by referring to the number of stars next to the page number, e.g. N.J. Reports = 1 star; A.2d= 2 stars.

7. Shepard's

Available both in print and online.Shepard’s on LexisNexis is updated within 24-48 hours after a court decision is available online and is more timely and current than the print version.

A. Several Ways to Shepardize a Case.

1. When you are viewing a case in Lexis, click on the Shepard's color-coded signal indicator or the Shepardize ® link above the case name.
• Click on the green signal next to "Nobrega v. Edison Glen Assoc".
• View results.
2. Click on the Shepard's tab at the top of the screen.
   • Type your citation in the text box: 140 nj 43.
   • If unsure of your correct citation format, click on Citation Formats link.
   • Leave the default for Shepard's® for Research (Full).
   • Click on Check to execute the search.

   

B. Shepard’s Signals

Shepard’s uses signals to indicate the type of treatment given to a case. A signal will appear at the beginning of a retrieved case if Shepard’s treatment is available for it. It is important that all citing sources in a Shepard’s entry be reviewed thoroughly to determine the status of a case on the point of law you are researching. While a red signal may indicate negative treatment for one of the points of law being researched, the same case may still be authoritative on other points of law. 

Note: If you don't see any signals after the case citations on your Shepard's display, click Display Options (top left) and choose Citing Ref. Signals. You can make this a permanent display, by going to Preferences.

Click Legend at bottom of the screen to see the list of signals with explanations.

	Like a traffic stop sign, the red signal is for "warning" indicating your case has received very negative treatment for at least one point of law, e.g., it has been reversed, overruled, or superseded by statute.
	The orange Shepard's Signal indicates that the citing references contain treatment that questions the continuing validity of your case because of intervening circumstances, including judicial or legislative overruling.
	Like a yield sign, the yellow sign is for "caution": indicating your case has received possible negative treatment, e.g. it has been criticized or limited for at least one point of law but has not been reversed or overruled.
	Like a traffic light, the green sign is a "true positive": indicating your case has received positive treatment, e.g. it has been followed or affirmed.
	"Neutral" -- BLUE "A" contains treatment of your case that is neither positive nor negative.
	"Information Available" -- BLUE "I" indicates citing references are available for your case but do not have history or treatment analysis

C. Shepard’s Navigation Bar (bottom of screen)

Note the Cites drop-down menu which provides access to the different Shepard’s report sections.

D. Narrowing Your Results

The FOCUS™- Restrict By link provides a template that lets you see the treatment codes, jurisdictions, headnotes, and date available in the list of citing references to your case. This is the fastest way to see where and how your case has been cited. It also allows you to add FOCUS terms to retrieve citations to cases that contain your search terms.

• Click on FOCUS™- Restrict By  at top of screen.
• Check box for each restriction you wish to select.
• Click Apply to process your request.
• To return to the full Shepard’s display, click Unrestricted at the top of screen.

8. Printing

• Click on Print at the upper right hand side of the screen and choose your printer and other options.
• automatically prints to the default printer. To configure, go to Preferences > General. You can set-up one of the lab printers (342 or 350) as your default printer
• Other options include download, fax, and e-mail.

9. History

• To access, click History (top right under Sign off).
• Automatically creates a log of all your searches so you can retrieve the results of a previous search quickly. Today’s searches are saved until 2:00a.m. EST and then are archived for 30 days.
• To view the 30 day archive of research activity, click on History and then select the Archived Activity tab.

10. Class Quiz

• Leave LEXISNEXIS window open and open a new window or new browser.
• Go to https://webct.gmu.edu.
• Sign-in using your GMU email login id, e.g. jsmith and you email password.
• Click on the link for LAW-096-001/002/003-F06.
• Click on Lexis Quiz.
• Click on Lexis Quiz, Fall 2006.
• Enter the password (your instructor will give you the password) and click Begin Quiz.
• Save each answer as you go, and click Finish when you are done.
• Click View Results.