iPad Apps for Lawyers - Part V: Research Tools

USD Law Library circa 1934

Because for the rest of forever, you'll be doing research, here are some mobile options for your information gathering needs. 

LexisAdvance: If you've already got a subscription with LexisAdvance, you'll probably want the app as well. As always, you can annotate and highlight to your hearts content, but you can also work online or remotely, and sync documents with your other devices. You'll also have access to Shepard's through this app, ensuring "good law" research on the go.


WestlawNext: Basically the same thing as LexisAdvance, but with WestlawNext. (You'll also need to have an account with Westlaw already to use this app.)

LawStack: A FREE LEGAL LIBRARY! LawStack comes with the U.S. Constitution, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence, Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure. However, should you want even more resources, they offer an embedded collection of  the Code of Federal Regulations, United States Code, and multiple codes from individual states as well. It provides offline access to downloaded doc.s, highlighting capabilities, and "killer full-text search" (their words not mine).

LawLibe: Brought to you by the Legal Information Institute [LII] at Cornell Law School, this app is also a legal library like LawStack. It's free and fully offline. It comes loaded with the U.S. Constitution, and then you can pick and choose what other references to add. One drawback for this app (which is currently being worked on) is that it has limited state code offerings, with only California, New York, and Texas being available thus far.

Fastcase: Is a searchable library of cases and statutes from all 50 U.S. States. One of the features they highlight and that I particularly appreciate is that you can search effectively in Boolean keyword, in natural language, and by citation. It's free, and updated daily.

Fed Courts: Full text of all of the federal rules of procedure and the local rules for every federal court in the country and provides access to PACER. Not a lot of bells, whistles, and features; just basic access to information.




Be Aware: While the apps discussed in this series are helpful tools, they are in no way meant to replace official law sources. Please, rely on your McKusick Law Library or certified government websites for reference.