The City is a subscriber to Westlaw, a legal publication and online database service that provides a multitude of legal resources, including statutory material, case law, legal forms, treatises, and other research materials. The subscription is available to designated City employees, including the City Attorney and Captain David O'Neil in the Police Department (who is also a licensed attorney) along with other users in the Police Department. The online content includes Westlaw's "PeopleMap" service, which allows quick searches of consolidated public records related to persons of interest in Police Department investigations. In addition to online databases through Westlaw, the City also maintains some print versions of some legal publications produced by the same publisher.
The current agreement was approved in May 2014 and ran through May of 2017 with a monthly "carryover" subscription currently being used by the City. Recently, Westlaw launched a new program called WestlawEdge, and staff began exploring the possibility of entering into a new agreement to acquire this program. WestlawEdge provides enhanced, artificial intelligence (AI)-based research capabilities that will allow staff to research issues more efficiently and effectively. Specifically, WestlawEdge adds the following tools:
- Document analysis tools to check legal memos and pleadings for current case law;
- Litigation analytics to give insights on specific judges, courts, and case types;
- Legal citation warnings to alert users when there is an overruling risk for cases;
- Tracked comparisons of historical versions of statutes and regulations; and
- "WestSearch Plus," which offers predictive suggestions for legal research.
Under the current agreement, which provides for annual cost increases of 3%, the monthly Westlaw subscription fee is $2,719.15. The proposed new agreement calls for a monthly fee of $3,126.88 for the first 12 months, with annual cost increases again capped at 3%. Annualized fees for the first year would be $37,522.56, as opposed to the current annual cost of $32,629.80. In the final year of the agreement, the total subscription cost would be $39,803.69. As mentioned during the FY2019-20 budget process, several subscriptions for printed publications have been terminated, and the savings from those terminations will help offset this increased cost. The cost of this subscription service is split evenly between the Legal and Police Departments.
Westlaw is recognized as the premier source for online legal publications and legal databases, and its products and services are essential for conducting expeditious and accurate legal research. Since no other publisher offers the same range of materials and research flexibility, WEST is effectively a sole source provider.
Please contact the City Attorney if you have any questions.
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