Wireless Law

Conduct legal research on your BlackBerry.

By Genie Tyburski

Genie Tyburski is a Web research applications specialist at Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll.
She manages The Virtual Chase at www.virtualchase.com.

In a world that generates approximately 5EB (37,000 libraries the size of the book collections in the Library of Congress) of new information annually, keeping up-to-date on developments in the online search industry is a great challenge. Identifying useful search strategies and resources affects how lawyers find and manage information. This column focuses on recent events or changes that have an impact on online searching.

One trend worth noting is the increasing availability of legal information via wireless handheld devices. In recent months, both LexisNexis and Westlaw launched services compatible with BlackBerry and other Personal Digital Assistants.

I don’t own a BlackBerry, but because it’s popular with some of our lawyers, I borrowed one — a BlackBerry 7280 — and tested the new services. I expected to find similarities in accessibility, features and content. Instead, I experienced several noteworthy differences.

The first concerned accessibility. Westlaw Wireless provides an uncluttered, simple interface. The length of the Web address (http://www.wl-w.com) indicates Westlaw recognizes that keyboarding with a handheld device can be difficult. Keeping it short minimizes the frustration.

LexisNexis creates “custom user interfaces” for each service a customer wants. Examples are available in the BlackBerry folder at LexisNexis’ Customized Solutions Web site. When a CUI is available, the vendor sends the Web address. And what an address it is. It begins http://w3.lexis.com/clients/xxxxxx, where the X’s signify the law firm. You can bookmark it so you don’t have to enter it repeatedly, but why not provide a shorter, more memorable address?

The next difference involved the usability of the interfaces. After logging on to LexisNexis’ CUI, I encountered the usual client information screen. However, the feature for selecting a previously entered number didn’t work. Moreover, the interface took up so much space it forced the “Set” button — needed to submit the client number — to the bottom of the page and off the visible screen.

The CUI further displayed all the research services on one lengthy Web page. You could scroll down it with the BlackBerry trackwheel, but the visible space made it appear as if only one service was available.

After I insisted, LexisNexis created a menu of various services for me. In contrast, Westlaw Wireless displays a simple client information screen and hyperlinked text menu to its research services. You activate the menu item you want and away you go.

Another concern about the interfaces involved the sign off functions. On Westlaw Wireless, the option appears at the bottom of the search results. The sign off function didn’t display on LexisNexis CUI. They added it after I asked for it though — a sign off option should appear within the visible space.

Finally, the available content differs. The better service depends on what information you need. Both let you retrieve or print cases by citation, use KeyCite or Shepard citations, or conduct a search, but because LexisNexis customizes the interfaces, you can select the databases you want to have available. Westlaw gives you access to popular databases, such as “All Federal Cases,” “All State Cases” and “News.”

Speaking of news — lest you believe I always favor Westlaw, have you heard it recently lost the Factiva contract? Factiva supplies much of the news content behind Westlaw’s News & Business tab, including The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones news wires. Beginning March 1, 2005, this will be available on LexisNexis.

Westlaw says it will rebuild the service with content from its sister company, Dialog. It has, in fact, already made one improvement by adding a feature for removing duplicate stories from search results. But it remains to be seen how Westlaw will compete with LexisNexis for news coverage. Once LexisNexis adds Factiva to its existing collection, it will be hard to beat.

Having now balanced my discontent, I will sheathe my pen with one final observation. These recent developments illustrate areas in which LexisNexis and Westlaw differ significantly. The next time someone tells you there is no distinction between the two, don’t believe it.

Entire contents copyright © 2005 James Publishing, Inc.

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