LexisNexis® CourtLink® update: Six things to remember for conducting superior docket research!

Docket research at lexis.com® can save endless hours of tedious work and the extra steps needed to dig out and cross-reference court-filed information. That leads to better research results and satisfied clients.

LexisNexis® CourtLink® is the online authority for U.S. federal and state court dockets and documents. You can tap into CourtLink dockets and documents across lexis.com seamlessly-and go to work, leveraging the intelligence for assessing cases, investigating matters and planning case strategy, right down to the legal arguments other attorneys used to prevail. And now you can stay updated via Apple® iPhone® or Samsung Android^TM mobile devices.  

Yes you can! And did you know that you can:

1. Find access to CourtLink dockets and documents right where you need them-on the lexis.com screens you view most often.

You can select CourtLink docket and document sources in many convenient lexis.com locations, including:

• RIGHT UP FRONT: From the All tab at lexis.com-or the Legal tab-select Court Records, Briefs and Filings. Wherever you prefer to start research, dockets are nearby.
• STATE PAGES: Select your state and choose Search Court Records, Briefs and Filings. Select Court Records to home in specifically on dockets and LexisNexis® Strategic Profiles.
• AREA OF LAW PAGES: Many lexis.com Area of Law pages offer docket research. Look for the Court Records from CourtLink or Search Court Records, Briefs and Filings links.
• ALERTS ICON: The Alerts icon on most lexis.com screens takes you to easy-to-understand tabs to set dockets alerts and to track existing dockets. (More on alerts and tracks in this article.)
• SEARCH ACROSS 135 MILLION DOCKETS AND DOCUMENTS AT ONCE: Search U.S. federal and state courts-with key words-in one click. Look for the Combined Federal and State Documents and Dockets link displayed on many lexis.com docket search screens. (More on single search capability in this article.)

CourtLink by the numbers:
Coverage and technology advantages

Request a personalized CourtLink update at www.lexisnexis.com/casestrategy

You pride yourself on knowing the differences among providers and their products. Here are the latest figures* that make LexisNexis CourtLink a leader in docket research and retrieval: (*Comparison data based on information available as of May 2011)

• Only LexisNexis services let you search more than 135 million federal and state court dockets and documents-using key words of your choice-in a single click.
• CourtLink offers federal full docket coverage of up to 23 years. (Westlaw® federal full docket coverage is up to 14 years.)
• CourtLink content covers 100 percent of cases filed at the federal civil level.
• 100 percent of CourtLink state coverage is comprised of full dockets. Less than 85 percent of Westlaw state coverage is full dockets; the rest is index data.
• Only the LexisNexis services let you obtain online federal civil complaints containing specific keywords important to your research.

2. Uncover litigation track records for clients, judges-even other attorneys and law firms: LexisNexis® Strategic Profiles.

Compile the litigation history-cases won and lost, types of cases, etc.-and you can learn so much about the litigant you're working for (or against) as well as the other players in the matter, i.e., the attorneys and judges. LexisNexis Strategic Profiles can do that for you, bringing the big picture into focus.

Plus these profiles help you pinpoint successful cases- and the case strategies and legal arguments that drove them. When your lawyers need to draft filings for similar cases in the same court, such direction is invaluable.

Strategic Profiles for state and federal courts are exclusive to lexis.com. Look for the Litigant, Attorney & Judge Strategic Profile link on the court records pages located throughout lexis.com. Click the profile link and move directly to a Strategic Profile tab. Choose the subtab that fits your task:

• Litigant Strategic Profiles-Map the litigation history of the client or the opposing litigant, uncovering participation in prior, similar cases and discerning
  case resolution patterns quickly.
• Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profiles-Gain good insights into the opposing counsel's practice area experience and find the number of published decisions. Also discover if the attorney or firm has argued similar cases before a judge and uncover prior strategies employed (including case resolution).
• Judicial Strategic Profiles-Determine an assigned judge's caseload as well as her experience in an area of law (see graph example). The profile will also show how a judge handled similar cases, and outline your opposing counsel's experience before the judge. Does the judge tend to find for the plaintiff? The simple pie charts reveals all this and more.

You can also profile a specific court or a specific type of suit as well. Profile research is form-based and flexible. For example, look at all records for a time period or focus on specific jurisdictions, natures of suit, etc. Even enter alternate name spellings.

Profile results include a trends tab, so you can view trends over time-and a case list tab. Just click to view or track the docket of a listed case. Your profile research history is also saved as a tab, separate from your lexis.com history.

And Strategic Profiles are easy to browse-and use. You can refilter your results to home in on specific facts and time periods. Share the profile via email with individuals and practice groups. Create a PDF and download to prepare presentations and reports for stakeholders. Print (and view the printable version before you deliver.) 

3. Get notified of newly filed cases automatically: CourtLink® Alerts.

Be among the first to know when a client or opposing party is involved in litigation. Set up a CourtLink Alert by:

• party name
• nature of suit
• jurisdiction

You get notifications of newly filed cases based on the profile you set. Results are delivered in daily emails and within lexis.com (under the Alerts icon).

4. Set alerts to check new complaints for keywords of interest! Only at lexis.com!

How do you pinpoint relevant new dockets? Do you visit multiple websites ... and review multiple complaints ... many of them irrelevant? LexisNexis Complaint-Based Alerts can do the work for you. This special alert option searches new online federal civil complaints for your keywords ... any topic you choose.

You save so much time and cover more ground effectively. Instead of pinpointing just complaints where a party is listed as a plaintiff or defendant, you can also home in on specific complaint language. Client teams become aware of newly filed litigation that directly impacts clients much faster.

Here's how to set up a CourtLink Complaint-Based Alert:

1. Select the Alerts icon in the upper-right corner of many lexis.com screens.

2. Choose New Docket Alert, then click Litigant.

3. Enter litigant names-one or more parties.

4. In the Advanced Keyword Complaint Notification section, enter one or more keywords, e.g., americans with disabilities.

Note: You can select all available courts and natures of suits or choose specifics.

Note: You will be asked for an email address to deliver the alert.

5. Click Continue. Review your alert options. Then click Set Alert.

Improve your "app-titude":
Check your mobile device for CourtLink Alerts and Tracks

Yes, you can do that with your Apple® iPhone®, iPod touch® or iPad® device. The CourtLink iPhone app lets you:

• Review recent court docket activity (CourtLink Track)-or view the entire docket you're monitoring.
• Learn about newly filed cases (CourtLink Alert). Your results are sorted by alert type: attorney, litigant, judge, etc.

Or choose to view via the Samsung Android. LexisNexis has just released its first Android app-and it's for CourtLink Tracks and Alerts. Go to the Android app store.

Both apps are free to download. You only incur charges according to your standard LexisNexis CourtLink agreement. See screenshots and get more details at www.lexisnexis.com/mobile (Check the Coming Soon tab; we'll notify you of app and mobile site launches!)

5. Monitor new activity in current cases of interest: CourtLink Track.

Stay on top of new activity in client cases-and stay aware of events in cases that may impact practice areas important to your firm. CourtLink Track lets you count on automatic notification of new activity in existing cases. You can receive new-activity alerts on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Following a hot case? Set up track notifications to check multiple times a day.

Results include color-coded highlighting within the docket so it's easy to spot changes and recent activity.

Setting up a CourtLink Track is as easy as entering a docket number. Go to the Alert icon. Select the Track Existing Docket tab and fill in the form.

6. Search across 135 million dockets-one search, any keywords.

CourtLink Single Search-available at lexis.com where there are docket-searching options-is a sophisticated search tool that combines broad federal and state
docket and document (motions, pleadings, answers and more) searching.

You get the ease and confidence of searching broadly, plus the convenience of filtering results sets down to critical and relevant information-by practice area, date, geography or jurisdiction. Even refine to open or closed cases only.

Your results can offer more than intelligence on docket activity. For example, enter expert witness names to find out more about their roles in other litigation. Uncover compelling legal arguments on specific topics to help your attorneys as they draft key documents and plan the next steps in the litigation process.

To gain access to CourtLink Single Search, look for the Combined Federal and State Documents and Dockets link displayed on many lexis.com court records menu screens.

If you'd like a personalized demonstration of any of the amazing Courtlink features, kindly call your LexisNexis Representative today!

Happy Researching!

Posted Fri, Aug 26 2011 2:11 PM by Tina George

Filed under: LexisNexis, Apple® iPhone®, LexisNexis® CourtLink®, Samsung AndroidTM