LibGuides: Legal Research: Using Legal Databases

Getting Started

Using legal databases can save time and allow you to track if there have been updates to the case you are researching or if a statue has been repealed. It also allows you to find similar cases quickly. There are two main databases, Westlaw and Nexis Uni. The versions used here are the academic versions available to the Monmouth University campus.

Best Bet Databases

Westlaw Campus Research Law, News and Business This link opens in a new window
Use Westlaw to find Federal and State Cases, statues & court rules, briefs, legislation, and regulations.
NexisUni (LexisNexis) This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive source for current news (international, national and regional), legal research (cases and statutes, law reviews, news), business research (news, company information), medical information (news, journal articles, Medline abstracts) and basic reference tools.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Find state and federal cases from 1950 to present. To get started, click on the link and select the "case law" button.
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
HeinOnline is the world's largest fully searchable, image-based government document and legal research database. It contains comprehensive coverage from inception of U.S. statutory materials, U.S. Congressional Documents and more than 2,700 scholarly journals. HeinOnline provides topic specific databases including all of the world's constitutions, all U.S. treaties, collections of classic treatises and presidential documents, Criminal Justice, Religion and the Law, and Women and the Law among others. Full text of state and federal case law powered by Fastcase is included.