LexisNexis Inmate Law Library Tip of the Month: Searching for Cases by Party Name

LexisNexis Inmate Law Library Tip of the Month

The LexisNexis Inmate Law Library Tip of the Month is a practical series for correctional facility administrators who are committed to improving legal access and research outcomes in their facilities.

Each month, we will spotlight a feature, tool or best practice that helps your team get more value out of the LexisNexis platform while making the experience more efficient for the incarcerated individuals you support.

Whether your focus is compliance, education, reentry preparation or simply ensuring uninterrupted access to legal materials, this series is designed with you in mind.

This Month’s Tip: Searching for Cases by Party Name

A case search can return a large list of results because the system treats a query like Miranda v. Arizona as both a case and a search term. That means results can include the actual case as well as documents that simply mention it.

This month’s tip highlights two reliable methods to find caselaw by party name so you can get to the right authorities faster.

What Is a Party Name Search?

A party name search tells LexisNexis to focus on the caption of a case rather than every word in every document. By narrowing the search to the name segment or using the Cases by Party Name tool, you cut noise and zero in on cases where the parties match your query.

How to Use It

1) Choose a source and create your search in the red search box

• Type: name(Miranda and Arizona)
• This is a segment search on LexisNexis. Every document in the system is broken into segments. By typing name (case name) you tell the system to search only the name part of the case.
• Your results will include all cases from your library content that include Miranda and Arizona as parties. This can include cases not related to your issue, but the list is usually much shorter using this method.
• This search method also works in specific sources from the Explore Content tab

2) From the Search All tab type in your search

• Type: name(Miranda and arizona)
• This pulls all cases across your subscribed content where the parties match your query.

3) Use Cases by Party Name to narrow results

• From the Get a Document tab, click the Citations Format link to the right of the search box.
• Select the Cases by Party Name tab.
• Enter your party names in the search boxes. If you only know one party, use the first box.
• If you know the jurisdiction or date range, use the dropdowns to narrow your results.

Why It Works

A party name search is especially helpful when you:

• Have too many results and want to focus on cases that match the parties you need.
• Need to make sure your query targets the caption rather than mentions in passing.
• Are validating a case when you do not have a full citation.

Watch It in Action