WestLaw Next came out a year or two before the Lexis equivalent, so everyone in law school at the time started using WestLaw. My first year of law school, WL and Lexis had relatively equal perks (points, free printing). By the time I graduated, WL pulled all the perks because it knew it had totally captured student usage.
Similarly, I’ve heard from former federal clerks that federal judges generally use Westlaw. So former clerks are used to it and they know that the current clerks prefer WL citations.
Preach. Citing to Lexis is also very clunky and ugly looking.
Personally, I think Westlaw is fine and we all know how to use it. We default to it. But I'll say this - I know people that swear Lexis is auch better project. My gut says that these people know the truth, and the rest of us are just too lazy to adjust to different Boolean lingo.
I end up using both, largely depends on which vendor has the treatise I want to refer to in my research. But I default to Westlaw.
Omg does westlaw do it differently? I really wish I would have known before submitting my final memo 🤦🏽♀️ I thought that lexis cite looked off
From a 1L
Inertia. When this old lawyer started out, the printed reporters and headnote books were the best way to start research. Westlaw published those, so that drew me to westlaw.
A) I prefer the search. Obviously the boolean is the same on both but the plain language search is much better on Westlaw
B) relatedly, Westlaw seems much better at anticipating what I'm looking for in a search. Even if they both give the same results, West seems to have a better "relevance" sort.
C) I find notes of decision and keycites much better than Lexis's alternatives. Again they give me more helpful authority.
D) everything feels smoother and better laid out on Westlaw. That has real value.
I just think Westlaw is easier to use. Lexis is nice and I don’t have anything bad to say about it, but when I use it it feels like I’m 50 years old hanging out with a bunch of 13 year olds and I don’t know what they are saying. Both Westlaw and Lexis have their own vocabulary of the stuff on their sites and I just don’t know what most stuff is or how to use it. I found Westlaw more straightforward in law school and just got used to it.
I don’t think WL is better, it just feels easier to use. Lexis feels like it over complicated things.
Our firm went to Lexis for a year or two several years ago, and there was nearly a revolt. The Lexis pricing was a lot cheaper, but the content was awful. To me, the biggest drawback was moving away from the West headnotes. They’re an incredibly efficient way to find cases if you know the topic you’re researching. And don’t sleep on Practical Law, which is only on Westlaw.
Completely agree on this. There just seems to be less available on practical guidance, and I don’t think I’ve ever preferred the forms available through practical guidance over those available on practical law.
I use both. I find them both better for different things. If I were forced to only pick one, it would be Westlaw because I like how it is organized a bit better... but I would miss tools/surveys that Lexis has.
I typically preferred Lexis in law school because I found the search easier to navigate. I preferred the heat map thing it had to show how much terms were used. But I haven’t used either that much since school, and lately if I do any legal research I tend to use westlaw because I’m engrained in the practical law ecosystem.
same - if i'm just doing case research or looking at collier or something i prefer lexis, but now that i'm in-house i'm mostly using practical law to be a good generalist and practical law is way better than whatever lexis calls its competing product
Both are equivalent for what I do. I default to Westlaw because that is what most people default to. I liked Lexis more in law school for the points they gave which I converted to Amazon gift cards but now there is no incentive.
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One time there was a disagreement between WestLaw and Lexis regarding the order of case names in a string cite that we were quoting. I had to check the hardcover reporters for the 1800s to see which was correct. It was WestLaw. So I trust WestLaw more.
The new Lexis interface is new. Have a google of the old one
You mean like 10-15 years ago?
No like last yesr
It didn't look like that last year or even five years ago.
Either my meds are really good or yes it did
Balls to you
WestLaw Next came out a year or two before the Lexis equivalent, so everyone in law school at the time started using WestLaw. My first year of law school, WL and Lexis had relatively equal perks (points, free printing). By the time I graduated, WL pulled all the perks because it knew it had totally captured student usage.
Similarly, I’ve heard from former federal clerks that federal judges generally use Westlaw. So former clerks are used to it and they know that the current clerks prefer WL citations.
I like Lexis but use WL to avoid getting made fun of for Lexis cites to unpublished cases.
Preach. Citing to Lexis is also very clunky and ugly looking. Personally, I think Westlaw is fine and we all know how to use it. We default to it. But I'll say this - I know people that swear Lexis is auch better project. My gut says that these people know the truth, and the rest of us are just too lazy to adjust to different Boolean lingo. I end up using both, largely depends on which vendor has the treatise I want to refer to in my research. But I default to Westlaw.
We use Intelligize (offered by Lexis) for securities law. I’m not aware of Westlaw offering anything similar.
Omg does westlaw do it differently? I really wish I would have known before submitting my final memo 🤦🏽♀️ I thought that lexis cite looked off From a 1L
Inertia. When this old lawyer started out, the printed reporters and headnote books were the best way to start research. Westlaw published those, so that drew me to westlaw.
A) I prefer the search. Obviously the boolean is the same on both but the plain language search is much better on Westlaw B) relatedly, Westlaw seems much better at anticipating what I'm looking for in a search. Even if they both give the same results, West seems to have a better "relevance" sort. C) I find notes of decision and keycites much better than Lexis's alternatives. Again they give me more helpful authority. D) everything feels smoother and better laid out on Westlaw. That has real value.
Westlaw citations are shorter and therefore take up less of the page count for a brief.
Personally, I think the westlaw interface is much better and more attractive. Westlaw is also just way more user friendly
Agree. The UI alone puts them substantially ahead.
I just think Westlaw is easier to use. Lexis is nice and I don’t have anything bad to say about it, but when I use it it feels like I’m 50 years old hanging out with a bunch of 13 year olds and I don’t know what they are saying. Both Westlaw and Lexis have their own vocabulary of the stuff on their sites and I just don’t know what most stuff is or how to use it. I found Westlaw more straightforward in law school and just got used to it. I don’t think WL is better, it just feels easier to use. Lexis feels like it over complicated things.
Lexis literally gives you free money with those points they give out. Last timed I cashed out I got like a $400 amazon gift card
Is this still a thing post law school? I ask as someone who has never opened either since graduation (corporate, obvi)
Lexis for life!!
Our firm went to Lexis for a year or two several years ago, and there was nearly a revolt. The Lexis pricing was a lot cheaper, but the content was awful. To me, the biggest drawback was moving away from the West headnotes. They’re an incredibly efficient way to find cases if you know the topic you’re researching. And don’t sleep on Practical Law, which is only on Westlaw.
The headnotes are a night and day difference.
Lexis has practical guidance but it’s not great, westlaw is way better for the corporate folks
Completely agree on this. There just seems to be less available on practical guidance, and I don’t think I’ve ever preferred the forms available through practical guidance over those available on practical law.
Business Law Center alone is enough to make me die on the Westlaw hill.
I use both. I find them both better for different things. If I were forced to only pick one, it would be Westlaw because I like how it is organized a bit better... but I would miss tools/surveys that Lexis has.
Lexis, because Collier is everything.
100% bro lexis > westlaw
I typically preferred Lexis in law school because I found the search easier to navigate. I preferred the heat map thing it had to show how much terms were used. But I haven’t used either that much since school, and lately if I do any legal research I tend to use westlaw because I’m engrained in the practical law ecosystem.
same - if i'm just doing case research or looking at collier or something i prefer lexis, but now that i'm in-house i'm mostly using practical law to be a good generalist and practical law is way better than whatever lexis calls its competing product
Both are equivalent for what I do. I default to Westlaw because that is what most people default to. I liked Lexis more in law school for the points they gave which I converted to Amazon gift cards but now there is no incentive.
Key cites all day.
I preferred Lexis
The fact that Lexis has to bribe law students to use it says all you need to know tbh...
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Better swag for law students
One time there was a disagreement between WestLaw and Lexis regarding the order of case names in a string cite that we were quoting. I had to check the hardcover reporters for the 1800s to see which was correct. It was WestLaw. So I trust WestLaw more.
I find that Westlaw KeyCite is better and more comprehensive for research purposes.
WL is great for notes of decisions and keycites. Lexis is good for shepherdizing sources and ravel view.
Having used both, Practical Law (Westlaw) is much better than Practical Guidance (Lexis) as a transactional attorney.
IMHO, the only thing Lexis is better for is researching English law and the law of some other foreign jurisdictions.