Deck 8: Contemporary Online Legal Research

Question 1

Which of the following is not likely to be found on the Internet for free?

A) Legal encyclopedias
B) Treatises
C) Law review articles
D) Legal encyclopedias and treatises
E) Legal encyclopedias and law review articles

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Major free legal resource sites include which of the following?

A) Cornell University Law School Group
B) Washburn University Law School
C) Internet Legal Research
D) Cornell University Law School Group and Washburn University Law School only
E) All of these choices are correct.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

is a technology that allows users to access databases that contain case law or statutory law governing a particular issue.

A) A database management system
B) A spreadsheet program
C) E-mail
D) Computer-assisted legal research

Answer 3

D

Question 4

are not likely to be found on the web for free.

A) Primary sources
B) Secondary sources
C) Court opinions
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true regarding legal research?

A) Computers and online services have simplified and improved the ability of paralegals to do high-quality legal research.
B) Computers have made paralegal work more difficult.
C) The Internet is rarely used in legal research.
D) Computer-assisted legal research is slow and time consuming.

Question 6

Which of the following is a commonly used legal site for those not using fee-based services?

A) Justia
B) FindLaw for Legal Professionals
C) Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 7

indexes the content of databases that make themselves available to Google.

A) Google Scholar
B) Google Legal Aid
C) Google Encyclopedia
D) Google Search

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true regarding legal research?

A) Computer-assisted legal research is slow and time consuming.
B) Computers have made paralegal work more difficult.
C) The Internet is rarely used in legal research.
D) None of these choices is correct.

Question 9

Which of the following is not an example of a fee-based service providing court opinions, statutes, and agency materials?

A) Lexis
B) Loislaw
C) Google Scholar
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of a fee-based service providing court opinions, statutes, and agency materials?

A) Lexis
B) Google Scholar
C) Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute
D) Lexis and Google Scholar

Question 11

The official online portal to U.S. government information is which of the following?

A) HYPERLINK "http://www.usa.gov/" www.usa.gov
B) HYPERLINK "http://www.usalaw.gov/" www.usalaw.gov
C) HYPERLINK "http://www.usarules.gov/" www.usarules.gov
D) HYPERLINK "http://www.unitedstates.gov/" www.unitedstates.gov

Question 12

Which of the following is an advantage of online legal research?

A) Legal sources can be located and printed within a matter of minutes.
B) Legal research can be conducted at a legal professional's desk.
C) New case decisions and amendments to statutes are available almost immediately.
D) All of these choices are correct.
E) None of these choices is correct.

Question 13

Information about lawsuits recently filed in federal court can be found in which of the following?

A) Google Scholar
B) The Oyez Project
C) Case dockets on a state court website
D) None of these choices is correct.

Question 14

Many legal documents, such as statutes and cases, are documents and available free on the web.

A) public
B) private
C) proprietary
D) personal

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of a free service providing court opinions, statutes, and agency materials?

A) Lexis
B) Loislaw
C) Casemaker
D) Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute

Question 16

Which of the following is likely to be found on the Internet for free?

A) Legal encyclopedias
B) Treatises
C) Law review articles
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 17

The dominant legal information portal for legal professionals that is free is which of the following?

A) Findlaw.com
B) Lp.findlaw.com
C) Findlaw.lp.com
D) Findlawlp.com

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a fee-based service providing court opinions, statutes, and agency materials?

A) Lexis
B) Loislaw
C) Casemaker
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 19

Increasing numbers of are available free on the Internet.

A) law review articles
B) treatises
C) legal encyclopedias
D) digests

Question 20

Archived audio recordings and text of Supreme Court oral arguments from 1955 onward are found on

A) Google Scholar.
B) The Oyez Project.
C) FindLaw.
D) None of these choices is correct.

Question 21

Which website should you go to for a link to the Law Library of Congress?

A) The U.S. Department of Justice's website
B) The Library of Congress's website
C) Google Scholar
D) The House of Representatives' website

Question 22

If your firm's Internet connection goes out while you are conducting important online legal research, you should

A) switch your research to a smartphone or tablet Internet connection.
B) advise your supervisor that you can no longer work on the case.
C) ask your supervisor for an extension and then call the client and explain that the case will be delayed due to technical difficulties.
D) do nothing and wait for the connection to be reset.

Question 23

Which website should you go to for information about current debates of the House of

A) The U.S. Department of Justice's website
B) The Library of Congress's website
C) The House of Representatives' website
D) Google Scholar

Question 24

Which of the following is unique content provided by Bloomberg Law?

A) Court dockets
B) Bureau of National Affairs law reports
C) Legal filings
D) Legal reports

Question 25

Which of the following can be found on the Library of Congress's website?

A) A daily congressional digest
B) A link to the Law Library of Congress
C) The full text of laws passed by Congress
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 26

Possible actions to take if your firm's Internet connection goes out while you are conducting important online legal research include which of the following?

A) Switch your research to a smartphone or tablet Internet connection.
B) Go to a local coffee shop with Internet connectivity.
C) Ask your supervisor for an extension and then call the client and explain that the case will be delayed due to technical difficulties.
D) Switch your research to a smartphone or tablet Internet connection and go to a local coffee shop with Internet connectivity.

Question 27

Boolean searching is sometimes referred to as searching.

A) "specific"
B) "natural"
C) "terms and connector"
D) "exact"

Question 28

Which of the following cannot be found on the U.S. Department of Justice's website?

A) Information on federal criminal prosecutions
B) Information on the enforcement of the federal laws of civil rights
C) The congressional schedule
D) Information on employment discrimination

Question 29

Which of the following can be found on the U.S. House of Representatives' website?

A) Links to representatives' roll-call votes
B) The congressional schedule
C) Current debates on the House floor
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 30

Which of the following can be found on the U.S. Department of Justice's website?

A) Information on federal criminal prosecutions
B) Information on the enforcement of the federal laws of civil rights
C) Information on employment discrimination
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 31

Research guides from Georgetown University Law Library include which of the following?

A) Relevant primary and secondary sources
B) Relevant Internet resources
C) Relevant books
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 32

Natural language searching is best when the researcher

A) knows an exact term to search for.
B) only knows a few basic terms to search.
C) has very detailed information to search with.
D) has a lot of time to search.

Question 33

Which website should you go to for information about federal criminal prosecutions?

A) The U.S. Department of Justice's website
B) The Library of Congress's website
C) Google Scholar
D) The House of Representatives' website

Question 34

Which of the following can be found on the Library of Congress's website?

A) Information on federal criminal prosecutions
B) A link to the Law Library of Congress
D) Information on federal criminal prosecutions
B) Information on the enforcement of the federal laws of civil rights

Question 35

Which of the following cannot be found on the Library of Congress's website?

A) A daily congressional digest
B) A link to the Law Library of Congress
C) The full text of laws passed by Congress
D) None of these choices is correct.

Question 36

When using a cloud backup service to store materials off-site, it is important to

A) check on the materials daily.
B) save the file under several different names.
C) make sure the cloud service offers adequate security.
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 37

Which of the following is a reason you may not be able to use Westlaw or Lexis as a research tool?

A) The case involves Westlaw or Lexis.
B) The judge for the case does not approve of Westlaw or Lexis.
C) The client cannot afford the cost of their use.
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 38

Boolean searching can be used in which of the following databases?

A) Lexis only
B) Westlaw only
C) Both Lexis and Westlaw
D) Neither Lexis nor Westlaw

Question 39

Which of the following has recently emerged as an alternative resource provider in the subscription-based online legal research services?

A) Bloomberg Law
B) Westlaw
C) Lexis
D) Google Scholar

Question 40

language searching uses the database's own unique algorithm that ranks document relevance on factors such as the frequency with which your search terms appear in the document.

A) Natural
B) Boolean
C) Native
D) Common l

Question 41

Which of the following can be used to locate a court case in Westlaw or Lexis?

A) The citation for the case
B) The legal topic of the case
C) The case name
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 42

The online citator for Lexis is

A) KeyCite.
B) Shepard's.
C) UpdateCite.
D) CorrectCite.

Question 43

Which citator contains the case status flags to indicate when there is case history to be investigated?

A) KeyCite
B) Shepard's
C) UpdateCite
D) CorrectCite

Question 44

A provides a list of legal references that have cited or interpreted a case, statute, or regulation and, in addition, a history of the case.

A) bibliography
B) citator
C) case citator
D) docket

Question 45

KeyCite is

A) the online citator for Westlaw.
B) the online citator for Lexis.
C) the online citator for Google Scholar.
D) a key legal research website.

Question 46

Which of the following is something you can do when using Westlaw but not Lexis?

A) Conduct a search
B) Check citations
C) Track previous research trails
D) None of these choices is correct.

Question 47

Which of the following is something you can do when using Westlaw or Lexis?

A) Conduct a search
B) Check citations
C) Track previous research trails
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 48

Which of the following would be included in Westlaw or Lexis?

A) Law reviews
B) Legal encyclopedias
C) Magazines
D) None of these choices is correct.
E) All of these choices are correct.

Question 49

An indication in KeyCite that a case has been questioned or has been overruled is

A) two status stars.
B) a colored status flag.
C) a graphic of a pointing hand.
D) None of these choices is correct.

Question 50

Services that provide an online citator include which of the following?

A) Westlaw
B) Lexis
C) PACER
D) Westlaw and Lexis
E) None of these choices is correct.

Question 51

A provides a list of legal references that have cited or interpreted a case, statute, or regulation.

A) bibliography
B) citator
C) case citator
D) docket

Question 52

Which of the following are methods of searching a database in Westlaw or Lexis?

A) By citation
B) Terms and connectors methods
C) Natural language methods
D) None of these choices is correct.
E) All of these choices are correct.

Question 53

A paralegal should be prepared for power outages and computer failure by

A) never putting off research to the last minute.
B) having a backup system and using it.
C) downloading and archiving crucial information.
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 54

Which of the following would not be included in Westlaw or Lexis?

A) Law reviews
B) Legal encyclopedias
C) Magazines
D) None of these choices is correct.

Question 55

A paralegal's electronic files should be

A) backed up to an external hard drive.
B) organized according to the firm's filing system.
C) backed up to a secure off-site backup system.
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 56

The online citator for Westlaw is

A) KeyCite.
B) Auto-Cite.
C) UpdateCite.
D) CorrectCite.

Question 57

To keep down research costs, paralegals should

A) do initial research on free sites.
B) look for illegal free downloads of Lexis or Westlaw.
C) use Lexis or Westlaw only in the evenings when fees are lower.
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 58

Shepard's is

A) the online citator for Westlaw.
B) the online citator for Lexis.
C) the online citator for Google Scholar.
D) a key legal research website.

Question 59

Which of the following is not an advantage of online legal research?

A) It provides the ability to locate and print court cases and statutory provisions.
B) New case decisions and changes in law are almost immediately available.
C) Westlaw and Lexis are available at no charge.
D) The Internet allows many approaches to online research.

Question 60

Which of the following is true of using Lexis and Westlaw?

A) The user needs a subscription and password to access the services.
B) They are free to use.
C) They can be expensive to use.
D) The user needs a subscription and password to access the services, and they can be expensive to use.
F) None of these choices is correct.

Question 61

In Shepard's abbreviation system, "s" means which of the following?

A) Same case
B) Superseded
C) Similar case
D) Subordinate case

Question 62

Making sure your findings are accurate and up to date is a(n) part of legal research.

A) crucial
B) important
C) occasional
D) optional

Question 63

A(n) is a book or online service that provides the history and interpretation of a statute, regulation, or court decision and a list of the cases, statutes, and regulations that have interpreted, applied, or modified a statute or regulation.

A) citator
B) atlas
C) legal encyclopedia
D) treatise

Question 64

When using KeyCite, always a citing case to find out why your case has a red or yellow flag and to determine what issue in your case has been questioned, reversed, or overruled.

A) read
B) print out
C) file
D) ask your supervising attorney about

Question 65

Shepard's Citations provides all of the following information except

A) parallel citations.
B) citing cases.
C) case histories.
D) KeyCites.

Question 66

In Shepard's abbreviation system, "f" means which of the following?

A) Followed
B) Founded
C) Function
D) Found

Question 67

Westlaw databases include all of the following except

A) administrative rules.
B) law journals.
C) legal forms.
D) Shepard's.

Question 68

Searching a database in Westlaw or Lexis may be done through the use of which of the following?

A) The terms and connectors (Boolean) method of searching
B) The natural language or plain English method of searching
C) The terms and connectors (Boolean) method of searching and the natural language or plain
D) None of these choices is correct.

Question 69

The search term liability /p cancer /s tobacco would retrieve all cases

A) in which the term liability is in the same paragraph as the term cancer.
B) in which the terms tobacco and cancer do not appear in the same sentence.
C) in which there was a proven relationship between tobacco and cancer.
D) against Big Tobacco.

Question 70

When using KeyCite, what is the indication that the case has been questioned and should be checked?

A) A red flag
B) A yellow flag
C) One star
D) Two stars

Question 71

Cases that have multiple citations are referred to as having

A) key citations.
B) parallel citations.
C) multi-citations.
D) numerous citations.

Question 72

When using KeyCite, what is the indication that a case has been reversed or overruled for at least one point of law and must therefore be reviewed?

A) A red flag
B) A yellow flag
C) Three stars
D) Four stars

Question 73

Citing cases are

A) cases that cite the case you looked up in the citator.
B) cases that are no longer relevant to your case.
C) cases that cannot be accessed online.
D) tertiary sources.

Question 74

Shepard's Law Review Citations includes citations to which of the following?

A) Legal periodicals
B) Court decisions
C) Federal court cases
D) Federal statutes
E) None of these choices is correct.

Question 75

is an online citator on Westlaw that can trace case history, retrieve secondary sources, categorize legal citations by legal issue, and perform other functions.

A) Shepard's
B) KeyCite
C) FindLaw
D) Fastcase

Question 76

An efficient source for online access to the ethical opinions issued by the American Bar

A) The ABA website
B) The Ethics website
C) Each state bar association's website
D) A collective state bar association website

Question 77

Terms and connectors are part of the method of searching.

A) Boolean
B) natural language
C) limited
D) relevant

Question 78

Parallel citations occur when a court's opinion is

A) published in several different sets of books.
B) reversed.
C) out of date.
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 79

The Westlaw database containing all federal court opinions is called which of the following?

A) All Federal Cases
B) Cases-Federal
C) ALLFEDS
D) FED-CS

Question 80

In Shepard's abbreviation system, "e" means which of the following?

A) Explained
B) Exception
C) Equal
D) Extended