West Group, a provider of e-information and solutions to the U.S. legal
market, has announced that Westlaw Wireless, the wireless version of westlaw.com,
now provides full-text wireless access to virtually all Westlaw and West
Legal Directory content. The company also announced the release of Most
Cited Cases, a new research tool available on westlaw.com.
Westlaw Wireless Enhancements
With the new release of Westlaw Wireless, users can find a document,
KeyCite a citation, and search Westlaw databases using both natural language
and Terms and Connectors (Boolean) search methods. Westlaw Wireless also
offers expanded access to West Legal Directory content, including options
to find an attorney, firm, courthouse, or legal professional by name or
location.
"For the first time, the full text of virtually all American law will
be available on devices that fit into a purse or shirt pocket," said Denis
Hauptly, West Group’s vice president of technology development. "This step
once again illustrates West Group’s commitment to providing legal researchers
with the most cutting-edge technology and comprehensive content available."
The earlier version of Westlaw Wireless allowed users to retrieve headnotes
and case synopses or to e-mail the full document to any non-wireless e-mail
account. Now, when wireless users access http://wireless.westlaw.com,
they have the option to view full-text content (in 5K increments) directly
on a hand-held device—including the full text of cases, statutes, regulations,
and news periodicals—or to send the results of a search to one or more
e-mail addresses.
Most Cited Cases
Most Cited Cases allows researchers to find seminal cases for a particular
point of law. After finding a document on westlaw.com, researchers can
click on a Most Cited Cases link on the desired West headnote that is on-point,
and a list of cases most often cited for that point of law is provided.
In addition to cases, the results list may also include additional references
when available, such as ALR, AmJur, law reviews, and other secondary sources
that discuss the legal proposition.
"The practical problem researchers face is to identify the strongest
possible supporting case authority for a legal proposition in a document
they’re drafting," said Forrest Rhoads, West Group’s vice president of
legal product development. "Most Cited Cases makes this task considerably
easier. With a single click, researchers can see the cases which are most
cited on a given legal concept as defined by the West Topic and Key Number
System. This makes it simple for advocates to back up their points with
the most solid authority."
Most Cited Cases utilizes the West Key Number System, headnotes, and
KeyCite to provide researchers with thorough results. Westlaw identifies
the most cited cases by Key Number and sorts them based on the number of
times a case is cited for the issue discussed in the headnote classified
to that Key Number.
Researchers can modify their Most Cited Cases results list by selecting
a jurisdiction, topic, or date, or by adding a search term. KeyCite flags
are included in the list of cases most often cited so researchers can view
case history and citing references.
Source: West Group, Eagan, MN, 800/328-7990; http://www.westgroup.com. |
