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Legal research has never been quicker and easier

Legal research has never been quicker and easier

16th November 2016

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Legal research is a most time consuming process. Traditionally, it can take hours for legal professionals to sift through conventional law reports and their indices to determine the precedential strengths and weaknesses of cases referenced in an argument. However, with the use of good research tools, the process can be shortened and simplified.

Meeting the need for greater research efficiency, LexisNexis developed LEGAL CITATOR, an online research tool designed to reduce research time from hours to mere minutes. The solution facilitates quicker assessment of the precedential value of reported judgments. It shows how a particular case has been regarded by South African courts over time, at national, provincial and local division levels.

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In this way, at the touch of a button, LEGAL CITATOR assists legal practitioners to avoid building an argument around outdated information.

When the LEGAL CITATOR is searched it provides the researcher with a case analysis report. Characteristic of this report is the use of icons and descriptions that indicate how a particular judgment was regarded by the divisions in which it was cited.

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Searches can be undertaken by entering search terms into easy-to-use templates: Case detail (ranging from a delivering judge’s name to the date of the judgment), Legislation, Regulations, Rules and Subjects. As a futher aid, MyLexisNexis provides a predictive type-ahead feature within search queries to further speed the identitifcation of cases selected for research.

LEGAL CITATOR has the ability to efficiently locate cases that discuss a specific section in an Act, regulation or rule. Through its proper use, LEGAL CITATOR enables a researcher to locate similar cases referenced in arguments and to establish their worth as reliable precedent.

Key features of LEGAL CITATOR include:

Judgment History: shows whether the case researched was subject to a review or appeal (as published in the law reports).

Judgment Treatment: provides the detail of how a particular case was regarded by other courts (identifying all courts by jurisdiction and division) and indicating which portion of the case was dealt with. The use of coloured icons gives the researcher a quick indication of the case’s precedential strength.

Currently, LEGAL CITATOR encompasses references to judgments reported in the following law report series, as well as to all cases cited within:

• All South African Law Reports from 1996 to current volume
• Butterworths Constitutional Law Reports from 1994 to current volume
• Butterworths Labour Law Reports from July 1994 to current volume
• Competition Law Reports from 1999-2000 to current volume
• [For parallel citations purposes only reference is also made to: Judgments Online, Industrial Law Journal, and the South African Criminal Law Reports]
• South African Law Reports from 1947 to current volume

Dual View: Is a new feature within the LEGAL CITATOR which allows a researcher to view the published law report alongside the analysis report.

LEGAL CITATOR is ideal for use by attorneys, advocates, judges, in-house legal advisors, legal librarians and researchers.

LEGAL CITATOR forms a part of LexisNexis’ online Law Reports Suite which can be customised to suit the clients’ budget and research needs. With the LexisLibrary Select Packages LEGAL CITATOR is available as a free value-add to the Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond Select Packages. Existing LexisLibrary Select Package subscribers can upgrade by adding LEGAL CITATOR to their subscription.

For more information, visit https://store.lexisnexis.co.za/categories/law/law-reports-132/legal-citator-skuZASKU9780409062618/details

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