Has caselaw research become commoditized? Aside from Artificial Intelligence, caselaw research has been stuck in neutral. Yes, Westlaw has the Key Number Digest and KeyCite, while Lexis has Core Terms and Shepards. Basically, any decent researcher is going to find what they’re looking for whether using Natural Language or Terms & Connectors.
So, what is the significant difference between these two? Considering that 80%-90% of legal research is done in cases, statutes and citation checking, most would say it’s user preference. Do the bells and whistles really matter?
Now, let’s introduce Analytics into the picture. Both Westlaw and Lexis have taken off to see who can better enhance caselaw research with Westlaw Edge and Lexis Context. The duopoly is not alone. Bloomberg, FastCase and CaseText are also making a run, and most likely there will be others.
Maybe you would like to know where you’re getting the biggest bang for your buck. Do you even need Analytics?
Start with how you would rate each provider based on the following:
- Content Bundling
- Pricing
- Contract Changes
- Sales Representation
- Transparency
- Renewals
- Usage Reports
- Billing & Invoicing Clients
- Cutbacks
- Customer Service
- Training
- Product Acquisition & Development
Would you rather be surprised or prepared when you’re making improvements?
If you’re considering testing the waters with enticing options, are you prepared to navigate the differences and ongoing changes? I encourage you to read my blog post on this topic. In this post I cover how to approach some of the challenges listed above.
So, who is really winning? Why shouldn’t it be you, the law firm!
To schedule a brief conversation, contact me here on my website. I can give you specifics on what to expect for your circumstances.