The third and, some may consider most important, step in the legal research process is updating the source of authority used to make a legal argument.
You may hear the use of the terms "Shepard's" or "Keycite" or "update" interchageably. The main point is to make certain that the case you cite to is still valid and can be used without fear of not being correct because of another case or statute that made your case no longer useful.
To “Shepardize” a case or statute means to use a “citator” to find out which later cases, articles, etc. have discussed the case or statute at hand. This is done by using Shepard's on Lexis, or by using KeyCite on Westlaw.
Shepardizing is done: 1) to see if your case is still good law, and 2) to find new cases on the same point of law and continue your research trail.
