Wishing for a Research "Genie"? Lexis Search Advisor Comes Close
By Leanne Battle
I frequently find myself facing questions about finding articles, cases or treatises in an area of law where I have very little experience. So, of course, I find myself wishing for advice on how to proceed without spending a lot of time thinking about my search terms and the scope of my search.
You know what would be great? A magic lamp on my desk, complete with a genie that pops up to take care of these cumbersome questions for me. Sadly I just have a regular lamp on my desk, so I have to find another source of assistance. Thank goodness for Lexis Search Advisor! It locates legal materials that help you target a legal issue, identify an appropriate source and formulate your search request.
The Lexis Search Advisor tab on the main lexis.com® screen is organized alphabetically by topic. That makes it easy for me to find the broad area that I need. Each topic is then arranged in table of contents format, which allows me to expand topics to see subtopics.
Plus, each topic and subtopic is accompanied by a scope note that further explains the topic and lists important search terms.
This is a great way to approach a question when you have limited familiarity. For example, I was asked recently to find cases dealing with Title IX. I am somewhat familiar with Title IX, so I knew I needed to start in Education Law and then Discrimination. Clicking through the subtopics under Discrimination led me to Gender & Sex Discrimination and then to Title IX specifically.
Along the way I gained a broader understanding of my topic by just looking at adjacent topics. For example, within the Title IX subtopic, I saw that consideration must be given to enforcement, proof, remedies, etc.
Another way to navigate Lexis Search Advisor is by using the Find a Legal Topic feature. This is particularly helpful when your topic is completely foreign to you.
For example, I arrived at my office one morning and retrieved a voice message asking for five good law review articles on the Dillingham test. I had no idea what a Dillingham test was. The request came from an employment attorney so I could make a broad guess, but a shortcut seemed in order.
I went to Lexis Search Advisor and typed dillingham in the Find a Legal Topic box. Lexis Search Advisor took me directly through Pension & Benefits Law; ERISA; Donovan v. Dillingham test. What a timesaver!
Regardless of how you find your topic, once you do, you have options. You can retrieve cases, analytical materials and agency materials directly related to your topic. So finding the Dillingham test topic was only half the task. Finding five “good” articles would be a challenge since I knew so little about the topic.
I clicked the Analytical Materials tab on my topic search screen. I found a link to U.S. & Canadian Law Reviews, Combined. I selected it—and like a wish granted by a genie—a list of 100 law review articles appeared ranked by relevance! Each article even included highlighted search terms, making it easy for me to discern on-point content.
So, the next time you’re faced with a research request on a topic where you have limited familiarity, let Lexis Search Advisor grant your research wish!
There’s More! Click “Show Me” and See Lexis Search Advisor in Action
Learn more about Lexis Search Advisor through “take a tour” interactive demos available online at the Lexis Search Advisor tab. Just click the tan Show Me button at the top of the Lexis Search Advisor screen.
