In academia, students have the luxury of free LexisNexis and Westlaw. In the practicing world, firm economics limit the resources available to clerks and associates. While most firms pay a flat fee for Lexis and Westlaw (amount paid by the firm does not increase with usage), cost effectiveness is still important because:
1. A firm may purchase only part of Lexis or Westlaw, for example, Ohio materials, and must pay extra for off-plan materials accessed.
2. Firms may bill back to the client based upon the number of searches or number of documents retrieved.
3. The usage rates for Westlaw impacts the amount Westlaw will charge for next year's contract. Lexis says they no longer do this.
The techniques and tips offered here should help you conduct legal research in an efficient and cost-effective manner. See Cost Effective PowerPoint
Toward a Cyberlegal Culture by 
Cohen and Olson's Legal Research in a Nutshell, 11th by 
Major components of this guide are brought to you from the generous sharing of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library. Thank You!
Items may be searched by title, keyword, author, subject, or call number. For more search options, click on "Advanced Search" or access the catalog from http://aquinas.avemarialaw.edu/search/X. From the advanced page, you may also limit your search to certain materials (e.g. print, DVD, or microform) or to certain locations (e.g. reserve items or stacks). However you search, when you do pull up an item record you will notice listings for location, call number, and status. The location indicates in what part of the library the item is kept (e.g. classified, reserve, General Collection), the call number listing tells you the Library of Congress call number assigned to that book within that section of the library, and the status listing indicates whether the book is checked out or available. If checked out, the due date will be listed.
The Databases A-Z list reflects the online databases to which the Law Library subscribes so that our faculty and students have access to the most up-to-date resources possible.
The e-Resources reflects the online journals, resources and databases to which the Law Library subscribes so that our faculty and students have access to the most up-to-date resources possible.
AMSL offers an ever increasing number of research guides on various topics of law.
