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COPYRIGHT 2005 Alert Publications, Inc.
Attorneys, court personnel, and vendors are learning that docket research is an important tool in a researcher's toolbox--something that librarians have known for a long time. Dockets can be used to confirm that the latest filing has been received and indexed by the court clerk or that an attorney has adopted certain litigation strategies. Dockets can also be used to identify marketing opportunities.
Docket research services now represent mature, highly evolved industries that continue to add content due to enthusiastic demand. But the docket research piece is really only a means to an end--every librarian knows that retrieving a docket will likely result in a document retrieval request. Since it is the underlying documents that attorneys and judges want to see, we see vigorous document retrieval businesses as an outgrowth of the docket services. Westlaw CourtExpress and CourtLink are taking two different approaches to this material, and it will be interesting to see what happens in this market.
Westlaw CourtExpress
800-WESTLAW
E-mail: Your Westlaw representative
Web: http://courtexpress.westlaw.com
Thomson/West acquired CourtExpress in May 2005. It sounds confusing, but currently CourtExpress data is residing in three places--in Westlaw.com, on the CourtExpress web site (www.courtexpress.com), and in the new Westlaw CourtExpress web site (http://courtexpress.westlaw.com). The Westlaw CourtExpress web site debuted Monday, August 14. This site uses Westlaw passwords, while the existing CourtExpress site continues to use its own login identifiers. West is committed to maintaining the CourtExpress site for the foreseeable future, but believes that its new web site offers increased functionality and access to significant enhancements that docket researchers will find useful.
Westlaw CourtExpress is formulated for those researchers who do not want the whole Westlaw experience--it is a web site that does one thing, but it does it very well. Once researchers have signed on, they can select from five tabs--Search for Dockets, Find by Case Number, View Recent Activity, Docket Alert, and Order Document. The look and feel of the site is very streamlined, uncluttered, and intuitive. The Search for Dockets tab has only three choices--Federal and State Courts Combined, Federal Courts, and State Courts. Federal and State Courts have + symbols in the margins to indicate that there are cascading menus underneath, with the "i" symbol next to each court to indicate that file...
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