Legal Research Certification Program (Prepare to Practice): Lesson Seven- Boolean Searching

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Technical Assistance: Meredith Kostek

Content Help: Meredith Kostek

General Questions: lawlib@lclark.edu

Using Westlaw

Create a Boolean search (use at least one AND and one OR) for the following scenario, then test it to see if you found any cases on the topic.

A partner comes to you with the following legal problem and wants you to see if there is caselaw as close to the fact pattern as possible. A 12 year old boy was bitten by a parrot at a friend's house. The parrot caused extensive damage to his hand and it required surgery. The partner wants to know if this will fall under strict liability. 

Using Lexis

Take your Boolean search from the above scenario and test it with the Boolean Search Tree. See if that helps you create a more effective search.

Boolean searches use terms and connectors to construct a search that asks exactly what you want to know. Learning the best way to construct such a search will help make your legal research searches more fruitful and on point. Below you'll find an overview of Boolean searching, how to conduct a Boolean search, information on Lexis+'s Boolean search tree, links to additional information about Boolean searches, a quiz, and extra practice on creating effective searches in the Preparing to Practice section of this page on the lower left side.

Congratulations! You have completed all of the lessons in Module 2, Case Finding Tools. Complete the Final Assessment for practice using these different case finding tools.