Transcript Attorney-Editorial Case Enhancements

Attorney-Editorial Case Enhancements
Editorial Enhancements
• This slip opinion appears just as written by the judge and
processed and filed with the court.
• West attorney-editors take the language of the court,
correct errors, and add features that are essential tools for
the careful researcher.
Editorial Scrutiny
• When West receives a slip opinion
– the manuscript is scrutinized for accuracy
– parallel citations are added
– textual information is updated
– the court is contacted if clarification or corrections are
needed
• More than 1.5 million case citations are checked, 500,000
parallel citations are added, and 80,000 errors in opinions
are corrected each year.
Finding Tools
Both the advance sheets and the bound volumes of the
reporters include
•
•
•
•
a Table of Cases arranged by state
a Table of Statutes interpreted by cases covered
a list of Words and Phrases defined by the cases covered
Tables of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Federal
Rules of Evidence that are interpreted by the cases covered
in the advance sheet or reporter
Editorial Enhancements Created by West
Attorney-Editors
• Synopsis: A summary of the procedural history, the facts,
the main points of law, and the holding of the case.
• Headnotes (digest paragraphs): Summaries of the points of
law discussed in the body of the opinion.
• Key Numbers: Headnotes are assigned to a topic and key
number in the West Key Number System.
Synopsis and Headnotes
• The synopsis is the first paragraph
of every National Reporter
System case.
Synopsis
• Headnotes follow the synopsis in
every National Reporter System
case.
• Headnotes appear in the order the
points of law are discussed in the
case.
Headnote
Editorial Enhancements
• Headnotes and synopses are prepared by West attorneyeditors using
– consistent and current legal terminology instead of
ambiguous, regional, or outdated words
– descriptive terms instead of proper names
• Examples:
– Tenant is used instead of Mr. Blake or plaintiff
– Aspirin is used instead of Bufferin or Tylenol
– Intoxicated is used instead of tipsy or inebriated
These headnotes can help you retrieve many online cases that
you might otherwise miss.
Editorial Enhancements and Fields
• Each online National Reporter System case is divided into
segments called fields.
• A digest (headnote) field search and/or synopsis field
search is an efficient way to search the online case law
databases.
di(wrongful! /3 terminat! discharg!)
• A digest field search allows you to retrieve a great number
of cases that you would otherwise miss but at the same
time will limit retrieved cases to ones in which the point of
law you are researching is central to the holding of the
case.
Digest Field Includes and Key Numbers
and Headnotes
Synopsis Field
• Procedural History
• Central Points of Law
• Holding of Case
Digest Field
• Key Numbers
• Headnotes
Topic/Key Number
Field
Headnote Field
Field Searches on Westlaw
• Synopsis field search in Westlaw case law database:
sy(malpractice /p “foreign object”)
• Digest field (headnote) search in a Westlaw case law
database:
di( bystander /p “emotional distress”)
• A combined synopsis and digest field search in a Westlaw
case law database:
sy,di(landlord /p “common area”)
Other fields:
• Citation
Citation
(volume number, the
Title
reporter, and the first page Docket
Number
number of the case)
• Title or Caption (names of
parties)
• Docket Number (the
number assigned to the
case when it is filed with
the court; this number
follows the case through
its litigation history)
Attorneys
• Attorneys of Record
Judge(s)
• Judge(s)
Opinion
• Opinion
You can access a list of Fields
from the Search page.
Fields
This is a partial list
of the fields in a
case law database.
Question
Which of the following statements is false?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Attorney-editors spot and summarize up to five points of
law discussed in the case.
Attorney-editors prepare a synopsis and headnotes, using
universally recognized legal terminology.
Attorney-editors contact the court before making
corrections to the decision.
Searching in the synopsis and digest fields on Westlaw
allows you to retrieve more on-point documents and
ensures that you retrieve only cases in which your issue is
a central point of law in the decision.
Question
Which of the following statements is false?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Attorney-editors spot and summarize up to five points of
law discussed in the case.
Attorney-editors prepare a synopsis and headnotes, using
universally recognized legal terminology.
Attorney-editors contact the court before making
corrections to the decision.
Field searching in the synopsis and digest fields on
Westlaw allows you to retrieve more on-point documents
and ensures that you retrieve only cases in which your
issue is a central point of law in the decision.