The University of Alabama School of Law
The University of Alabama School of Law
Summer associates are sometimes assigned a project or task asking them to compile the law on a given topic from several jurisdictions. This is often referred to as a 50 State Survey, although in practice any project comparing two or more states or jurisdictions will be similar. Here are several resources that can help with this sort of project.
Westlaw provides several prepared surveys that you can check before making one yourself. To find them, start with "Secondary Sources," and select "50 State Surveys." You'll be given two options and you should select "50 State Statutory Surveys." You'll be presented with a list of broad topics that have prepared surveys. For example, one of the topics is "Covid-19." If you select the link, you'll be taken to another page with a handful of surveys that have been created that pertain to "Covid-19." If you select one of the options, such as "Landlord/Tenant Evictions," you'll be directed to a page similar to the one below that surveys each states policies covering landlord/tenant evictions due to Covid.
However, not every survey you may be asked to complete will have a prepared survey that you can use. When you have been asked to run a customized survey, switch over from "Westlaw Precision" to "Westlaw Practical Law." Once you're on the new home page, you'll want to select the "Resource Types" tab and then "State Q&A." This will take you to a new page that lets you search topics by "Practice Area," "Sectors," or "Jurisdiction." For example, if you pick "Litigation" from "Practice Area," you'll be taken to another page with a handful of options for topics that you would want to create a survey about. If you pick "Statutes of Limitation," you'll be taken to another page like the one example below that will show all states and the date for the law they will be using in comparison.
If you click "Compare States," you will be redirected to another page where you can select the jurisdictions you wish to compare. Select those and you will be given the survey results for all 50 states.
Similar to the instruction for the Preset Surveys in State Law, you can select "Secondary Sources," and then "50 State Surveys." From there, you should select "50 State Regulatory Surveys."
Lexis provides several surveys that allow an instant comparison of states' treatment of several topical issues. To find them, you'll want to start with "Secondary Materials," then "50 State Surveys." You'll be given two options, "Lexis Multistate Tax Charts with Analysis" and "LexisNexis 50 State Surveys: Statutes and Regs." Select the second option and you'll be given a list of all topics that have a survey that already exists. Once you get through making your selections, you'll be presented with a page that provides an overview of the Federal and State coverage of the issue and you will be given a table you can download that breaks down the comparison.
You'll need to switch from "Legal Research" to "Practical Guidance" on the Lexis+ home page. Once there, you will want to select the "State Law Comparison Tool" on the right hand side of the screen. Once you've done that, you will be able to narrow your search by "Practice Area" and "Topic," "Jurisdictions," and "Questions." Once the survey has been created, you will be able to download the table that is generated with the results.
On Bloomberg, to create customized surveys, you'll want to first select the "Practitioner Tools" tab and then select "Chart Builders." You'll be directed to a page that contains a variety of topics, each with their own sub-topics. Select one of the sub-topics and you'll be directed to another page that will allow you to select the jurisdictions you're wishing to include in your survey and you'll be able to narrow the topic again. You'll then be able to create a chart that compares the selected jurisdictions.
HeinOnline offers several options that will be fantastic resources to help supplement your research.
The most recent edition is the 9th ed. from 2022 and it is a national survey that provides access to an overall view of some of the most asked about and controversial legal topics in the United States. Presented in chart form, it allows users to make basic state-by-state comparisons of current state laws. The database is updated regularly as new laws are passed or as legislation changes.
If you're looking at the home page, there is a topic titled "National Survey of State Laws." It'll direct you to a new page where you can "Browse Laws by Topic." You can also search previous editions if you're looking for older versions. Simply select the topic you wish to compare and a chart will be generated.
Hein also presents a resource that provides access to one of the most comprehensive sources for identifying thousands of articles, books, government documents, looseleaf services, court opinions, and internet sites that compare state laws on hundreds of subjects.
To access this resource, you'll find a topic titled "Subject Compilations of State Laws." Select this and then "Database" and you'll be redirected to a page that will allow you to do a keyword search of the database or you can also browse the subjects if you are unsure of what keywords to try.