Legal Definitions - Westlaw

Definition: Westlaw is a database used for computer-assisted legal research. It provides online access to various legal resources, including federal and state caselaw, statutes, regulations, and legal periodicals. It is abbreviated as WL.

Example: A law student can use Westlaw to search for relevant cases and statutes related to their research topic. For instance, if they are writing a paper on the Fourth Amendment, they can use Westlaw to find Supreme Court cases that interpret the amendment and relevant federal and state statutes.

Explanation: The example illustrates how Westlaw can be used by a law student to conduct legal research. They can search for specific legal resources related to their research topic, such as cases and statutes, and access them online through Westlaw. This saves time and effort compared to traditional methods of legal research, such as going to a law library and manually searching through books and journals.