Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a legal research service that automatically locates statements of law in cases and directs you to the best authority for each of them (see article below). In addition, you'll find links to the previous 11 TL NewsWire features, including our coverage of a specialized legal research service for trade secrets, including coverage of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 and tools for comparing jurisdictions, a customizable, multiuser text entry automation utility that runs in Windows, Mac, and iOS applications, and much more. Don't miss the next issue.
Successful legal research doesn't only require finding authoritative answers to legal questions, but finding the best possible authority fast. Answering a client question the same day you receive it, supporting your arguments in a brief with irrefutable case law, etc. sets you apart from other lawyers.
Points of Law on Bloomberg Law … in One Sentence
Launched recently, Points of Law on Bloomberg Law is a new feature that uses artificial intelligence to improve the speed and accuracy of your legal research.
The Killer Feature
Like other legal research providers, Bloomberg Law provides headnotes for cases. Headnotes help you assess whether a case has potential but you must then dig into the case itself for the specifics.
As its name suggests, Points of Law goes beyond headnotes by highlighting the sentences in a case that include statements of law such as legal tests, elements, and standards. Clicking on a highlighted sentence opens a contextual Points of Law reference box with a definition of that point of law and a list of the most cited cases, any of which you can access. At the bottom is a button labeled Citation Map.
The Citation Map is a visual representation of the leading citation and all other citations for a point of law, each ranked. Each citation is represented by a bubble, the size of which indicates the number of citations. Connecting lines depict citations. You can rank citations by most cited or jurisdiction, and filter them by federal or state cases. Click any citation to view the point of law you're investigating in that particular case.
"By enabling litigators to quickly identify the statements of law within a court opinion and then see the most cited, most relevant, and most recent cases related to those statements, Points of Law enhances the ability to understand all sides of a legal issue," said Douglas Smith, Partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and a member of the Bloomberg Law Litigation Innovation Board.
Other Notable Features
Points of Law encompasses all published and unpublished opinions in all jurisdictions available in Bloomberg Law. The Point of Law reference box discussed above contains a second button labeled Related Points. Clicking this button lists related points of law that courts have expressed in addition to the one you're reviewing. Click any of these for exploration.
If you have a specific legal question, you can search Bloomberg Law's Points of Law database directly. Each Point of Law has a home page you can save for future reference. The home page lists the common expression at the top, cases below, and filters on the left. You can filter by court, jurisdiction, and more.
What Else Should You Know?
"Points of Law is another example of our commitment to continuous innovation and ongoing investment in data and technology to empower attorneys to more effectively and efficiently advise their clients," said Scott Mozarsky, President, Bloomberg Law. "With Points of Law, we have streamlined and improved the legal research process using machine learning and data visualization to reveal previously undiscoverable patterns and insights." Points of Law is included in Bloomberg Law at no extra charge. Learn more about Points of Law on Bloomberg Law.
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