HOW TO GET INFORMATION FROM LOISLAW

I. WHAT IS LOISLAW

Loislaw is a comprehensive, easy-to-use, and affordable online legal research service. From its beginning in the late 1980s, Loislaw has pioneered new products and new technology for the digital legal information market. In 1989, Loislaw produced the first database of Arkansas Supreme Court decisions on CD-ROM. Called "Casebase," the product offered a comprehensive collection of decisions dating back to 1945, and garnered the Technology Award from the National Center for State Courts in 1990. In the early 1990s, Loislaw developed a proprietary search and retrieval platform for CD-ROM called "PITA" and expanded its content offerings to include many new state jurisdictions. When the internet became widely accessible in the mid 90s, Loislaw launched "PITA.com" and adapted its growing CD-ROM product line for internet delivery. In 1998, Loislaw registered the domain name "Loislaw.com" and redesigned its website to reflect the acquisition of primary law for all 50 states and U.S. territories. By 1999, the drive toward comprehensive national coverage was complete. In September of 2004, Loislaw launched the first major redesign of its website after achieving national prominence as an information provider. The new design presents a cleaner "look and feel," while its core purpose is to improve efficiency and ease of use.

Users often need to combine two or more search terms in a single query. A special class of words is reserved for this purpose. Known as 'connectors' or 'logical operators,' the words are considered 'reserved' because they cannot generally be deployed as search terms. Some common connectors include and, or, not, near, and nearx. Depending upon how they are used, connectors may narrow or expand, refine or broaden the scope of search results. Users may want to experiment with different combinations of connectors to enhance their results.

Can search the entire document, or by case citation, case name, docket number, lower court, attorneys on appeal, justice of majority opinion, text of majority opinion, justice of dissenting opinion, text of dissenting opinion, and by date.

The following table lists common connectors along with their respective shortcut symbols. The table also defines the effect that a connector has on search results. (Please note that users may type either the word or the symbol when writing a query, but not both.)

Connector	Shortcut Symbol	Effect	Example	Example
AND	&	Returns document containing both search terms	employer and harassment	employer & harassment
OR	\|	Returns document containing either term	automobile or vehicle	automobile \| vehicle
NOT	%	Returns document containing the initial term, but no term following	pistol NOT rifle	pistol % Rifle
NEAR	/	Returns document containing both terms within 20 words of each other	modification near contract	modification / contract
NEARX	/X	Returns document containing both terms within X number of words of each other	estate near5 decedent	estate /5 decedent
"x x"	"	Returns document containing an exact phrase Note: keyword variants such as plurals will not be retrieved when using quotation marks.	"plea of confession and avoidance" Note: connectors enclosed in quotation marks are directly searchable, and cease to be regarded as special operators by the search engine.	"plea of confession and avoidance" Note: connectors enclosed in quotation marks are directly searchable, and cease to be regarded as special operators by the search engine.

2. LOISLAW USE POLICIES

LoisLaw is paid for by subscription and there are no other charges like the amount of time connected or printing costs. This makes LoisLaw much more affordable and opens up usage to everyone for searching. All it takes is putting in the username and password and you are ready to go, whether here on campus or at home.

LoisLaw Databases

This is a list of the databases in LoisLaw. For each database listed, the title of the database is given, and a summary of the contents of the database.

Primary Law

Case Law

Contains all cases from the United States Supreme Court, all 11 Federal Circuit courts, the DC Circuit, the Federal Circuit, the U.S. District opinions, U.S. Bankruptcy opinions, U.S. Tax Court, and Administrative Decisions Under Immigration and Nationality Laws of the U.S.

Also included are all state court cases and opinions for all 50 states.

Statutes and Acts Databases

This contains the statutes and acts of all 50 states, and the U.S. Code and the Public Laws of the United States and the United States Constitution.

Administrative Rules and Regulations Databases

Contains the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, and the U.S. Federal Register from 1999-to the present, and the administrative codes of all fifty states.

Court Rules

Contains the Federal Rules of Appeallate Procedure, the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence, Federal Courts Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases, Rules Governing Section 2255 Proceedings, Rules of the Judicial Council of the Federal Circuit, Rules of the Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation, Rules of the United States Supreme Court, United States Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure, Federal Circuit Court Rules, United States Local District Court Rules, Local Bankrupcy Court Rules, Bankruptcy Appeallate Panel Court Rules, and court rules from all fifty states.

Secondary Law

Treatise Libraries

These databases contain libraries on bankruptcy law, business practice law, casenote legal briefs, construction law, drunk driving, elder law, employment discrimination law, employment law, estate planning law, evidence, family law, general litigation, Internet and e-commerce law, limited liability, personal liability law, product liability law, and real estate law. The SOSU Library does not have full access to these databases.

Bar Publications

Contains bar publications from Alaska, Arizona, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Washington, Wisconsin.

Last Updated: February 5, 2007