LexisNexis 2005 BrandeisSchoolof Law

Take-Home Certification Program

What is the LexisNexis Certification Program?

Simply put, the LexisNexis Certification Program was designed for those students who are anxious to take their on-line legal research skills to another level. With the help of the research & writing instructors at the University of Kentucky College of Law, University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, Appalachian School of Law, along with Kentucky’s largest and most prestigious law firms, we have developed this program for that student. It is a three-part program that promises to deliver a basic, intermediate, and advanced course of LexisNexis training aimed at making the "serious" law student proficient and cost-effective when researching on-line.

Why Should You Attain LexisNexis Certification?

There are lots of reasons to attain LexisNexis Certification but the most important are the following:

  1. You will dramatically improve your ability to conduct legal research online using LexisNexis---we promise!
  1. Law Firms using LexisNexis products expect you to be proficient and cost-effective once you arrive at their firms. This program will allow you to be consistent with that expectation when you arrive to practice.
  1. “LexisNexis Certified” on your resume increases your chances of obtaining the law firm “offer” that becomes your primary goal when you are winding down your law school career.
  1. Once you have attained LexisNexis Certification, you will be able to say in an interview, “Not only can I research using Lexis.com, but I can perform the required research at your firm efficiently and cost-effectively for your firm’s clients!”
  1. You will be awarded an actual certificate verifyingCertification, and a reference letter that serves as informing those interested that you are officially LexisNexis Certified.

How Do I Become LexisNexis Certified

at the Appalachian School of Law?

It’s simple and you have two choices:

The first choice (Class Method Certification) involvesattending three classes followed by three search exercises called “Lexercises.” Each class lasts about 45 minutes covering LexisNexis I: “Basic Training/Familiarity,” LexisNexis II “Gaining Confidence,” and Lexis III: “Build Your Future.” (Note: Your basic LexisNexis research courses that you are required to attend as a 1L counts as LexisNexis I).

The second choice (Take-Home Certification)or the “LexisNexis BrandeisTake-Home Certification Program” is perfect for students who do not want the hassle of attending the various classes offered and prefer to conduct the Certification Program on their own. It involves simply linking to the “LexisNexis Take-Home Certification Program” link located at Lexis.com/lawschool site going to the “My School Tab.” But before you start, you should know that this program is very comprehensive and involves a few hours of your time. So you might want to stagger your time when performing this program. Once you complete the program, we feel confident that you will be “prepared to practice” using the LexisNexis Total Research System.

The Take-Home Program is simple! Each student, using their personal student LexisNexis ID, merely follows the instructions in the packet and then will be led on a journey (via searches) through the entire LexisNexis Total Research System. After the journey is complete, the instructions will direct the student to copy and paste their “search history” using the History link, and then e-mailing the searches to the school LexisNexis Representative for verification. Once verified at LexisNexis, the student is LexisNexis “Certified” and can place this achievement on their resume.

Note: Before beginning this program, make sure you are using your personal LexisNexis ID when performing any part of your Lexis Certification. Using any other ID will not allow for proper assessment of the program and could be a violation of your school’s honor code.

Once you complete one of the two LexisNexis Certification programs, you will be notified by your school LexisNexis Representative and will receive a Certificate, a reference letter, andBrandeisSchool of Law T-shirt as a reward. Good Luck and thank you for using the LexisNexis Total Research System

LexisNexis Take-Home Certification Program

Let’s get started! Follow these directions closely or you could miss a search! Log on to the Internet and go to the LexisNexis law school homepage (

Directions: Once you complete the program, simply copy and paste your search history into an e-mail using the “History” link in the upper-right corner of the LexisNexis Total Research screen. Then e-mail the history to . Once verified, your school LexisNexis Representative will leave your rewards in your student mailbox.

Log on to LexisNexis.com/lawschool using your Custom Id and Password. As you can see this special internet site (“Portal”) allows you as a law student to have special access to immediate searching. It also provides easy navigation tabs at the top of the screen. These tabs are labeled: “Law School Home,” “Research System,” “Web Courses,” “Ultimate Rewards,” “My School,” “eAttorney CareerCenter.” You are in the “Law School Home” tab—highlighted—right now.

Click on the “Learning LexisNexis” red link directly under LexisNexis for Law Students heading. This page allows you access to a variety of information regarding training yourself on the LN Total Research System. The Tutorials and Tours option is very popular with fellow students due to the 50 Rewards points you can accumulate for each tutorial you complete on your own time (Up to 300 points per semester). Click back to the Law School Home Page screen.

Click on the“Study Aids” red linkbelow the Learning LexisNexis link. Notice that you have special free access to many “Area of Law” Outlines published by LexisNexis. These outlines are written by the same authors of the popular Understanding Series books also published by LexisNexis. You will notice that a lot of your 2L and 3L classmates are using these Area of Law Outlines to supplement their own case briefs and outlines because: 1. they are free, and 2. they are very comprehensive but not too lengthy. Help yourself. Now click back to the Law School Home Page.

Now lets take a look at the tabs at the top of your screen. Go to the right side of your screen and click the “eAttorney CareerCenter” tab. This site allows you to explore certain law job opportunities when you get closer to graduation.

Click the “My School” tab. This site provides all the information pertaining to LexisNexis that is current to your school including training sessions, Certification details, LexisNexis Associate Information, and e-mail links to your LexisNexis representatives. It also is a great source for extra point opportunities.

Click the “Ultimate Rewards” tab. This site provides information and points balances to the very popular LexisNexis Ultimate Rewards Program. As you know by now LexisNexis allows you to earn points that translate into spending dollars when you use the LexisNexis Total Research System. This site is where you go to check your balance and spend your points. It also provides information on how close you are to becoming “Elite.” Elite members earn special bonus opportunities for their loyalty to LexisNexis.

Click the Web Courses tab. This site allows you access to our exclusive “Brandeis Outline Exchange” containing over 200 student-created outlines for the Brandeis School of Law specific classes to date. Click the “Launch Web Courses” tab. Click the link for “LexisNexis Brandeis Outline Exchange.” Now you have unrestricted access to over 200 (and counting) student-created outlines for classes that you are taking now. Simply click the “Outlines” link on the left and select any course. Click the “Home” link at the top of your screen.

Law School Home Page Tab---Easy Access to Pulling Cases, Statutes, and Quick Searching

The Law School Home Page tab was created with the total purpose of allowing a law school student to pull cases, statutes, and run quick searches in the typical law school students’ nine favorite databases. For instance, let’s say that we would like to pull a quick case for our Civil Procedure class. Search 1: Simply type in the box under “Get by Citation” the citation of the case 326 U.S. 310 and click “Go”You will notice that once you clicked go, you entered the LexisNexis Total Research System where it took you to the case you asked for. You can tell by noticing that the “Research System” tab is highlighted now. Click the Law School Home tab.

Maybe you didn’t know the citation. You could simply pull the case by “party name.”Search 2: Type: International Shoe v.Washington in the “Get a Document by Party Name” box. Also, click the down arrow and select the jurisdiction of Supreme Court. Then click “go.” Notice the citation link for the case comes up. Click the link to see the entire opinion.

Click the Law School Home Tab. Maybe we wanted to pull and print 5 cases for our class assignments for tomorrow’s classes. We call that “Get and Print.Click the blue link “Get and Print” (multiple citations) located in the middle of the screen in the in the Get by Citation box. In the open box to the left of your screen, type: 326 U.S. 310; 163 U.S. 537; 248 N.Y. 339; 531 U.S. 98; 222 NY 88. Now tell the computer what you want to do with it, i.e., Deliver to Browser, Retrieve Citation in Full Text, and no Shepard’s--- unclick the Shepard’s box. Search 3:Then click Get.

A pop-up box should retrieve a “Get and Print Report” with blue links that allow you to access the full text of the cases you just ordered. You could have chosen to deliver these five cases straight to a LexisNexis printer at school as well. We will discuss printing a little further in the program. Close both your pop-up box and the Get and Print screen and you should be back to your Law School Home Page.

Click the Research System tab. This last click puts you into the LexisNexis Total Research System and you are ready to access the 4.5 billion documents on the system.

This screen is called the “Search Screen,” identified by more tabs. These tabs are called, Search, Research Tasks, Search Advisor, Get a Document, Shepard’s and Alerts. Another set of tabs are located inside the “Look for a Source” box. These tabs are specifically designed for the Legal Search Screen and should help you navigate through the vast number of databases. They are: Legal, News & Business, Public Records, Kentucky, and Find a Source. Database links and folders are listed underneath this set of tabs.

(Research Tip: You can open up your word processing document and use LexisNexis at the same time. This will allow you to copy and paste cases, statutes, cite lists, take notes, etc., from LexisNexis without having to print so much. Simply open up your word processing file and you can switch back and forth).

LexisNexis Part I---Basic Training/ “Gaining Familiarity”

Pulling Cases, Statues, etc.!

There are six basic functions or tabs at the top of your screen when you use the LexisNexis Total Research System, they are: Search, Research Tasks, Search Advisor, Get a Document, Shepard’s and Alerts. You can see the tabs at the top of every screen page so you can quickly access them. With this system you will probably be performing one of these functions at any given time when researching---- so, if you get lost navigating the 4.5 billion documents on the LexisNexis Total Research System, simply scroll to the top and click one of these five tabs again.

Click the Get a Document tab. This functional tab allows you to pull cases, statutes, journals, etc. when you have the citation, party name, or docket number to the document. Type in this citation in the box: 222 NY 88 and Search 4: click Get. Scroll down and read the “Case Summary.” (You may recognize this case from your Contracts class).

(Research Tip: A Case Summary is LexisNexis briefing each case for you in one printed page or less. Since you also have free printing on campus, why not print the case briefs that you are reading in your classes to the free Lexis printer so you will have them to supplement your own case law briefs? A lot of students print the cases from home to the Lexis printers and pick them up on the way to class. Some students go so far as “Get and Printing” their entire semester’s class assignment early---perfectly ok to do).

The Case Summary includes the “Procedural Posture,” the “Overview” and the “Outcome.”LexisNexis lawyers actually authored all Case Summaries with the general rules of keeping them one printed page or less and using the language of the court as much as possible.

Notice on this same case that in the top right-hand corner of your screen there is a number “4” next to “Pages.” This number reflects the number of estimated pages this document will print out to your printer. Now let's discuss printing a little further.

Printing and Delivering Documents

Notice above the number of pages indicator, there are blue links reflecting options for delivering the document. Along with printing via browser (i.e., file and print), you can opt for clicking the blue link “print” option allowing for printing to your LexisNexis printers at the school and in dual column format.

(Research Tip: You can use and print LexisNexis documents for free from anywhere using your personal Lexis ID as long as you have internet access. Your Id allows you to use Lexis at home and print to the LexisNexis printers at school—so feel "free" to do so).

Printing LexisNexis documents on campus is absolutely free and when you print a document using one of the LexisNexis printers, a cover page and end page with your name on it will come out with each request. Click the blue “print” link.” Notice the pop-up box that allows options for printing at your school. Select the down arrow for printer options.

At ASL there are two printers on campus for you to use:

Printer option 1 is number (700488) and it is located on the first floor of the library near the Circ. desk.

Printer option 2 is number (700856) and it is located in the “Seminar Room” in the library.

You can also download various formats (see other printer options) of the text you are printing as well. Now close the printer option pop-up box.

As you can see from the other available blue links, you can also download, fax, or e-mail documents as well.

(Research tip: If you are on a wireless laptop or at a place where you are not attached to a printer and you can't get to the school--- why not just e-mail the document to yourself and print it later).

FAST PRINT!!!!!

There is also a red/link tab for “FAST PRINT.” Fast Print allows you to order your print job to where you typically want it delivered in one simple click. The first time you use Fast Print a box will appear that allows you to set your desired Fast Print printer default. Once this is “set,” you will only have to one-click Fast Print for your print job to be delivered to that printer. To change your Fast Print Default, simply go to the small white “Preferences” link at the top of your LexisNexis screen.

Pulling Cases by Party Name

Scroll to the top of your screen and click Get a Document again. Most of the time we have the case citation to what we want to pull, however, sometimes we need to find a case and we only know one or both party names. Click the red link tab“Party Name.” (It’s the red tab in the middle).

Once you click Party Name, a searching “template” pops up allowing you to search for your case by simply typing in what you know, i.e., the name or names of the party you are searching for. Type in Bush v. Gore. Click the U.S. Supreme Court button to restrict it. Search 5. Click Search or enter. You should receive a “cite list” reflecting four different cases addressing four different issues in the Bush v. Gore case. The one we are looking for is the first one because we can quickly read the "Overview" and conclude that this is the case involving the issue of manually recounting ballots in Florida etc.

(Research tip: Overviews are one sentence briefs of the case. They will help you scan cite lists without having to pull each case and read them---a very useful and efficient feature!)