Summer Access to Research Resources

Whether you are graduating from Duke Law this May or continuing your legal studies next year, your access to legal research services and other campus databases may change this summer. Below is a summary of policies for the major legal research databases that you might wish to access over the summer.

Continuing Students

• Westlaw allows continuing students to use Thomson Reuters products, including Westlaw® and Practical Law, over the summer for non-commercial research (i.e., "to gain understanding and build confidence in your research skills, but you cannot use them in situations where you are billing a client"). Examples of permissible uses for your academic Westlaw password include summer coursework, Research Assistant assignments, research for journal/law review or moot court, non-profit/clinic work, or an externship sponsored by the school. Your Westlaw summer access will continue automatically - no action is needed on your part.
• Lexis: All returning students have automatic, unlimited access to their Lexis law school IDs for the entire summer. Law School Lexis IDs may be used for non-commercial purposes, as well as commercial purposes if your employer permits such use.
• Bloomberg Law: Your Bloomberg Law access continues over the summer automatically. IDs may be used for non-commercial purposes, as well as commercial purposes if your employer permits such use.

Graduating Students

• Westlaw: You may opt in to Thomson Reuters products, including Westlaw and Practical Law, for six months after graduation for non-commercial use (through November 30, 2023). This "Grad Elite" access allows 60 hours of usage per month to gain understanding of legal topics, build your research skills, and prepare for your bar exam.
  In order to activate Grad Elite access, follow the instructions on the email received directly from West, or register online by logging into https://lawschool.tr.com and clicking on your name to access Grad Elite. Please note that if you reach your 60-hour Grad Elite limit before the end of a calendar month, you will not be able to access Westlaw again until the start of the following calendar month. You may wish to use folders within Westlaw and email the contents to yourself before logging off if you are close to your 60-hour limit for a particular month.
• Lexis: Spring 2023 graduates will have automatic access to Lexis+ via their Lexis law school IDs until December 31, 2023. Spring graduates have access to most of the same content and features available during law school, excluding public records, Law360, Practical Guidance and Lexis for Microsoft Office. Graduates working in the non-profit sector may also apply for a LexisNexis ASPIRE ID which lasts 12 months beyond graduation. Learn more about the LexisNexis Graduate programs and/or apply for an ASPIRE ID.
• Bloomberg Law: Access to Bloomberg Law continues automatically for six months after graduation (through November 30, 2023). Graduated students may be limited in their ability to retrieve docket filings marked "Request," update dockets, or set up docket tracking. Graduates may download docket items already uploaded in the Bloomberg system (labeled "View").

Access to most other Duke University research databases will expire upon graduation, when your status in Duke's directory changes to "Alumni." Recent graduates who register with the Duke Alumni Association for a OneLink account receive remote access to selected databases (including ProQuest ABI Inform, JSTOR, RefWorks citation management, and several video databases).

For questions about using legal research services or other Law Library/University electronic resources this summer, be sure to Ask a Librarian.

A Century of the American Law Institute

2023 marks the 100th anniversary of The American Law Institute (ALI), whose mission is "to clarify, modernize, and improve the law" through its highly respected publications and projects. While the Restatements of the Law are likely the ALI's best-known publications (due to their frequent citation and endorsement by courts, which can "adopt the Restatement view" of a particular topic), the ALI has also developed important codifications like the Model Penal Code and the Uniform Commercial Code, among other publications, studies, and projects.

The Goodson Law Library is joining the celebration of the ALI Centennial with an exhibit on Level 3 of the Library. From Monday, March 20 through the end of spring semester classes, visit the main floor of the library and the Riddick Rare Books and Special Collections Room (accessible on weekdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm) to learn more about the history of the ALI and of Duke Law faculty contributions to their seminal publications.

The Library is also co-presenting an ALI Centennial panel discussion with the Office of the Dean on Thursday, April 6 in room 3037 at 12:30 pm. Our distinguished panel of experts includes:

• David F. Levi (Dean Emeritus, Duke Law): ALI President
• Andrew Gold (Professor, Brooklyn Law; Duke JD’98): co-editor of The American Law Institute: A Centennial History (forthcoming from Oxford University Press)
• Deborah A. DeMott (Professor, Duke Law): Reporter, Restatement (Third) of Agency
• Brandon L. Garrett (Professor, Duke Law): Associate Reporter, Principles of the Law, Policing

For additional information about the history and work of the American Law Institute, check out the timeline website for The ALI’s First Century. A pre-publication draft of Prof. DeMott's chapter in the forthcoming Centennial History volume is also available for download on SSRN. The Duke University community can view current and past drafts of ALI publications, codifications, and other projects in HeinOnline's American Law Institute library. To locate particular ALI publications, or for help accessing materials mentioned here, be sure to Ask a Librarian.