Word Processing

That is where hdFind-IT comes in. Billed as a “hyperlink support system,” the software is aimed at legal researchers who regularly write briefs or memos. The program is a Microsoft Word add-on that installs as a pull-down menu with several options for creating hyperlinks to documents, or places within documents, already stored on your hard drive.

The process of creating the links can be as easy or as complicated as you have time for. Just be aware that to take full advantage of the program’s functions, it will take a substantial amount of time setting everything up.

The most direct way of creating hyperlinks is with a copy-and-paste hyperlink function, which is activated with one button. Another button activates the standard “Add Hyperlink” command from Word with its dialog box. To use the standard “Add Hyperlink” command from Word, you simply highlight a case name or citation and create a hyperlink by browsing to the appropriate file using the familiar Windows file tree system. You don’t need to purchase hdFind-IT to do this, but I can’t think of why anyone would want to use this method for any file he or she intended to link more than once or twice. It’s far too cumbersome and time consuming.

For those files you want to link to on a more regular basis, the program provides two alternatives. The first method, called a “SmartLink,” allows you to create a hyperlink automatically as you type. You type a case name and, voila, it instantly turns into a hyperlink. Then, by simply clicking the case name, you can pull up the document for instant access.
There are problems using this method for multiple cases. Each SmartLink resides in RAM while the program is running — too many SmartLinks, and you might lose some performance.

The other method allows you to search through an open document containing case names or citations, and automatically replace them with a hyperlink to the file. This approach doesn’t take up any memory, and can be used for as many cases as you have the time to set up.

The preparation process involves identifying the citation or case name for the program by opening a file containing a court opinion for which you want to create a hyperlink, opening a case you would want to later link to, highlighting the citation or case name, selecting a button command and saving the file.

In all, it takes about 30 seconds to a minute per case. So, depending on the size of your saved case library, the entire process could take anywhere from a few minutes to the better part of a weekend.

How you go about setting up everything will depend on what you want to get out of the program. For example, I decided to use citations to link entire cases and case names to a separate file containing canned paragraphs I might use in a brief. Thus,

I would have one file called “Daubert” that would contain several prewritten paragraphs making various arguments relating to expert testimony, and I would have another file called “509 US 579” containing the entire Daubert case.
Then, when I draft a brief and I want to cite Daubert, simply typing the case name creates a hyperlink to a document where I can cut and paste an appropriate paragraph into my brief. On the other hand, when I type the citation to the case reporter, I can use that to create a link back to the actual case.

I also found, by linking to the citation, I was able to use the “search and replace” method to substitute local links for cases on my hard drive, while leaving the Internet citation in place for the ones I had not yet downloaded. Users with an always-on Internet connection might appreciate this ability to always link to the fastest location for their case.

When I am done with the brief and I want to print it out or
e-mail it to someone, the program provides a function that removes all the hyperlinks from the document. I found this function alone to be worth the price of the product.

Other bells and whistles include a file with several dozen links to online resources for free case law, statutes and other legal information, and a tool that helps pinpoint the critical portions of a case by highlighting words often found in legal reasoning or issue spotting. Also, there is a Boolean search function that finds paragraphs using “and/or” logic, then copies the “hits” into a new document with hyperlinks back to your original document. There is a handy function that gives you a hyperlinked list of all the documents in a subdirectory.

All in all, I found hdFind-IT to be quite useful, although it certainly isn’t for everyone. Still, I would recommend it to anyone who needs to maintain a case library on computer, or who finds their research leading them to the same universe of cases on a regular basis. If you are willing to put in the effort, it’s definitely worth the price.

Price: $39.95 per user license; some features are available at no charge including a list of law-related Internet resources

Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP; Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP

Reviewed by David Hiersekorn, a recent law school graduate and legal researcher based in Orange County, Calif.

Aug/Sept '02 Issue

PROS
For what it does, it’s the only game in town and is affordable.

CONS
Learning curve could be too steep for some, and the setup process is a bear.

VERDICT
If you regularly write briefs or memos and you have a downloaded case library of any size, this program might be worth considering.

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Updated 07/30/02
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