Casemaker class.
Rhode Island attorneys recently gained a powerful new research tool – an easy-to-use, up-to-date online law library that provides access to state and federal case law, statutes, regulations and other materials.
Rhode Island Casemaker is the Rhode Island Bar Association’s new online legal research library and search engine. Since Jan. 1, all 6,000 or so members of the Rhode Island Bar have had unlimited access to online legal research, 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any computer with an Internet connection – allowing for quick research from the office, home and the courthouse. Access to the system is available through the Rhode Island Bar Association’s Web site at www.ribar.com.
Helen McDonald, executive director of RIBA, said, “Undoubtedly, it will prove a valuable and worthwhile tool for all of us, not to mention a substantial savings from what we may be utilizing at our respective offices now, whether that be Westlaw or Lexis-Nexis,” two paid subscription online legal research services.
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The Casemaker online research library system was developed and patented by a private firm several years ago, and first purchased by the Ohio Bar Association to provide its members with free access to legal documents from that state and the federal government. Since then, seven other state bar associations have purchased their own Casemaker systems, and five more are about to buy, said Michael A. St. Pierre, president of RIBA.
“I must admit when I first heard about it I was a bit skeptical. I thought, ‘What’s the catch here, to get all this state and federal law on your desktop for free,’” said St. Pierre, who decided to bring Casemaker to RIBA last year. “I initially thought the concept was simply too good to be true, and I wanted to know about its efficiency and how easy it was to use. Now I’m completely convinced that for the great majority of us, Casemaker is going to be one, if not the most, utilized benefit of our association.”
The Casemaker library includes Rhode Island Supreme Court decisions back to Volume 1, reported Superior Court decisions, Attorney General opinions, Rhode Island General Statutes, state regulations, Workers’ Compensation Appellate Decisions, Ethics Advisory opinions and Civil, Criminal and Appellate Rules of Procedure.
On the federal side, the library includes the archives of the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals, local District Court decisions, United States Code, CFR, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Federal Rules of Evidence.
And because Rhode Island Casemaker is networked with the other state bar associations using the system, lawyers here have access to legal resources from those states. The states in the Casemaker consortium right now are Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Indiana, Nebraska, North Carolina and Ohio. The bar associations in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Indiana and Idaho are reportedly in the process of buying the service, according to RIBA’s Web site.
The Casemaker service is flexible – resources can be added and search options can be changed. For example, when RIBA decided to purchase the online legal library, it canvassed its members to help determine what resources to put in the system. When a surprising number of lawyers said that they wanted the library to include West pagination, the system was tailored to include the feature, said St. Pierre.
St. Pierre said that attorneys should contact RIBA with their suggestions regarding content and navigation on the online library.
Casemaker is not as comprehensive as the two main online subscription legal libraries in the industry, Westlaw and Lexis-Nexis. But most lawyers in Rhode Island are reporting that they are able use Casemaker to do most of their light research before they resort to the pay-as-you-go services, said St. Pierre. That is a great financial aid to small law firms and independent lawyers, who make up the great majority of attorneys in Rhode Island, said St. Pierre.
St. Pierre and McDonald declined to say exactly how much the Casemaker system cost RIBA to install and maintain. Instead, St. Pierre said the startup price tag added up to “under $20 a head for our members for the year.” RIBA has not raised its annual membership dues.
The bar association is conducting training sessions for lawyers who want a walk-through of the Casemaker service, and an online tutorial program and a telephone support desk are also available through RIBA.
“So far we’ve gotten very positive feedback, as you can imagine – when you’re
providing something that traditionally costs thousands a year for nothing, it’s
hard to go wrong,” said McDonald.
For the complete current issue, visit our subscription Web site, or call (401) 273-2201, ext. 227 or 234.
