Research Solutions

LexisNexis®

ParalegalUser’sGuide

In this manual you will get:

• a basic overview of LexisNexis® Total Practice Solutions,

• a basic understanding of the structure of the U.S.

legal system, and

• information that will help you do your job more effectively.

You will also learn:

• how to retrieve cases and check the accuracy/validity

of these authorities with Shepard’s® Citations Service, and

• about some exciting new litigation tools available through

the LexisNexis® services.

—�—

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

LexisNexisTotalPracticeSolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

StructureoftheU .S .LegalSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

FederalCourts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

U .S .CircuitMap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

BasicSearchingontheLexisNexisServices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

SigningontoLexisNexis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

UnderstandingLegalCitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

GettingaDocumentonlexis.com® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Shepardizing™andCitationVerificationOnline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

OverviewofShepard’s®CitationsService . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

DefinitionsofShepard’sAnalyses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

HistoryofYourCase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Shepard’sTreatmentsforStatutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Shepard’sHistoryDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

HowtoShepardize® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Shepard’s®Signal™Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

RestrictingYourShepard’sReport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Shepard’s®BriefSuite™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

LitigationSolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

LexisNexis®TotalLitigator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

AppliedDiscovery® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

LexisNexis®File&ServeServiceofProcess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 CaseMap® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

CourtLink®DocumentRetrievalService . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

LexisNexis®SmartLinx®Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

LexisNexisParalegalCertificatePrograms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

ParalegalCertificateofMastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

—�—

Introduction

Thepurposeofthismanualisthreefold:

1 . togiveyouabasicoverviewofLexisNexis

TotalPracticeSolutions;

2 . togiveyouabasicunderstandingofthestructure

oftheU .S .legalsystem,and

3 . toprovideyouwithinformationthatwillhelpyou

doyourjobmoreeffectively .

Youwilllearnhowtoretrievecasesandhowtocheckthe

accuracyandvalidityoftheseauthoritiesthroughtheShepard’s®

CitationsService .Youwillalsolearnaboutsomeexcitingnew

litigationtoolsfromLexisNexisthatcanmakeyourjobeasier .

—�—

LexisNexis Total Practice Solutions— Helping you achieve excellence in the business and practice of law

Tosucceed,youneedhigh-qualitytoolsandservicesthatwillhelpyouinallareasofapractice .LexisNexisdeliversTotalPracticeSolutionstohelpyoubetterserveyourattorneys,improveproductivity,growthepractice,increaseprofitabilityandpreparecaseswithmoreinsight—withoutsacrificingquality .Theresultoflisteningcarefullytoourcustomersandrespondingtoyourneeds,LexisNexisTotalPracticeSolutionsaredesignedforthewaylegalprofessionalswork,inallareasthatareessentialtotheirsuccess:

Client Development—Industry-leadingnetworkingandmarketingresourcestohelpyouandtheattorneysyouworkwithgrowthepractice .

Research Solutions—Exclusivesourcesvitaltoyourclients’success .

Practice Management—Resourcesproventoimprovefirmproductivityandprofitability .

Litigation Services—Vitalresourcestohelpyougainstrategicinsightandgreatercontrolthroughouttheentirelitigationprocess .

WhenyourfirmchoosesflexibleTotalPracticeSolutionsfromLexisNexis,youcanimprovetheserviceyouprovidetoyourattorneys,improvefirmproductivity,increaseprofitabilityandhelpyourfirm’sattorneysstrategicallygrowthepractice .

—�—

Structure of the U.S. Legal System

Federal Courts

District CourtsInthefederalcourtssystem,acasebeginsinUnitedStatesDistrictCourt .Eachdistrictcourtresideswithinthegeographicboundariesofasinglestateorterritory .Smallstatesmayhaveonlyonefederaldistrictcourt,whilelargerstateshaveasmanyassix .Wherethereareanumberofdistrictcourts,theyaregeographicallydivided(e .g .,NorthernDistrict,SouthernDistrict,EasternDistrict,WesternDistrict,CentralDistrict,andMiddleDistrict) .NewYorkhasfourDistrictcourts:NorthernDistrict,EasternDistrict,WesternDistrictandSouthernDistrict .

EachdistrictalsohasaBankruptcyCourt .TheBankruptcyCourtsdealwiththeadministrationoftheBankruptcyActandarepresidedoverbyaBankruptcyjudge .

Therearealsospecialtycourtsthathearcertaintypesofcases .Theseinclude:TaxCourt,ClaimsCourt,VeteranAppeals,MilitaryAppeals,PatentsCourtandmore .

Circuit Courts of AppealsTheU .S .CircuitCourtsofAppealshearappealsinthefederalcourt(i .e .,appealsoftheU .S .DistrictCourtdecisions) .Therearethirteencircuitcourts;elevenofthemarenumbered(e .g .,FirstCircuit,SecondCircuit,etc .) .TheothertwocircuitsaretheU .S .CourtofAppealsfortheDistrictofColumbiaCircuitandtheUnitedStatesCourtofAppealsfortheFederalCircuit .Thefollowingisabreakdownoftheelevennumberedcircuits: 1stCircuit — Maine,NewHampshire,RhodeIsland,Massachusetts,

PuertoRico 2ndCircuit — NewYork,Vermont,Connecticut 3rdCircuit — Pennsylvania,NewJersey,Delaware,U .S .VirginIslands 4thCircuit — Virginia,W .Virginia,Maryland,NorthCarolina,

SouthCarolina 5thCircuit — Louisiana,Texas,Mississippi 6thCircuit — Michigan,Kentucky,Tennessee,Ohio 7thCircuit — Illinois,Indiana,Wisconsin 8thCircuit — Nebraska,Arkansas,Missouri,Iowa,Minnesota,

NorthDakota,SouthDakota 9thCircuit — California,Washington,Oregon,Idaho,Montana,

Nevada,Arizona,Alabama,Hawaii,Guam 10thCircuit — Colorado,Utah,Kansas,NewMexico,Oklahoma,

Wyoming 11thCircuit — Alabama,Florida,GeorgiaEachCourtofAppealshasatleastthreesittingjudges .TheCourtgenerallyconvenesasapanelofthreejudgesforeachcase .

—�—

U.S. Federal Circuits

—�—

United States Supreme CourtTheSupremeCourtoftheUnitedStatesisthehighestandfinalcourtinthefederalsystem .IthasjurisdictionoverallfederalcasesintheU .S .TheU .S .SupremeCourtcanalsoreviewdecisionsofthehigheststatecourtswhenthecasesinvolveissuesoffederalorconstitutionallaw .Withfewexceptions,theSupremeCourthearsonlyappealsfromCircuitCourtsofAppealsdecisions .GenerallytheSupremeCourtitselfdecideswhetherornottoentertainanappeal—thisiscalledgrantingapetitionforcertiorari .

State CourtsThemajorityofstatecourtsystemshaveathree-levelschemesimilartotheFederalSystem .Acasebeginsintrialcourt .Thismaybeacity,countyordistrictcourt,andcouldbeeithercriminalorcivil .Civilcasescanbeheardinothertypesofcourts(e .g .,smallclaims,probateandfamily) .

Dependingonthestate,appellatecourtshavedifferentnames—AppellateDivision,DistrictCourtofAppeal,SpecialCourtofAppeal,CourtofCivilAppeals,etc .

ThehigheststatecourtiscalledtheSupremeCourt,exceptforMarylandandNewYorkwherethehighestcourtiscalledtheCourtofAppeals;MaineandMassachusetts(SupremeJudicialCourt);andWestVirginia(SupremeCourtofAppeals) .Althoughsomecasesmayautomaticallybeappealedtothehighestcourt,oftenjurisdictionisdiscretionary(aswiththeU .S .SupremeCourt);andthecourtitselfmayacceptordenytheappeal .

—�—

Basic searching on the LexisNexis services at www.lexis.com

Signing on to LexisNexis

1 . EstablishanInternetconnectionandgotowww.lexis.com

2 . TypeyourLexisNexis®IDandpassword .ClickSign On .(WouldyouliketocreateaCustomIDandpassword,e .g .,aneasy-to-rememberaliasornickname?ClicktheCreateaCustomIDlink .)

3 . Clickatabatthetopofthemenuscreentoselectaresearchoption .

Understanding Legal Citations

LegalCitationsarereferencestocases,statutes,legislativehistorymaterials,administrativelawandsecondaryauthorities .Legalcitationssupportthelegalassertionsmadeaboutthelaw,whetherquoteddirectlyfromthesourceorparaphrased .Acitationrevealstheinformationnecessarytoenableresearcherstolocatethesource .

Allcasecitationsmusthaveatleastfourparts:

1) Casename;2) Volumeofcourtreporterandpageonwhichcitationcanbefound;3) Parentheticalwhichincludesnameofcourtthatissuedtheopinionanddate

ofthedecision;4) Relevantandsubsequenthistory .

Casecitationsgenerallyfollowthisform:

Party names Volume Reporter Page Parenthetical

Smith v Jones 342 F .2d 901 (4thCir .1971)

Generally,eachcitationwillincludethisbasicinformation:Whoisinvolvedinthecase,wherethedecisioncanbefound,andwhenthedecisionwasrendered .Theparentheticalthatfollowsincludesthecourtthatrenderedthedecision,ifnotalreadyclearfromthereporternameandthedateofthedecision .

Codecitationscanfollowdifferentformatsfordifferentstatesandfederalcodes,statutesandregulations .Whenusingthelexis.com service,youcanclickon“citationformats”fromtheGetADocumenttab .Thiswillgiveyouanalphabeticallistofdifferentjurisdictionsandinstructionsonhowtocitetothestatutefromthatjurisdiction .

—�—

Getting a Document on lexis.com

RetrieveindividualdocumentsfromLexisNexisquicklyandeasilywithGetaDocument .Youcanusethedocumentcitation,thenamesoftheparties,orthedocketnumbertoretrievedocuments .

Get a Document by Its Citation1 . ClicktheGet a Document tab .2 . ClicktheCitation tab .(Citationisthedefaultsetting .)3 . Typeinthecitationforthedocumentyouwantto

retrieve,e .g .,��� f�d �� .4 . ClickGet.

Get a Document by Party Name1 . ClicktheGet a Document tab .2 . ClicktheParty Name tab .3 . Typeinthepartynamesforthedocument Youwanttoretrieve,e .g .,smith v. jones .4 . ClickSearch.

Get a Document by Docket Number1 . ClicktheGet a Document tab .2 . ClicktheDocket Number tab .3 . Typeinthedocketnumberforthedocument youwanttoretrieve,e .g .,00-���� .4 . Choosethejurisdictionforthecitedcase

youwanttosee .5 . Selectadaterange(optional) .6 . ClickSearch.

—10—

When you have multiple cases or code sections

Ifyouhavemorethanfivecasesyou’dliketoretrieve,youcanuseGet&Print .Simplytypeinasmanycitationsasyou’dlike,havethesystempullthefulltextofcases,andprintthem,Shepardizethemandprintareport .ToaccessGet&Print,clickGet & PrintfromtheGetADocumenttab .YouwillbepromptedforyourLexisNexisIDandpassword .

—11—

Shepardizing and Citation Verification Online Overview of Shepard’s Citations Service

Lawyersrelyoncaselaw,regulationsandstatutestosupporttheirargumenttothecourt .Beforeacasecanbecitedwithconfidenceinabrief,ithastobecheckedtomakesurethatitisinfactgoodauthority .Thisisdonebydeterminingthatthecasehasnotbeenreversedbyahighercourt,overruledbyalaterdecisionofthesamecourt,orinanysignificantwayaltered,criticized,orquestionedtothepointwhereitisnolongerpersuasiveauthority .Shepard’sCitationsServiceletsyouverifythevalidityofacitationontheLexisNexisservices .YoucanonlyShepardizeonlineontheLexisNexisservices .

Shepard’sindicatesthemanywaysthatgoodlawcan“gobad,”includingmoresubtlenegativetreatmentsuchas:criticized,distinguished,limited,modifiedandquestioned .ThisisimportantbecauseShepard’sCitationsprovidesanearlywarningsystemasacaselosesitsprecedentialvalue .

Shepard’smayalsobeusedasaresearchtool .ThisisbecausetheShepard’sCitationsServicelistsnotjustnegativehistoryandnegativereferencestoacase,itprovidesPositivereferences .Positivetreatmenthelpsyouidentifysplitsofauthority,findcasesthatstrengthenyourarguments,findfactsoflawevenclosertoyourcase,andconstructaroadmaptohelporganizeandprioritizeyourresearch .

Shepard’sreportsareavailableintwoconvenientformats:

Shepard’sforValidation(KWIC™)—givesyoutheSubsequentAppellateHistoryofyourcaseaswellasallcitingreferenceswithanalysis .

Shepard’sforResearch(FULL)—-givesyoutheSubsequentAppellateHistory,thePriorHistory,anycitingreferencewithorwithoutanalysis,aswellascitestocodes,statutes,ALR®annotationsandotherSecondarySources .

AttorneysalsouseShepard’sasaresearchtooltofindcasesthatsupporttheirargument(s),makesureacaseisstillgoodlaw,diminishthestrengthoftheopposingcounsel’scase,andmore .TheFOCUS™featureinShepard’sletsyoudoafull-textwordsearchofanyandallcitingreferencesfortermsthatarementionedinacitingcase .Ifyouwanttofindcasesthatfollowyourcaseforanyfactuallanguageorlegalconcept,youcanrunaFOCUSsearchfromyourShepard’sreportatnoadditionalcost .

Formoreinformation,orforaShepard’sDemo,seeyourLexisNexisrepresentativeorgotohttp://law.lexisnexis.com/shepards

—1�—

AShepard’sReportinFullformatlookslikethis:

Definitions of Shepard’sAnalysesWhenyouretrieveyourShepard’sreport,therewillbedifferentanalysesappliedtoeachcitingreference .Below,arethedefinitionsofthemostcommonlyusedanalyses .

Affirmed—Onappeal,reconsiderationorrehearing,thecitingcaseaffirmsoradherestothecaseyouareShepardizing.

Connected Case—ThecitingcaseisrelatedtothecasethatyouareShepardizing,arisingoutofthesamesubjectmatterorinvolvingthesameparties .

Criticized—Thecitingopiniondisagreeswiththereasoning/resultofthecaseyouareShepardizing,althoughthecitingcourtmaynothaveauthoritytomateriallyaffectitsprecendentialvalue .

Dismissed—ThecitingcasedismissesanappealfromthecaseyouareShepardizing .

Distinguished—ThecitingcasediffersfromthecaseyouareShepardizing,eitherinvolvingdissimilarfactsorrequiringadifferentapplicationoflaw .

Explained—ThecitingopinioninterpretsorclarifiesthecaseyouareShepardizinginasignificantway .

Followed—ThecitingopinionreliesonthecaseyouareShepardizingascontrollingorpersuasiveauthority .

Modified—Onappeal,reconsiderationorrehearing,thecitingcasemodifiesorchangesinsomeway,includingaffirmanceinpartandreversalinpart,thecaseyouareShepardizing .

—1�—

Overruled—ThecitingcaseexpresslyoverrulesordisapprovesallorpartofthecaseyouareShepardizing .

Questioned—ThecitingopinionquestionsthecontinuingvalidityorprecedentialvalueofthecaseyouareShepardizingbecauseofinterveningcircumstances,includingjudicialorlegislativeoverruling .

Reversed—Onappeal,reconsiderationorrehearing,thecitingcasereversedthecaseyouareShepardizing .

Same Case—ThecitingcaseinvolvesthesamelitigationasthecaseyouareShepardizing,butatadifferentstageoftheproceedings .

Superseded—Onappeal,reconsiderationorrehearing,thecitingcasesupersedesorissubstitutedforthecaseyouareShepardizing .

Vacated—ThecitingcasevacatedorwithdrawsthecaseyouareShepardizing .

History of Your Case

Shepard’swillgiveyoutheHistoryofyourcaseintwosections:

Subsequent Appellate History—ProvidesthechainoflaterdecisionspublishedasacasemovesthroughtheappealsprocessinactionsdirectlyrelatedtotheShepardized ™case .Itincludesreversals,affirmances,appealsgrantedanddeniedremands,etc .

Prior History—Providescitationstoearlierdecisions .

Shepard’s Treatments for Statutes

Shepard’sCitationsofferscomprehensivecitationcoverageofFederalandStateStatutes/Regulationsandprovidesyouwiththeabilitytocheckcitations,findparallelcitations,andviewthehistoryofacitedcaseorstatute,andthetreatmentaccordedtoitbysubsequentcases .

Constitutional—Thecitingcaseupholdstheconstitutionalityofthestatute,ruleorregulationyouareShepardizing .

Followed—Thecitingopinionexpresslyreliesonthestatute,ruleorregulationyouareShepardizingascontrollingauthority .

Interpreted—Thecitingopinioninterpretsthestatute,ruleorregulationyouareShepardizinginsomesignificantway,oftenincludingadiscussionofthestatute’slegislativehistory .

Retrospective—Thecitingopiniondiscussesretrospectiveorprospectiveapplicationofthestatute,ruleorregulationyouareShepardizing .

Unconstitutional—Thecitingcasedeclaresunconstitutionalthestatute,ruleorregulationyouareShepardizing .

Void/Invalid—Thecitingcasedeclaresvoidorinvalidthestatutes,ruleorregulationyouareShepardizingbecauseitconflictswithanauthoritythattakespriority .

Valid—Thecitingcaseupholdsthevalidityofthestatute,ruleorregulationyouareShepardizing .

—1�—

Shepard’sHistory Definitions

Shepard’sprovidesyouwithpriorhistoryandtheofficialstatusofcase-lawcitations .Shepard’salsoreferencesAnnotatedLawReporters,FederalandLawyer’sEditionannotationsthatdiscussthesearchedcaseandanyrelatedhistory .HerearesomecommonlyusedTreatmentcodes,alongwiththeirdefinitions .

Aff’d—AnAppellatecourthasupheldthejudgment,decreeororderofalowercourtoradministrativeagency,inawrittenopinionwhichconfirmsorratifiesthecorrectnessoftheresultinthelowercourtorbody .Theearlierresultisstillgoodlaw,althoughfurtherappealispossibleifahighercourtexists .

Aff’d in part, rev in part—Anappellatecourthasupheldpartofthejudgmentofalowercourtoragencybuthasoverturnedtheremainderofthejudgment .Thatpartofthelowercourtdecisionbeingoverturnedshouldnolongerbeconsideredgoodlaw .

Amended—-Acourthaschangedorimproveditsownearlierjudgment,orderoropinion,inoneormoreways,generallybymeansofadditionsordeletions,therebylimitingthecontinuingvalidityorprecedentialvalueoftheearliercase .

Appeal denied—Anappellatecourthasrefusedtoacceptorhearanappealofthejudgment,decreeororderofalowercourtoradministrativeagency .Thepriorcaseisstillgoodlaw,althoughfurtherappealispossibleifahighercourtexists .

Cert denied—Ahighercourthasexerciseditsdiscretionnottoacceptorhearanappealfromalowercourt,byrefusingtoissueawritofcertiorari,whichwouldrequirethelowercourttoproduceacertifiedrecordofthecasedecidedthereinforpurposesofappellatereview .Thelowercourtresultisstillgoodlaw,althoughfurtherappealmaystillbepossible .

Cert granted—Ahighercourthasexerciseditsdiscretiontoacceptorhearanappealfromalowercourt,byagreeingtoissueawritofcertiorari,acommonlawprocessrequiringthelowercourttoproduceacertifiedrecordofthecasedecidedthereinforpurposesofappellatereview .Therewilllikelybeasubsequentorderoropinionbythehighercourttoindicateitsdispositionoftheappeal .

Later proceeding—Usedtoconnecttogethercasesfromthesamedirectlitigationchain,whentheuseofamorespecificordispositivephraseisnotappropriateorpossible .

Mot granted—Apartytoanactionhasmovedforaruleororderdirectingsomeacttobedoneintheirfavor,andthecourthasgrantedthatrequest .

On remand—Acasehasbeensentbackfromanappellatecourttoalowercourtfromwhichtheproceedingoriginated,totakesomefurtheractiononit .

Reh’g granted—-Thecourthasgrantedthemotionofapartytorehearargumentsthatresultedinanearlieropinion .

Remanded—Anappellatecourthasreturnedacasetoalowercourtforentryofproperjudgment,foranewtrialorforsomeotherfurtherproceeding .Therewilllikelybeasubsequentjudgment,orderoropinionbythelowercourtindicatingitsdispositionofthecase .

—1�—

How to Shepardize

UsingShepard’sCitationsonthelexis.comservice .

1 . SignontotheLexisNexisservicesontheWebatwww.lexis.com .2 . TypeinyourLexisNexisIDnumberandyourPasswordandclickSign on .3 . ClickCheck a Citation .Adialogboxwillappear .4 . TypeinthecitationthatyouwishtocheckandchooseaShepard’sformat

(Shepard’sforValidationorShepard’sforResearch) .5 . ClickCheck .

YourShepard’sreportwilldefaulttoFULLformat .Ifyouwishtochangeformats,simplyclickonthedesiredformatatthetop-leftcornerofthescreen .

Shepard’s Signal™ IndicatorsShepard’sSignalindicatorsgiveyouanat-a-glanceindicationoftheprecedentialstatusofacase .Shepard’sSignalindicatorsappearatthetopofShepard’sresultsandonLexisNexiscasedocuments .Whenyou’rereadingacaseonline,clickontheShepard’sSignalindicatortoShepardizethatdecision:

Shepard’sontheLexisNexisservicesisupdatedevery24hoursandlistsallreferencestoacase .Inaddition,allcitedcasesinclude:

a) theshortnameofthecase;b) theexactpagewhereyourcaseiscited;c) ahighlightedjumplinktothefulltextofthereferencingcitation .

Shepard’s listscasesfromthehighestcourttothelowestcourt .

Warning:Negativetreatmentisindicated—showsthatthecasecontainsstrongnegativehistoryortreatmentofyourcase(i .e .,overruledorreversed) .

Questioned:Validityquestionedbycitingrefs—containstreatmentthatquestionsthecontinuingvalidityorprecendentialvalueofyourcasebecauseofinterveningcircumstances,includingjudicialorlegislativeoverruling .

Caution:Possiblenegativetreatment—containshistoryortreatmentthatmayhaveasignificantnegativeimpactonyourcase(i .e .,distinguishedorcriticized) .

Positivetreatmentisindicated—containshistoryortreatmentofyourcasethathasapositiveimpactonyourcase(i .e .,affirmedorfollowed) .

CitingRefs .WithAnalysisAvailable—containstreatmentofyourcasethatisneitherpositivenornegative(i .e .,explained) .

Citationinformationavailable—citingreferencesareavailableforyourcase,butdonothaveahistoryortreatmentanalysis .(i .e .,lawreviews) .

ClickonanyShepard’s editorialtreatmentcode(e .g .,distinguished,questioned)toviewitsdefinition .

—1�—

Restricting Your Shepard’s Report

Asmentionedearlier,Shepard’shastwoprimaryfunctions .Thefirstfunctionistovalidateyourcite,tomakesureitisstillgoodlawandapersuasiveargumenttouseinabrief .Sometimes,attorneysareonlyinterestedinaparticularjurisdiction,oraparticulartreatmentcode .YoucanrestrictyourShepard’sreportbytreatmentcode,jurisdiction,date,etc .tomeetthespecificcriteriathatyouneed .

AtthetopofyourShepard’sreportscreen,youwillseefivedifferentoptions:

Save as Shepard’s Alert®—Shepard’sAlertdeliversregularupdatesshowingadditionalcitingreferencesandanypotentialimpacttothevalidityofthecitationyouaremonitoring .

Unrestricted—bringsyoubacktoyourunrestrictedShepard’sreport .Youcanalwaysgobacktoyouroriginalunrestrictedreportregardlessofhowmanydifferentrestrictionsyouhavedone .

All Negative—clickAll NegtorestrictyourShepard’sreporttoshowonlythosecasesthatmayerodethestrengthofyourcase .Forexample,ifthereisaFollowedtreatmentcodeinyouroriginalreportandyouclickonAllNeg,thecasesthathadtheFollowedtreatmentcodewillnolongerappear .

All Positive—restrictsyourShepard’sreporttoshowonlythosecasesthatciteyourcasethathavePositivetreatmentapplied .ThisisagoodrestrictiontouseifyouareusingShepard’sforResearch .

FOCUS - Restrict by—givesyouachecklistofdifferentwaystorestrictyourreport .Youcanchooseseveraljurisdictions,differentanalysis,LexisNexis®Headnotes,etc .byclickingintheboxandclickingApply .

ThereisnochargetorestrictyourShepard’sreportandyoucanrestrictandusetheFOCUSfeatureasmanytimesasyoulike .

—1�—

Shepard’s Brief Suite

TheShepard’sBriefSuiteincludesfour,powerfuldocument-draftingandlegal-validationapplicationsthathelpindraftinghigh-qualitylegaldocuments(e .g .,briefs,pleadings,memoranda) .Thesedesktop-basedapplicationsprovideauthoritativeShepard’sanalysiswithinworkproduct,offerguidanceonformatting,automaticallyconstructTablesofAuthoritiesandaddShepard’shyperlinkstointernaldocuments .

Shepard’s BriefSuiteincludes:

• Shepard’s ® CheckCite®—Extractsvirtuallyallcase-lawandlaw-reviewcitationsfromadocument,submitsthemtoShepard’s;retrievesthemostcurrentShepard’sandAuto-Cite®reportsandvalidatesthecitations;andretrievesfull-textdocuments .Italsoensuresallquotedcaselawconformstotheactualreportedorexistinglanguageintheopinion .

• Shepard’s®StyleCheck™—Ensurescitationsconformtoproperlegalcitationformatssoyoucanbeconfidentyourbrief,pleadingormemorandumisformattedaccordingtoBluebookstandards .

• Shepard’s®FullAuthority®—BuildaTableofAuthorities(TOA)automaticallyandcustomizeittofityourspecificneeds .

• Shepard’sLink™—AddLexisNexishyperlinkstoMicrosoft®Worddocuments .TheselinksalsoletyouShepardizeallcitedlegalauthorityquickly .Youcanevenretrievecross-referencingiconsthatmightappearifyouhaveindexedusingalocalsearchengine(e .g .,Google™Desktop,MSN®Search,etc .) .

Shepard’s BriefSuitewillhelpyou:

• Uncover Possible Trouble Spots as You Draft—Shepard’sLink(formerlyLEXLink™)copiesyourbrieformemorandumandpinpointsitscitations—caselaw,lawreviews,statutes .ThenitaddsShepard’sSignalindicatorspluslinkstothefull-textdocumentsandfull-textShepard’sreports .Itevenblocksandchecksdocumentsections .

• Match Your Work to Bluebook Standards in Seconds—Shepard’sStyleCheckchecksstyleagainstThe Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation(18thEdition)publishedbytheHarvardLawReviewAssociation,oryoucanoptfortheCalifornia Style Manual .Nocitationmarkingisneeded .Shepard’sStyleCheck(formerlyCiteRite®)checkstextandfootnotesforcaselaw,federalandstatestatutes,federallegislativehistory,modelcodes,uniformcodes,lawreviews,books,services,signals,shortformsandcomplicatedstringcites .

• Add More Flexibility with Shepard’s® BriefCheck™ for the Web—Shepard’s BriefCheckfortheWebidentifieslegalcitationswithinyourdocument,validatescitationsthroughShepard’s CitationsServiceandgeneratesaconcisesummaryreporttaggingproblemcites .WhileShepard’sCheckCite softwarecheckscase-lawandlaw-reviewcitations,Shepard’s BriefCheckontheWebalsochecksU .S .andstatestatutes,patents,tax&treasurymaterials,andlegislativedocumentsaswell .Geta“smart”answersetforstatutes—onlythoseShepard’s reportswithlegislativehistoryandcitingdecisionswithnegativeanalysis .

—1�—

• Verify Citations and Quotations in One Step—Shepard’sCheckCitecollectsyourbrief’scase-lawandlaw-reviewcitations,verifiesthemthroughShepard’sCitationsServiceandAuto-Citeandgeneratesasummaryreportthattagsproblemcitesforimmediateattention .Plus,itensuresallquotedcaselawconformstotheactualreportedorexistinglanguageinthecase-lawopinion .Notonlyarequoteerrorsreported,yourCheckCitereportalsoprovidesthecorrectlanguage .

• Create a Table of Authorities Cited in Your Brief—Shepard’sFullAuthorityprepareseachciteforthetable .Chooseyourtablecriteria .CasesandstatutesaswellasU .S .andstatematerialscanbeseparated .Alphabetizebydefendantorpublicpartynameandsortbycategory(case,statuteormiscellaneous) .Removeexplanatorysecondparentheticals,expandabbreviations,andcorrectsimplepunctuationerrors .Notaggingormarkingcitations!FullAuthorityunderlinesreporterabbreviations,casenamesandhistories,andevenlocatesshortforms .Optionsmakeiteasytocombinelong-andshort-formcitations,addreporters,orspecifyalternativespellings .

Shepard’sBriefSuiteisavailabletoLexisNexissubscribersasanadditionalsubscription .TalktoyourLexisNexisaccountteamtofindoutmoreaboutShepard’sBriefSuitedesktopsoftwareorgotohttp://law.lexisnexis.com/shepards-brief-suiteandtakeatour .

—1�—

Litigation Solutions

LexisNexisoffersend-to-endlitigationsolutionsthataretiedtothelitigationlifecycle .Ourcomprehensivecollectionofindustry-leadinglitigationinformation,toolsandservicesareavailablethroughonesource—anintuitivelyorganizedWebplatformcalledLexisNexis®TotalLitigator .Someofthesolutionsthatmaybeparticularlyusefultoyouaredescribedbelow .

LexisNexis Total Litigator

LexisNexisTotalLitigatorisanintuitivelyorganized,comprehensiveWebplatformthatintegratesthecompleteportfolioofLexisNexislitigationresourcesaroundthetasksyoumustaccomplishthroughoutthelitigationworkflow .Fromcaseassessmenttocourtappearance,youcanfind,manageandusevitalinformationseamlessly .TotalLitigatorprovidesaneasy-to-usetooltouncoverthevitalinformationnecessarytogainarealstrategicedgethroughoutthelifecycleofanycase .

TotalLitigatoroffersarevolutionaryparadigmshiftinmanagingthelitigationprocess .YounolongerneedtoremembertheexactLexisNexisresourcesyourequire .SimplyidentifyaspecificlitigationtaskandTotalLitigatorsuggeststhebestresources—oftenpresentingresultsfrommultipleresourcessimultaneously .Forthesereasons,TotalLitigatorisspecificallyendorsedasthe“bestoptionforlitigators”bytheNationalInstituteforTrialAdvocacy(NITA®),andsupportedbytheDefenseResearchInstitute .TotalLitigatorisalsofullycompatiblewithLexisNexis®TotalSearch .

Applied Discovery

Createdforattorneysbyattorneys,AppliedDiscoveryistheleadingproviderofelectronicdiscoveryservices .Asingle-stopsolution,itprovidesacompleterangeofsuperiore-discoveryservices:Consulting,Data Gathering,Media Restoration,Forensics,Data ProcessingandDocument Production .Ourexpertconsultingservicescoverallphasesofthee-discoveryprocess—fromlitigationpreparednessandcost-effectivedatacollectiontodevelopingstrategicapproachestodocumentreview—tailoredspecificallytotheneedsofyourcase .

• Expertconsultingservices• Unrivaleddataprocessingaccuracy• Industry-leadingprocessingspeed• Flexible,customizedprofessionalservice• Theabilitytorevieworproducedocumentsasyouneedthem

LexisNexis® File & Serve Service of Process

LawfirmsuseLexisNexisFile&ServeServiceofProcesstogainmoreconvenienceandcontrolovermanagingserviceofprocess(processservice) .AnylawfirmcanuseLexisNexistoservesummonses,complaints,subpoenas,letters,interrogatoriesandotherlitigationdocuments .LexisNexisworkswithanetworkoffast,reliableprocessserversnationwideandworldwide .Getflexiblesubmissionanddeliveryoptions .Evensubmitdocumentsonline .Andmonitordeliveryonlineaswell .

—�0—

CaseMap

CaseMap,whichmakesiteasytoorganize,evaluateandexplorethefacts,thecastofcharacters,andtheissuesinacase,isdesignedforuseonalltypesofcasesandbyalltypesoflitigatorsandinvestigators .EnterinformationdirectlyinCaseMapspreadsheetsoremploythe“Send-to-CaseMap”featuretocullcriticalpassagesdirectlyfromdocumentsandtranscripts .Morethan15softwareproductsofferthisspecialCaseMapintegrationthatmakesiteasierforyoutoanalyzeacase .

CaseMapiseasytolearnanduse,offeringaconsistentdesign,ease-of-usefeatures,andapre-builtexamplecase .Additionally,CaseMapsoftwareintegrateswithnumerousotherlitigationsupportandelectronicdiscoverytools,includingAdobe®Acrobat®,AppliedDiscovery,Binder,Concordance™,JFSLitigator’sNotebook,KPMG’sDiscoveryRadar,LiveNote®andSanction .OneormoreofthesoftwareproductsyoualreadyuseprobablylinksseamlesslywithCaseMap,allowingyoutocreateapracticalandpolishedworkproduct .

CourtLink® Document Retrieval Service

OrderdocketsanddocumentsfromallfederalandstatecourtswiththeCourtLinkDocumentRetrievalService .CourtLinkoffersacombinationofonlineaccesstothenation’scourtsandadvancedsearchingandnotificationcapabilitiestoprovideyouwithlitigationintelligencetools .TheCourtLinkserviceprovidesdeeper,morestrategicwaystosearchelectronicfilings .Thesixfunctionalareasare:

Alerts—Automatice-mailnotificationofnewlyfiledcasesinkeyjurisdictionsletyoubeamongthefirsttoknowaboutanewlyfiledcase,sometimesbeforeyourclient(orprospectiveclient)isserved .

Tracks—Stayup-to-dateonnewdevelopmentsinexistingcasesthroughautomatice-mailnotificationonchangestoexistingcasesatthefrequencyyouspecify(daily,weekly,monthly) .

Search—PinpointexactlywhatyouneedbysearchingthroughU .S .DistrictCourtCivilandCriminaldocketsorU .S .BankruptcyCourtrecordsbycourt,datefiled,subjectmatter,litigant,attorney,judge,keyword,bankruptcychapter,etc .Searchselectedstateandlocalcourtsinreal-timebylitigantnameandcasetype;courtsincludetheCircuitCourtofCookCounty,DelawareChancery,all62countiesofNewYorkandmore .

Retrieve—WhenyouknowtheU .S .DistrictorBankruptcycourtcasenumber,retrieveafilinginseconds .Requestreal-timeupdatedcasedetailsfromfederalandselectedstateandlocalcourts,includingtheCircuitCourtofCookCounty,DelawareChancery,all62countiesofNewYorkandmore .

Order Documents—Requestunderlyingdocuments(complaints,judgments,motions,orders,etc .)withtypicalturnaroundtimeof24to48hours .Receiveelectronicorderconfirmationandpersonalizedtracking;savetimeandhasslewithasinglemonthlyinvoice .

—�1—

Strategic Profiles—TheCourtLinkservicehelpsyoubuildstrategicprofilesofthelitigants,opposingcounselandjudgeinyourcase .Profiletypesare:

Litigant Profile—Gainmeaningfulinsightintoapubliccompany’slitigationhistory;viewadirectionaloverviewoflitigationactivitybynatureofsuitandgeography .Determinewhichlawfirmshaverepresentedthecompanyinthepast;benefitsarelitigationintelligenceandcross-sellingopportunities .

Attorney Profile—Seeasamplingofanattorney’sexperienceandsuccessinaspecificnatureofsuitorinfrontofaparticularjudge;benefitsarecompetitiveintelligenceand,fromarecruitingstandpoint,atooltoverifycaseexperience .

Judicial Profile—Identifyajudge’srulinghistoryinacasetypeandalistofattorneysorfirmswhohaveappearedbeforethejudge;benefitis,byuncoveringajudge’sexperienceinaparticularnatureofsuit,youwillbebetterequippedtoarguepersuasivelybeforethatjudge .

LexisNexis SmartLinx Feature

CombthroughbillionsofpublicrecordsinasinglesearchtolocateandconnectfactsatlightningspeedwiththeSmartLinxpublicrecordreportproduct .Retrievenames,addresses,phonenumbersandotherinformationandconnectthisdatatoappropriatepeople,businessesandlocations .TherearemanyusesforSmartLinxresearch,includinglitigation .Forexample:

• Simplifyduediligenceresearchbylocatingthefactsyouneedthroughasingleservice .

• Speedyourlitigationbyquicklylocatinginformationregardingelusiveparties,witnesses,defendants,judgmentdebtors,childsupportobligors,pensionbeneficiaries,heirsandothers .

• Increasesettlementopportunitiesbyuncoveringhiddenownershipofassets .• Reviewthefinancialhistoryofindividualsbyfindingtheirbankruptcyhistory,

outstandingliens,judgments,etc .• Verifywitnessbackgroundandpotentialcredibilitybycheckinglicensestatus,

certifications,degrees,etc .• Lookforconflictsofinterestbytrackinganindividual’sbusinessaffiliations .• Finddetailedinformationoncompaniesbyreviewingsecretaryofstatefilings,

DBArecordsandmore .• Gathercompetitiveintelligencetoenhanceyourbusinessdevelopmentplan

withextensivecompanyrecords .

—��—

LexisNexis Paralegal Certificate of Mastery

LexisNexishasastrongcommitmenttoparalegalsasexemplifiedbyourParalegalCertificateprograms .

Paralegal Certificate of Mastery

ThegoalofthisprogramistofamiliarizeyouwiththeLexisNexissearchmethodsneededtofindthetypesofinformationparalegalsmostoftenneed .Fiveone-hourtrainingsessionscoverthetopicsofInitialCaseAnalysis,CiteChecking,LocatingandProfilingPeople,andCompany&FinancialResearch .Duringthetrainingsessionsforthisprogram,youwilllearn:

Initial Case Analysis using the LexisNexis services at www.lexis.comParalegalsveryoftenarechargedwiththetaskofdoingtheinitialcaseanalysiswhenanewclientcomesinthedoor—doweordowenothaveacase?Ifso,whatareourchancesforasuccessfuloutcome?InitialcaseanalysisinvolvesresearchingtopicsthroughLexis®SearchAdvisor,whichwillhelpidentifyrelevantprimaryandsecondaryauthoritythatmayaffectyourcase .Youwilllearnhowtoeffectivelysearchforcasesandstatutes,aswellasLexisNexis®MatthewBender®treatisesandothersecondarylegalpublications .

Cite Checking with Shepard’s , available exclusively on the LexisNexis services at www.lexis.comAmajortaskofparalegalsischeckingcitationsinthefirm’slegaldocuments,aswellasthoseofopposingcounsel .ThisclassisdesignedtohelpyouunderstandthevalueofusingShepard’sforresearchandforcasevalidation,withanin-depthlookathowtoanalyzeandcustomizeaShepard’sreport .

Drafting legal documents using the LexisNexis® services at www.lexis.com Paralegalsandattorneysspendasignificantamountoftheirtimedraftingdocumentsforcourtandforaclient’spersonalandbusinessinterests .LexisNexishasunsurpassedresourcestohelpyoudraftthosedocuments .Thisclasswillhelpyouunderstandthedifferenttypesofformsmostoftendraftedbyparalegalsandattorneys,aswellasidentifywheretofindtheseformsonlexis.com .Inaddition,manyoftheseformsalsocontainpracticepointerstohelpguideyouontheproperuseoftheform .

Public Records and News on the LexisNexis® services at www.lexis.comParalegalsusepublicrecordsandnewssourcesalottohelpthemcompileinformationonmajorplayersinacase,trackdownwitnesses,findexpertwitnesses,locatepropertyandotherassets,tonameafew .Thisclassisdesignedtoshowthevalueofgoingbeyondjustcases,statutes,andtreatisesonyourcase,anditwillshowyouhowthesesourcesofinformationcanaidindiscoveryandduediligence .

Company & Financial Information on the LexisNexis® services at www.lexis.comParalegalsmustoftenfindinformationaboutcompaniesforaspecificcaseorforclientdevelopmentpurposes .ThisclasswillhelpyouunderstandhowtousetheLexisNexiscompany&financialsourcestonotonlyadvanceresearchonopposingparties,buttofindinformationonpresentbusinessclientsandprospectiveclients .Youwilllearnhowtolocateinformationoncorporateaffiliationsandfindin-depthcompanyreports,aswellasfinancialfilings .YouwillalsolearnhowtostreamlineyourresearchusingLexisNexis®AnalyzerandLexisNexis®Dossier .

Get CLE Credit from

NALA and NFPA

—��—

Aftercompletingthetraining,you’llbeamoreflexibleandefficientresearcher,increasingyourvaluetothefirm .Asanadditionalbenefittoyou,theParalegalCertificateofMasterytrainingprogramshavebeenapprovedbybothNALAandNFPAforCLEcredits .

Bestofall,youdon’tevenhavetoleavetheofficetoattendthetrainingsessions!AspecialLexisNexistelephonictrainingrepresentativecantrainyourightoverthephoneattimesmostconvenientforyou .Aftercompletingeachprogram,you’llreceiveahandsomeCertificateofMasteryandaspecialgiftfromLexisNexistocelebrateyoursuccess .

We’re Available Virtually Around the ClockAsalways,ifyouhaveanyquestionsrelatingtoyourresearchorwithanyLexisNexisrelatedproduct,youcancontactyourfirm’sLexisNexisrepresentative,callLexisNexisCustomerSupportat800 .543 .6862orgotoourWebsitejustforparalegalsat:www.lexisnexis.com/paralegal

LexisNexis,lexis.com,Shepard’s,Shepardize,CheckCite,FullAuthorityandCiteRiteareregisteredtrademarksandFOCUS,KWIC,Shepardized,Shepardizing,Shepard’sAlert,Shepard’sSignal,Shepard’sLinkandLEXLinkaretrademarksofReedElsevierPropertiesInc .usedunderlicense .CourtLinkandCaseMapareregisteredtrademarksofLexisNexisCourtLink,Inc .SmartLinxisaregisteredtrademarkandBriefCheck,BriefSuiteandStyleCheckaretrademarksofofLexisNexis,adivisionofReedElsevierInc .AppliedDiscoveryisaregisteredtrademarkandConcordanceisatrademarkofAppliedDiscovery,Inc .AutoCiteisaregisteredtrademarkofReedElsevierInc .Otherproductsandservicesmaybetrademarksorregisteredtrademarksoftheirrespectivecorporations .©2007LexisNexis,adivisionofReedElsevierInc .Allrightsreserved .LO18453-00507