September 2005

Technology

Casemaker — Free Online Legal-Research Library Goes Live

by Ron Ward, WSBA President
 
I'm absolutely thrilled that, as part of the Board of Governors' commitment to enhancing member benefits, the WSBA is proud to announce the launch of Casemaker, a powerful online legal-research library now available free to all WSBA members.

With Casemaker, members now have searchable access to all Washington case law and statutes, as well as the case law and statutes (and in some instances other information) from the other state members of the Casemaker Consortium, which includes our neighbors Oregon and Idaho, as well as Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Vermont. Michigan materials are also available, and Kentucky and West Virginia will soon be added.

Casemaker also gives members access to U.S. Supreme Court cases, limited coverage of 9th Circuit cases and other federal circuit and district court cases, and the U.S. Code. Content may expand over time as additional states join the Consortium, additional federal materials are offered, and specialty databases are added.

The WSBA has developed an online application that enables members to access Casemaker quickly and easily through the WSBA website in a password-protected section, although WSBA members will be permitted to give their paralegals access to Casemaker using their user IDs and passwords. The Casemaker homepage also offers helpful FAQs, a user manual, and a quick reference guide.

Casemaker is available thanks to the hard work of a task force under the leadership of Chair Charlie Wiggins. In addition, Governor Katie O'Sullivan; attorneys Gail Gorud, Deborah Kelly, and Robert Rembert; and WSBA staff attorney Doug Ende served on the task force. I certainly appreciate their service, and that of the WSBA staff, in bringing Casemaker to the WSBA.

To access Casemaker, please visit the WSBA website at www.wsba.org. For additional information or help using Casemaker, please call the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA (9722) or 206-443-WSBA.

Casemaker is a registered trademark of Lawriter.