Each month we will be bringing you a few tips and tricks for making your research with Casemaker that much more efficient. This month — archived session laws, saving searches, emailing documents, and more. For more Casemaker tips and tricks follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and via the Casemaker blog.
Go to Subsection
The Go To Subsection option makes it easier to navigate lengthy statues. Locate and load the statute you wish to view and use the Go To drop-down menu located above the statute in the light grey bar to jump to the particular subsection you are seeking.
Narrow by Circuit
While the Jurisdiction menu will aid you to narrow your search to Circuit court cases, it will not allow you to narrow to a specific circuit. However, that option is still available! Once you perform your search, click to view all the case results. You can also click on the Cases link on the left. Either option will pull up your results list and a menu on the left side. This left side menu gives you the option to narrow your results by a variety of different ways. For example, you could use the Jurisdiction option to narrow to check the box for Circuit. Note you may have to click a link at the bottom of the category to get all your options. Next, you can the United States Court of Appeals you wish by checking off the appropriate box. Now your results should be narrowed to the Circuit court you prefer
Hierarchy Search
Casemaker now simplifies searching by limiting your search to the level of hierarchy you are on. If you browse to chapter 5 in your state statute and type a search in the search bar – you will only get results from within chapter 5.
Finding a Case by Docket Number.
Sometimes a case is so new you may not have a citation. If you have the docket number you can still find the case. Under the search bar on the homepage, you will see words with circles next to them. These circles are called radio buttons. The options you will see are Keyword, Citation, Party, Section, and finally Docket No. Make sure you have selected the correct jurisdiction from the jurisdiction menu drop down to the right of the search bar (it is the box with the downward pointing blue arrow); then select the radio button next to Docket No. Enter the docket number of your case and hit the blue search button. You should be able to pull up the case you are looking for.
Archived Content
You can find archives of previous years’ statutes, rules, administrative code and session laws in Casemaker. When you click on any state you will see a blue bar labeled Archive. Clicking on Archive will bring up four options; Administrative Code, Rules, Session Law, and Statutes. From here you can simply click on the content you require and select the year you are seeking.
You can also find previous versions by clicking on the Archive tab while viewing the current content. Simply bring up the current statute, rule, or code to read it’s content then click on Archive in the grey bar above the content you are viewing. Then click on the year you wish to view.
Archives and Annotator in Administrative Codes
Casemaker is providing you with more tools to navigate administrative codes. Now not only does your state’s administrative code offer an archive of past versions but you also can use our Annotator feature. The Annotator feature, also available in statutes, let you know what cases have cited the code you are viewing. Once you click on a case in the Annotator list, you will be taken to exactly where the code you were viewing was cited in the case.
Client Tracking in Casemaker
Need to keep track of time spent doing online research for a client? Utilizing the Client and Session Summary features of Casemaker can help. Simply create a Client and select the client each time you begin to conduct research for that client. Once you have finished, click the Sign Out link to sign out of Casemaker and view the Session Summary. The Session Summary contains the date, time and client for each search, which can be used to keep track of billable hours for the client. Please remember to print this information as it cannot be retrieved after closing the Session Summary.
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