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Case Law Research

Cases on Westlaw & Lexis Plus (via LexisNexis.com) & Bloomberg Law

Cases on Westlaw, Lexis and Bloomberg Law

Cases are organized in various ways for easy access. Databases are usually organized by jurisdiction, such as Illinois Appellate cases or 7th Circuit cases. Sometimes groups are combined for common types of searches, such as all Illinois and 7th Circuit cases. These combinations give you the ability to find all cases for a project with one search rather than several searches in smaller databases. The organization of these databases is no longer tied to the various reporters, but they do share the same organizational rationale.

Both West and Lexis offer database citations that are specific to the online version of an opinion. Lexis includes a citation with every display of the case. West, on the other hand, will only display a Westlaw citation until a paper citation appears. At that point, the editors suppress the Westlaw citation. However, West still allows one to search using the Westlaw citation, even if it has been suppressed from the case display. Not all opinions appear on both services. All reported (i.e., published in paper) opinions will appear on both services. The distinction will arise with unpublished opinions, with the more obscure documents appearing on one or the other, as they get them from the courts.

Cases on Westlaw

Sign on to Thomson Reuters Law School Homepage

  • Select "Westlaw Precision" from the "Westlaw, TWEN, Practical Law..." drop-down (upper right)
  • Click on "Cases"
  • Browse Cases categories or can use citation, simple keyword or "Advanced" search

Cases on Bloomberg Law

Bloomberg Law                       

Sign on to Bloomberg Law                                                                        

  • Within "All Content" click on "Court Opinions"                                                                                    
  • Main search box can be searched using natural language or Terms & Connectors
  • If using Terms & Connectors, click onfor additional guidance
  • Click on "Select Sources" to focus search, using keywords, citations, courts, topics, party, case name, judge, attorney or firm and/or date of decision
  • Click "Go"
  • Additional Filters can be found on the results screen