Prepare to Practice Resources

Though the use of practical law sources was briefly mentioned previously, it is important to cover the other applications that weren't discussed. These practical law resources are written by law professors and practicing attorneys for practicing attorneys. Most address a singular topical field of law in a singular jurisdiction, though some are general in nature. Although they may be used as one would use a treatise, they are no an in-depth or exhaustive treatment of a legal topic. 

Practical law resources include deskbooks, handbooks, legal practice guides, pattern jury instructions, court rules, and more. One of the main features of these practice oriented resources is that they are usually procedurally organized. These resources are available both online and in print. 

Another practical resource is the 'practical' product from legal research vendors. These resources are only available online and offer an interface tailored for easy access to research sources in singular topical areas of the law. They are currently limited to a select group of legal topics depending on the publisher. While Bloomberg, Lexis, and Westlaw do cover some of the same topics, each site does have topics that are unique to it. Additionally, though they may cover similar topics, such as bankruptcy, health care, and litigation, they don't all cover them to the same depth. 

So, why and when should you use these resources?

You should use these resources when you are looking for a step-by-step guide on how to navigate specific topics. Bloomberg is probably the best source for any bankruptcy or employment law questions. Westlaw and Lexis are fairly similar in their coverage, however, Lexis does cover more unique topics than Westlaw, such as family law, criminal law, and insurance. Ultimately, some of your decision may be decided by what sites you have access to. Additionally, even if you have found what you are looking for on the first site, if you are able to, always cross-check the information on the other sites, just to make sure you have everything covered. 

Please note, however, although most of these resources are updated in a timely manner, many are not and may contain unreliable, out-of-date information. You should always check the validity of your sources with an online citation checker. 

Bloomberg offers practical resources in its practical guidance section. As with other practical products, this offering is curated by Bloomberg Law staff and focuses on popular topics in law practice. It offers step-by-step and topical guidance on specific transactions, compliance issues, the litigation process, and other issues. 

If you're on the Bloomberg Law home page, simply look for the "Practitioner Tools" tab that is just under the search bar. Unless you know exactly what you're looking for, your best bet is likely to select "Practical Guidance Home." This will redirect you to a page that allows users to browse their collection of topical issues.

Lexis offers practical resources in its "Practical Guidance" section. As with other practical products, this offering is curated by Lexis staff and focuses on popular topics in law practice. It offers step-by-step and topical guidance on specific transactions, compliance issues, the litigation process, and other issues.

If you're looking at the Lexis+ home page, simply click "Practical Guidance" to the left of the screen. By following the link, you will have access to practice notes, forms, checklists, drafting tools, and more. 

Lexis also has "Litigation Analytics," which users can use to analyze the litigation track records of courts, judges, attorneys, and law firms. It allows the researcher to compare judge behavior and courtroom trends over time to federal district court so that they can know what to expect in their case. It also allows users to compare law firm and attorney performance based on actual litigation results in federal district court.

Westlaw offers practical resources in its "Practical Law" section. As with other practical products, this offering is curated by Westlaw staff and focuses on popular topics in law practice. It offers step-by-step and topical guidance on specific transactions, compliance issues, the litigation process, and other issues.

Westlaw also offers a section called "Law School Resource Center," which is curated for law students and new attorneys. If you're looking at the Westlaw homepage, go to the top left corner of the screen and select the arrow found next to Westlaw Precision. You'll find a link to Westlaw Practical Law, which you should click. Once on the new page, you'll see the link to the "Law School Resource Center" towards the middle of the screen.