Please see below for a list of new and updated features:
Advanced Search Templates for Selected Parts of Table of Contents
You may now use the Advanced Search Templates to search only selected parts of a Table of Contents(TOC). This new feature applies to Statutes, Regulations, Secondary Sources and other content with an Advanced Search template and a Table of Contents. To use this feature, go to any Table of Contents page such as the USCA TOC:
Use the “Specify Content to Search” button and choose the sections you wish to search. Then go to the Advanced Search Template.
Now you will just be searching the content you selected on the TOC page. To view what you are searching you can select the information icon and see the sections you chose to search.
Add Foldered Content to PeopleMap and Company Investigator Reports
PeopleMap and Company Investigator Reports can now be supplemented with other Westlaw content using Folders. Click the new “Add Foldered Content to Report” button. Items chosen will be added to the new “FolderContent” section under “Attachments” of the report, with links to the full-text documents. There is no additional charge for adding foldered content to a report and billing for the display of the full-text document is guided by your Westlaw Contract. This new feature complements already existing functionality allowing users to add Graphical Display, Address Map, and Web Analytics to PeopleMap Reports.
Practical Law: Direct Links from Document History
Practical Law users can now click on direct links to the documents mentioned in the Document History section of Practical Law content. At the bottom of every Practical Law documents click “Show Document History” to view the changes made to that resource. Practical Law resources are continually monitored and revised for any necessary changes due to legal, market, or practice developments. Any Significant developments affecting the resource are listed in this area. Previous to this update, document may have been listed here but were not linked. Now Practical Law Document History will include direct links to the documents mentioned in this section.
California KeyCite History Change
Recently, the California Supreme Court amended two rules which have altered how attorneys should now cite to California Court of Appeals cases. The amended rules went into effect on July 1st and our KeyCite editors worked diligently to confirm how this impacts California cases and KeyCite flags on Westlaw.
- What Changed? The California Rules of Court have been amended to remove the bar on citing to Court of Appeal decisions under review by the California Supreme Court. Before July 1, 2016, when the California Supreme Court agrees to review a Court of Appeal decision, this action supersedes the lower court’s opinion. This means the opinion is automatically depublished and not citable. With the amendments to the California Rules of Court 8.1105 and 8.115, when the Supreme Court grants review of a Court of Appeal decision, the opinion is not automatically depublished. Instead, until the Supreme Court’s final opinion on the case is filed, a published Court of Appeals opinion still has no binding or precedential authority but may be cited for potentially persuasive value only. This means that the bar on citing to Court of Appeals decisions under review by the Supreme Court has effectively been removed.
- Which cases are affected by this change? The rule change is prospective only. It applies to any published California Court of Appeal decision on which review is granted on or after July 1, 2016.
- How does this change affect KeyCite? Decisions on which review is granted before July 1, 2016, will continue to display a red flag and the following treatment:
- Grant of review on or after July 1, 2016, will result in a yellow flag with the following treatment:
Best Portion
Best Portion is a navigation tool that identifies the ‘best” portion of a document when running a plain language search. Best portion sections are determined by search term frequency, proximity and occurrence of search terms. The best sections are indicated by green brackets and arrows. Each document will display up to 4 best sections. Best Portion navigation option appears within the term navigation drop-down in a document.
Research Recommendations
Research Recommendations has been expanded to suggest statutes in addition to cases and relevant Key Numbers making research and analysis even easier.
- Click the Statutes tab in Research Recommendations to see a list of up to 2 recommended statutes when triggered.
- If only statutes are recommended, the 3 Key Numbers will be based only on the statutes.
- If both cases and statutes are recommended, the 5 Key Numbers will be based primarily on recommended cases.
- Statutes can be recommended based on interactions with statutes only or cases only or a combination of both.
It is possible for researchers to see a recommended statute from a different jurisdiction than documents they have interacted with—
Public Records Search Enhancement
Public Records Search Enhancement now places the “Go To Results For” section of the Advanced Search Template at the top of the display.
- The labels on both the search template and in the search results have also been changed: 1) People now displays as PeopleMap and 2) Businesses now displays as Company Investigator.
Key Number System Reclassification
Recently, attorney-editors completed the reclassification of more than 200,000 headnotes.
- The topic Sales (343) was revised to more closely correspond to Article II of the Uniform Commercial Code.
- The new topic Sex Offenses (352H) covers criminal offenses related to rape, sexual assault, and other offenses.
Historical Statutes and Regulations
Link to Historical Statutes and Regulations is now on the KeyCite Versions Display.
- Historical Statutes and Regulations are linked in the Tools & Resources section located under the History Tab and by clicking on Versions.
Rules Affected Tab for Court Orders
- A “Rules Affected” tab is now available for Court Rules Update Orders.
- Tab will display any court rules amended or repealed by a Court Order.
- This is similar to the Statutes Affected tab for legislation.
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