LexisNexis Total Search v.3.1

By Pamela S. Brown

As reviewed in the November/December 2005 issue.

LexisNexis Total Search v.3.1 is an easy-to-use, Web-based application that allows users to perform information searches through LexisNexis databases, and incorporates the company’s search abilities with a firm’s collection of documents via a secure server. This interface allows the user to easily locate relevant work product on LexisNexis databases and a firm’s document repository simultaneously.

Visually, the system is a breeze to navigate. Searches on the LexisNexis database are returned with a firm icon next to the relevant search results. This indicates that not only were the search terms found within LexisNexis databases, but that relevant documents also were located within the law firm’s collection of documents.

Internal documents are given the same treatment as LexisNexis search results. For example, real-time Shepard’s signal links to the full Shepard’s report are noted on internal documents just as they are on LexisNexis database search results. This allows the user to confirm that the law cited in an internal document is still good law. Internal firm documents also are hyperlinked, which allows the user to go directly to the law or cases referenced in the document through LexisNexis.

Documents from the firm’s internal documents can be retrieved in their entirety and are fully navigable. Relevant sections of a document can be cut and pasted into a new document. This is helpful for those who practice transactional law. Instead of reinventing the wheel each time a contract is prepared, the user simply can lift the pertinent sections from a previous contract and insert them into the new document.

Total Search also allows users to locate documents residing within the firm repository without performing a full LexisNexis search. Just click the tab with the firm’s name — located to the right of the LexisNexis tab — and after a new browser window opens, enter the search terms.

Total Search is a user-friendly tool, and existing LexisNexis users should be up and running with the online service after sitting through a simple introductory session conducted by a company representative or after spending five to 10 minutes playing with the system. However, the cost of the service might be prohibitive for smaller firms. So the larger your law firm, the more useful Total Search will be for you and your coworkers. If you work in a large firm with several offices scattered throughout a region or across the country, you will find the service to be an effective tool for collecting and mining your firm’s work product in a single place, saving time and enhancing efficiency.