A newsletter from West providing Westlaw® search tips for corporate counsel and staff

When you have the right key number, case law retrieval is a breeze. But how do you winnow through the 100,000 available key numbers and pick the right one?

The Search for Key Numbers tool, released last month, offers a lightning-fast solution: Type a short description of your issue and click Search. Key numbers—each with a link to a jurisdiction-specific Custom Digest result—are provided for you.

Done.

The Search for Key Numbers tool is a new feature that instantly identifies the key numbers assigned to a legal issue and retrieves on-point cases via the Custom Digest. To access this tool, click Key Numbers at the top of any Westlaw page or on the site map. A page is displayed that contains the Search for Key Numbers text box, as well as links to the West Key Number Digest outline and to KeySearch.

To use the Search for Key Numbers tool, type a description of your issue, e.g., landlord duty of care to trespassers, in the text box. You don't have to use connectors. If desired, click Change Jurisdiction and select a jurisdiction using the check boxes provided. (If you don't select a jurisdiction, the default jurisdiction is your home state.) Using West's exclusive CaRE® technology (the same technology behind the scenes of ResultsPlus®), the Search for Key Numbers tool displays key numbers potentially relevant to your issue. Click a key number, and you retrieve jurisdiction-specific headnotes classified under the key number.

There is no charge for using the Search for Key Numbers tool to identify key numbers. If you click a key number and retrieve headnotes via the Custom Digest, you are billed in the same manner as with any other Custom Digest search.

If you have questions about the Search for Key Numbers tool or would like search assistance, call the West Reference Attorneys at 1-800-REF-ATTY (1-800-733-2889).