Update XXII: what's new on LexisNexis, Westlaw, Loislaw, and VersusLaw.

Publication: Legal Information Alert

Publication Date: 01-NOV-05

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Alert Publications, Inc.

LexisNexis New Additions, Changes, and Enhancements

LexisNexis legal, news, and business databases are now available to nonsubscribers through LexisNexis AlaCarte! Users can search single or combined multi-source databases or selected individual sources and pay by credit card. LexisNexis AlaCarte! is available at http://alacarte.lexisnexis.com.

Shepard's Citation Service has been enhanced to include LexisNexis headnotes. Researchers can now "shepardize" by LexisNexis headnote number, allowing them to focus their Shepard's reports to include only citing cases that cite a particular case on the issue summarized by that headnote. Researchers can also shepardize by headnote directly from a case using the Shepardize-Restriet by headnote link on the case. Other enhancements to Shepard's include a redesigned Custom Restrictions page that includes the FOCUS feature, and Shepard's Alert, which automatically notifies users when specific Shepard's reports are updated. Also new to Shepard's, the Orange Q signal, marks cases that have received "Questioned by" treatment by later citing cases.

ECLIPSE is now known as LexisNexis Alert. In addition to a new name, the service has also been enhanced so that users can now save LexisNexis Alert searches even when the initial search retrieves no results. Researchers also have more options for scheduling LexisNexis Alert searches and can elect to receive notification even when the automatic search retrieves no new results.

Enhancements added in the new release of LexisNexis Total Search include Boolean searching capabilities in internal documents, and combined citation and Boolean searching in internal documents. FOCUS is now available for internal documents and LexisNexis results, tracking, and reporting features. LexisNexis Total Search also supports additional document management systems and allows researchers to search for relevant internal work product then link from those documents to the relevant sources in LexisNexis databases.

LexisNexis has added a new search option to lexis.com to complement the Terms & Connectors and Natural Language search options. LexisNexis Easy Search is designed to be a quick-search tool that works best with simple searches. Boolean searching is optional. Neither segment searching or date restriction is available. Easy Search allows researchers who are proficient Internet searchers to effectively search lexis.com without having to know lexis.com search features, but it is not effective for precise or complicated expert searches.

Lexis.com now checks spelling. Researchers can click on the Check Spelling link next to the search box before they run a search. The spell checker will check for misspellings and suggest corrections.

Through an agreement between LexisNexis and The Wall Street Journal, LexisNexis will exclusively distribute the Wall Street Journal Online to law firm subscribers beginning in January 2006. Wall Street Journal Online subscriptions through LexisNexis will include more legal content and will link to legal information on lexis.com.

The JurisPro Expert Witness Directory is now available through lexis.com. Researchers can link...

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