Month: July 2010

Quicklaw Features Roundup

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by Katie Tribe

I recently posted about some of the new features available on Westlaw Canada, which is available for free here at the CCLA Library. Of course, we also provide free access to LexisNexis Quicklaw. While you may already be comfortable using this database to locate useful case law, legislation, and citing references, I thought I’d remind you of some of the other great products and features available on Quicklaw.

All Canada Quantums

All Canada Quantums are located under Quicklaw’s “Court Cases” tab, and are extremely useful for finding noteworthy case law. These topical quantums allow you to research noteworthy decisions across Canada, and are organized into topics such as child and spousal support, matrimonial property, personal injury, sentencing, wrongful dismissal, and torts, among others. Each quantum lists case summaries that include hyperlinks to the full text of the case.

Canadian Forms and Precedents

While O’Brien’s remains the most popular form and precedent collection (it is available in print and via a searchable database here in the library) Quicklaw contains noteworthy collections as well. Their Canadian Forms and Precedents collection, located under the “Forms” tab on Quicklaw, covers topics such as commercial tenancies, corporations, employment, land development, and wills and trusts, among many others. If you are a devout O’Brien’s fan, try contrasting Quicklaw’s collection with O’Brien’s the next time you need a precedent for some variety.

Halsbury’s Laws of Canada

Located under Quicklaw’s “Commentary” tab, Halsbury’s is a useful encyclopedic reference for summaries of legal topics, black letter statements of the law, and commentary. Personally, I like to access it via Quicklaw’s Source Directory; I find the directory is an easy way to choose the topics I’d like to search or browse. Halsbury’s reminds me a little bit of Westlaw’s Canadian Encyclopedic Digest, and covers a wide range of topics.

These are just a few notable highlights; some other Quicklaw features include Williston & Rolls Ontario Court Forms, and Words and Phrases Judicially Defined (in both Canadian and British court and tribunal decisions). Browse Quicklaw’s source directory to learn about the various legal journals that are also available (there are many).

As always, let us know if you have any questions or would like some assistance. Better yet, attend one of our Quicklaw or Westlaw training sessions that are scheduled for the fall! You can contact me for more information or to RSVP.

Articling Student Library Tours – Update

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By Jennifer Walker

The CCLA Library staff will be offering additional tours of our collection on the following dates. Please RSVP with Reference Librarian Katie Tribe for any of the tours listed below. Tours typically last approximately 20 minutes.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:30 pm
Thursday, August 5, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:30 pm
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:30 pm
Thursday, August 12, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:30 pm
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:30 pm
Thursday, August 19, 2010 – 10:30 am, 2:30 pm

New Titles – July 2010

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By Jennifer Walker

With the summer months comes a slow down in Continuing Legal Education events. As such, we didn’t receive any new CLE binders this month. Where we’re lacking in new CLE, however, we have tonnes of new text books and annuals. For a neat little article on why on earth we’ve just received the 2011 version of the Ontario Practice when it’s only July, check out this entry from Gary P. Rodrigues at Slaw.ca.

Cool New Westlaw Updates

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by Katie Tribe

As mentioned in past posts, at the library we spend a considerable amount of time helping people locate cases. Through time and repetitive use, we really get to know some of the nooks and crannies of our electronic database (think Quicklaw, Westlaw, Criminal Spectrum, O’Brien’s), and notice and appreciate when subtle changes are made that make searching swifter and more effective. One of our products, Westlaw Canada, has created a few new features over the past month or so that are really making us happy. Here’s a list so that you can start noticing and taking advantage of them as well!

1. Displaying the citation frequency of cases

Everyone knows the pain of having to browse through a large number of search results to find one powerful case. Westlaw recently made it easier to identify significant cases by displaying the amount of times the case has been judicially considered in the search results. When browsing the results, you’ll now see a note in brackets at the bottom of the case summary that states how many times the case has been considered, making it easy to determine its precidential value. The citation frequency is also listed after cases that show up in the citation list when you note up a case.

Westlaw also now allows you to limit your searches to cases that have been judicially considered. In the same way that you can limit cases by jurisdiction, timeline, and decision type, you’ll now find a drop down menu for citation frequency on the search screen. Pretty awesome!

2. Rules Concordance

I’m not sure how long this feature has been around, but it’s one that we’ve noticed and taken advantage of recently because a client was trying to locate an equivalent family law rule in a different jurisdiction. You’ll find the Rules Concordance in the “Browse Table of Contents” section of the main Westlaw page. It’s organized by subject areas that you can browse by expanding folders, much like other Westlaw Products such as the Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (CED). Browse through the subject areas to find a complete list of rules related to your subject, separated by jurisdiction. Of course, the list includes hyperlinks that will take you to the full text of the rule you’re interested in.

3. ResultsPlus

Another new feature, ResultsPlus, suggests related analytical material (think links to secondary sources like the CED) next to your search results. If you view your search results in full screen mode, you’ll see ResultsPlus to the right of your search results. If you’re not in full screen mode, you can access it by clicking the tiny arrow in the upper right hand corner of your screen. When you are viewing an individual case, the ResultsPlus information will be listed under the “Related Info” tab on the left side of your screen. To refresh your memory, the Related Info tab is also where you’ll find links to the history of the case and any citing references. I haven’t used the ResultsPlus feature yet, but will definitely be checking it out, as I often find the best cases when using tools like the CED.

4. “Related Terms” and “Did you mean…?”

In a step towards the style of the powerful search engines we use on a daily basis (I’m obviously referring to Google here) Westlaw has added features that suggest related terms and notice spelling errors when you type in a search. If you are using search terms to find cases, you’ll now find a related terms box at the top of your full screen results page, listing related terminology that Westlaw will easily add to your search with a simple click. The related terms box will also show up on the main search page when you edit your search. Like Google, Westlaw will also now notice your spelling errors and suggest a different word at the top of your results list.

In life and in researching, it really is the little things that make the biggest difference. Thanks to Westlaw for making things a little bit easier for us with these new features; we hope that you’ll check them out! As always, if you need help locating or using these new tools and features, please don’t hesitate to ask us for help.

Library Tip #001: Photocopies

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By Jennifer Walker

We’ve decided to start a new series here on the blog, that of tips for using the library. While photocopies don’t necessarily seem like the most interesting or exciting place to start (and it isn’t!), it seems like the appropriate point to begin with, in light of that pesky HST business.

Regular users of our library and photocopiers will notice a small increase in photocopy charges this week – now $0.40 a page. We’re not thrilled about the increase either, I promise!

In light of that price increase, and also to let you in on something that can make using the library even better, here’s Library Tip #001: buy a photocopy card! Or better yet – your membership card is also a photocopy card. Here’s how this works: you need a photocopy card to make the photocopiers work. The machines sit there idling until a card is inserted. Most people borrow one from us, but if you have your own card, you don’t need to ask us for one and if you’re a member, you can use it on the weekend or at night when we aren’t here. To help save you some cash, we’ve created discount photocopy rates – the more you buy in advance to put on your membership card (or a normal photocopy card), the more you save per copy. It also means you don’t have to check in with us before you leave to pay or create an invoice. You can peruse those rates here.

We have to note this, though, so you’re forewarned: if you use your own copy card, we can’t make an invoice for a specific client file. For some folks, this will be a problem based on how you do your billing. If, however, you don’t need that level of specificity in your photocopying, having your own card is definitely the way to go.