Students are trained to use Computer-Assisted Legal Research (CALR) tools during the first semester of law school in the Lawyering Skills I course. Basic legal research instruction on WestlawNext, Lexis Advance, and Fastcase is provided in class and reinforced through research exercises. Advanced legal research skills are taught in conjunction with upper-level courses and additional legal and non-legal databases. Training sessions are announced via the digital screen in the main lobby, and announced to the Duncan School of Law community via email.
WestlawNext and Lexis Advance
WestlawNext and Lexis Advance are research databases specific to law, and contain the full-text of primary and secondary legal authority, treatises, encyclopedias, law reviews, and news articles. Faculty and students are provided passwords for both WestlawNext and Lexis Advance, and students are only allowed access for educational purposes while school is in session.
Fastcase
Fastcase is an online legal research database that is available to all Tennessee Bar members. Fastcase provides access to federal and state statutes, regulations, and case law, in additional to local Tennessee resources such as the Knoxville News Sentinel. The Law Library provides access to Fastcase to all students and faculty via the Law Library’s website.
Additional Online Resources
The Law Library also provides faculty and student access to numerous legal and non-legal resources, primarily online. Case law, assigned in all courses, is accessible to students through AudioCaseFiles podcasting, which provides another format to help students prepare for class.BarBri AMP is incorporated in the Academic Success Program and doctrinal courses, providing students with practice multiple-choice questions. In the upper-level courses, students will be introduced to additional topic-specific resources, such as BNA’s Core Collection.
