Extreme Makeover: Westlaw and Lexis
by Kristine Lloyd
Have you noticed the subtle nips and tucks updating both Lexis and Westlaw over the past few years? First, they freed us from the shackles of six measly tabs. No more redecorating your 6-tab limit to fit your current research need. Now you can have loads of tabs, and you can even customize your very own tab. You can select multiple databases and search across them. No need to walk into each room to see if what you’re looking for is there. No, now it’s like one big, beautiful, high-ceilinged loft where you can take it all in at once. The question is: will you still be able to find your slippers?
If you’ve been too busy to notice the new furnishings, it’s time to take a look around: the online legal research world as we know it is about to change. Like an anticipated Blockbuster release, WestlawNext is headed to a terminal near you on February 1st. And later in the year, Lexis will unveil its brand new interface, New Lexis. It’s such big news, even the mainstream papers like the New York Times are covering it. Blame it on Google, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. And let’s face it, it’s not all bad. These tired old hags needed a makeover. If you’ve tried teaching your new associates about the antiquated Directories and Folders system to blank stares and horror, then you anticipate this with eagerness. And perhaps a twinge of angst as you imagine how you’ll break the news to all those bibliophilic partners you finally taught how to find a case online!
I guess the question is this: will it be better, or will it be a mess? Can legal research be simplified into a one-box search-all kind of process? As online legal research providers transition their clunky sites into more simplified search interfaces, the logic behind categorizing and labeling results becomes overwhelmingly complex. Take IntelliConnect as the poster child for what not to do. Sure, the search interface itself is better. Running a quick search across all of the content is a breeze, but how do you make sense of the results when you’re not sure of the difference between explanations and treatises? Hopefully, the years of R&D that both companies have invested in developing these new interfaces will circumvent many of these pitfalls. Check out the ABA Journal’s in-depth review of both new interfaces for more detailed information.
Category: Techno Review 5 comments »
January 26th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Kristine, you have done it again! You’ve taken what *could* have been a somewhat dry topic and turned it into something juicy and readable. Thank you for your continuing commentary.
January 26th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
I have to say I am a little excited to see what these updates will look like but also a bit worried that searches will end up with a million results under the premise of being Google-like.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Kristine,
Thanks for hitting on the hot topic of the new year. Well-put. The thing that worries me is that the new WestlawNext or Cobalt (love the color) platform will be available to us at a higher price. Can you say: “Outside your contract?!”
Still, I am as eager as the next hooked law librarian to see what is under the hood.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Just noticed a new blog post about WestNext that you all might be interested in: http://www.legaline.com/2010/01/first-look-at-westlawnext.html. Doesn’t provide much detail, but a few hints at what is to come.
January 27th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
After being shown the Westlaw Next, Jason Eiseman posted a video on his blog with him and a few others and their thoughts on the product, it’s pretty interesting: http://www.jasoneiseman.com/blog/?p=378