What is it:
Casemaker is a lower cost legal research database, with features similar to Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law. These features include the ability to create folders for your research, to log in under separate Client IDs, and to search using either natural language or terms and connectors.
Materials included:
Casemaker is particularly useful for research in primary sources (statutes, cases, regulations, administrative decisions). For both state and federal law, their collection is fairly robust. What this database lacks is a significant secondary source collection. They have some bar journals (including Res Gestae) and some law reviews, but not comprehensive and the coverage can be spotty.
Notable Features:
Citator?
Yes - CaseCheck+ - gives you case treatment and citing decisions
Cost:
Members of the Indiana State Bar Association have free access to Casemaker, as well as Casemaker's premium features. To learn more, log into the ISBA website and click the Casemaker tab. You can find other subscription rates by state here.
What is it:
Fastcase is a lower-cost legal research database, with features similar to Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law, including the ability to create folders to keep your research organized and the ability to run both basic and advanced searches.
Materials included:
Fastcase is particularly useful for research in primary sources (statutes, cases, regulations, administrative decisions). Their federal and state case law collections are especially robust, with the full run of most federal court opinions, and state opinions generally back to the 1950s. They do not have a significant secondary source library; within Fastcase, there is a small collection of law reviews, but Fastcase recently partnered with HeinOnline to give Fastcase users access to HeinOnline's robust Law Journal Library.
Notable Features:
Citator?
Sort of - Fastcase's Authority Check will give you citing decisions for your case. Their Bad Law Bot will give you an indication of negative treatment, but it is not quite as reliable as a true citator like Shepard's or KeyCite. The Bad Law Bot is algorithm-based, and scans the text of citing decisions looking for "negative words" paired with citations to your case; because words can have different meanings in different contexts, the Bad Law Bot is not a perfect tool for determining case treatment, but it will give you a general idea.
Cost:
Available for free or at a reduced cost through many bar associations; other pricing plans can be found here.
What is it:
VersusLaw is a lower cost alternative to Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law.
Materials included:
VersusLaw includes a large case law library, but coverage varies by jurisdiction and court. Premium and professional accounts have access to more content - primarily primary sources - including links to state statutes and regulations and access to federal statutory and regulatory material as well.
Notable Features:
Citator?
Yes - V.Cite, available for premium and professional account holders, will give you case treatment and citing decisions.
Cost:
VersusLaw offers three plans - Standard is $18.95/mo or $227.40/yr; Premium is $29.95/mo or $359.40/yr; and Professional is $44.95/mo or $539.40/yr. More information on the differences between these plans can be found on the VersusLaw website.
What is it:
Ravel Law is a legal research platform that began in 2012 out of Stanford. Its unique approach to legal research draws in analytics and visualization to help the researcher better understand the impact of individual cases and the connections between cases. Like many other legal research platforms, Ravel gives you the ability to add your own highlighting and notes to cases, save cases for later recall, and see citing decisions and modern interpretations of a case.
Materials included:
Ravel has a large case law collection, with open access to all Supreme Court opinions and Circuit Courts back to 1925; premium, advanced, and professional accounts have access to District Court opinions back to 1933; and advanced and premium accounts have access to state court opinions back to 1950.
Notable Features:
Citator?
No, but Ravel does offer certain features when reading an opinion that function similar to a citator. On the right of a case, there's a graphical display of the citation history of the case, by year. Click on an individual year to see citing decisions from that year. On the left of the case, as you read along, the star reading system shows quotes from decisions citing particular pages of that opinion; so the reader can get a quick sense of the nature of those citations on his or her own.
Cost:
Law students and professors can get free educational accounts; anyone can get the Open account for free as well. The Professional account is $100/mo or $1100/yr. The Advanced account is $150/mo or $1700/yr. Finally, there is a Premium account, which you must contact Ravel about if interested.