Does Westlaw have briefs?
Asked by: Prof. Hermann Beatty PhD | Last update: September 15, 2025Score: 4.6/5 (20 votes)
Westlaw contains a collection of more than 2.4 million state and federal briefs and other court documents. Use briefs to learn how other attorneys have analyzed and argued issues similar to the ones you are arguing on appeal.
What court lawyers file briefs?
The trial court is where lawyers file briefs. Published opinions are available only for the state and federal supreme courts.
What does Westlaw contain?
Westlaw provides full coverage of statutes and regulations covering all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other territories, as well as the most comprehensive Annotated CFR and exclusive access to the USCA. No other service offers a statute index in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Does Westlaw have newspaper articles?
You can access News and Newspaper content within Westlaw . All full-coverage daily newspapers are provided by NewsRoom and coverage varies by source. Got to News within All Content section of the Westlaw Classic. Access Newspapers from the News page within the Browse News section.
Does Westlaw have forms?
Use Westlaw Form Builder to expand into new areas of law
And you can quickly link from forms to helpful commentary and explanations, which is especially useful when you're working outside your practice area.
Briefs on Westlaw
Does Westlaw provide case briefs?
You can search all cases from the court by typing a search in this box and clicking Search. Westlaw contains a collection of more than 2.4 million state and federal briefs and other court documents. Use briefs to learn how other attorneys have analyzed and argued issues similar to the ones you are arguing on appeal.
What is the difference between Westlaw and LexisNexis?
LexisNexis provides access to an extensive collection of legal content, case law, statutes, regulations, verdicts, and more. Westlaw also has expansive content but has a narrower focus specifically on US legal research.
Does Westlaw have journal articles?
Searching Westlaw Databases
To search for articles using key words and phrases, use the JLR (Journals and Law Reviews) database. This database includes hundreds of law reviews, bar journals and continuing legal education (CLE) materials.
Does Westlaw have headnotes?
Headnotes are one of the most important editorial enhancements to cases because each highlights a specific legal issue found in the case and can lead researchers to other cases addressing that same issue. Headnotes are available in Westlaw and Lexis platforms.
Do lawyers use Westlaw?
Westlaw is an online legal research service and proprietary database for lawyers and legal professionals available in over 60 countries.
Can I use Westlaw for free?
Note that California's online regulations and online case law are made available through "free" portals provided by Westlaw and Lexis, respectively.
Does Westlaw have every case?
All cases published in West reporters (as well as many unpublished cases) can be retrieved on Westlaw. Cases appear on Westlaw within hours or days of their release by the courts.
Does Westlaw cost money?
Westlaw suggests billing $99 per search, which price includes all the documents clicked on (unless the document is outside of the plan). This is known as "Westlaw Predictable Pricing".
Who files briefs?
The appellant files the opening brief. A deadline for that filing will be established by the court. The parties will be notified in writing of that deadline. At the time the deadline for the opening brief is set, any pro se appellant will also be sent a form that may be completed and filed as the opening brief.
Who writes legal briefs?
Unless you're a brand new attorney working at a solo shop that you opened yesterday, I guarantee that you are not the first person within your firm to write a legal brief. In fact, most firms have brief templates that they like associates and paralegals to use time and time again.
Are briefs public record?
Records and briefs from other courts may be available online, from the court's clerk, or from libraries within the geographic region of the court. For federal courts, the best source for recent (1996-present) records and briefs is PACER, or Public Access to Court Electronic Records.
Does Westlaw have case briefs?
Included on the site are briefs and petitions dated from 1990 for the California Supreme Court, and briefs and petitions dated from 1996 for the California Courts of Appeal. Briefs and petitions can be searched by docket number or case name.
Is Westlaw edge the same as Westlaw?
Westlaw Edge
This plan adds some Edge features to the Classic plan. It includes litigation analytics, predictive searching, and KeyCite Overruling Risk.
Are Westlaw citations correct?
One mistake students and attorneys alike make is assuming that research systems like Westlaw and Lexis Advance provide properly Bluebooked citations. This is usually incorrect, but the citations these services produce look pretty good.
What is the difference between Heinonline and Westlaw?
While Lexis and Westlaw may provide you with access to primary law and certain practice-based secondary sources, Hein's collections provide access to primary documents and collections that provide critical social, historical, and contextual information.
Is the New York Times on Westlaw?
There is up-to-date, full-text coverage of 48 of the top 50 U.S. daily newspapers. Today's news stories are contained in the Today's News (TODAYSNEWS) database, which includes news from the Dow Jones News Service, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, the New York Times News Service, and The Washington Post.
How to find headnotes on Westlaw?
Westlaw. While reading through an opinion on Westlaw, you may encounter hyperlinks with numbers embedded throughout the text. If you click on one of those links, you can view the corresponding West Headnotes summarizing that point of law.
Are headnotes in Westlaw and Lexis the same?
Headnotes in Lexis Advance
The Lexis headnote system is not quite as developed as Westlaw's and does not have as detailed an indexing system. Additionally, while Westlaw uses human-indexed terminology, Lexis relies on an algorithm to develop its headnote system.
Who is Westlaw owned by?
West (also known by its original name, West Publishing) is a business owned by Thomson Reuters that publishes legal, business, and regulatory information in print, and on electronic services such as Westlaw.