Compile In-Depth Multi-Jurisdictional Surveys-Before Lunch
By Elizabeth Cavendish
When I was a law-firm librarian, I received one of those Friday morning calls that made me lean over and scratch the word “lunch” right off my calendar. The caller needed a copy of all CLE (continuing legal education) requirements in the five states where the firm had offices.
On its face, it seemed like a simple request. But I knew that I would be searching rules, statutes and regulations. Furthermore, CLE requirements have different names in different states, so I had to figure that out even before I could even begin searching.
That research project slipped my mind for years—until I saw the new LexisNexis 50 State Surveys of Statutes and Regulations on lexis.com recently. One titled “Bar Admissions and Continuing Education” caught my eye. I opened it—and there it was, everything I needed to make that project go faster, be more complete, and the results look more professional. I never would have missed lunch. Let me tell you why.
The LexisNexis 50 State Surveys1 are assembled by experienced LexisNexis editors who study the statutes of each state to identify those most relevant for each topic. And the results are not limited to statutes, but also include regulations and court rules. If I had had access to this source to conduct my research, I would have discovered that just for Alabama I needed to search the following sources to find complete results: the Alabama Code, the Alabama Rules for Mandatory Continuing Education, the Rules Governing Admission to the Alabama Bar and the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct.
Back when I finished my research without the surveys, I sent the results to the requester attached to several different e-mail messages. It was neither neat looking nor an effective way to present and compare the different CLE requirements, but I thought it conveyed the information I was asked to find.
The results from the LexisNexis 50 State Surveys are not only easier to obtain, but you gain access through a downloadable, easily customizable Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheet. With a few clicks, you can add the text of the statutes, rules and regulations, delete results from states for a more precise results list or even add comments.
Remember LexisNexis 50 State Surveys, Legislation and Regulations when you get those requests that require you to search across multi-jurisdictional lines. It may actually only take a few clicks of your mouse before you can send out results that look professional, are exhaustively researched and are cost-effective. (And you’ll still have time for lunch.)
1May not be available to government subscribers
LexisNexis 50 State Surveys: An Overview
Currently lexis.com offers about 300 topical surveys—more are being added—and each topic covers all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Guam.
- For convenient retrieval, the surveys are organized into 31 categories, including Consumer Law, Criminal Law, Health, Labor, Non-Profits, Privacy and Property.
- LexisNexis 50 State Surveys are available on the main lexis.com menu, under the LEGAL tab. Select the source and a list of categories displays automatically.
- To view the surveys available for a specific category, just click the green arrow next to the category title. Then select a survey link.
- Once you display a survey, you can click links to move to full-text statutes, regulations, court rules, etc.
- Download the survey—and still link to full-text documents. Once you download, you can also add text and customize the survey report.
