Question:
How do I find legal cases on a topic?
Our answer:
There are three major legal databases in which you can search for cases on a particular topic:
- vLex Justis (Justis Publishing)
- Lexis+ (Butterworths)
- Westlaw (Sweet and Maxwell)
A case may be found in just one database, or in multiple databases. So, which database should you search?
If you are not familiar with legal databases, begin by searching all three. After gaining some experience of searching each of the databases, you may develop a preference for a particular one.
However, to be comprehensive in your search, you will usually need to search all three. For instance, a search for "frustrating event" retrieved 119 UK cases in vLex Justis, 175 cases on Westlaw and 192 cases on Lexis+. We will now look in more detail at searching three major databases for cases by topic.