WSBA Member Benefit: Free Legal Research
As part of your WSBA membership, you have free access to a comprehensive legal research tool.
Your legal research platform is transitioning. Learn about the new vLex Fastcase.
Starting Oct. 22, 2024, your current platform, Fastcase 7, will transition to vLex Fastcase.
Fastcase, the legal research platform available to you as a member benefit, has been upgraded to vLex Fastcase, a new legal intelligence and research platform. vLex Fastcase includes everything you have access to now, plus unique features to enhance your productivity and provide you with greater insights into legal matters. For a limited time, you’ll have access to both platforms to ensure a smooth transition.
For additional resources and information, please visit vlex.com/vlex-fastcase.
How to Access vLex Fastcase Starting Oct. 22:
- Log into your myWSBA account: Visit myWSBA.org and sign in with your credentials.
- Select the Free Legal Research Tool: Once logged in, scroll down and click on “Free Legal Research Tool - vLex Fastcase.”
Access Both Platforms
While vLex Fastcase will be fully available starting Oct. 22, Fastcase 7 will remain accessible for a few months during the transition. We’ll notify you when Fastcase 7 is set to be fully retired, so you have time to adjust.
Features of vLex Fastcase:
- Comprehensive Legal Resources: Access U.S. case law, statutes, regulations, and more.
- Cert Citator: Identify cases with negative treatment to support your legal arguments.
- User-Friendly Interface: Navigate legal materials faster with a simplified layout and search features.
- Workflow Integration: For those who find it useful, vLex Fastcase integrates with Microsoft Word and Google Chrome.
Important Transition Details:
- No Action Required: You do not need to make any immediate changes. Your access to Fastcase will continue uninterrupted during the transition.
- New Features: Expect a user-friendly interface with advanced research tools, such as personalized news feeds and enhanced document navigation.
- Access Deskbooks: Continue to access WSBA deskbooks, available as subscriptions via vLex Fastcase, or purchase print/eBook versions through LexisNexis®.
vLex Fastcase Overview
WSBA members can access these essential vLex Fastcase features as part of their member benefits:
● Comprehensive US and international legal content: vLex Fastcase hosts an extensive array of case law, statutes, regulations, legal journals, and news. With over one billion searchable documents, it enables attorneys to conduct thorough research using just one platform, reducing the need for multiple subscriptions. U.S.-based bar association members will still have access to their existing subscriptions on Fastcase, and can choose to purchase additional content on vLex Fastcase if required.
● Enhanced access to the WSBA deskbooks: vLex Fastcase creates a unique repository for the WSBA deskbooks, not typically available on other platforms. This exclusive access gives bar members a significant advantage in research and case preparation.
● Citator: Cert, a cutting-edge negative citator tool for vLex Fastcase, empowers legal researchers by swiftly and effortlessly identifying cases that have been treated unfavorably in subsequent decisions, providing a comprehensive perspective on a case's precedential value.
● Word and Chrome integrations (free): Seamlessly integrate vLex Fastcase with Microsoft Word and Google Chrome so that it aligns with your drafting and initial research workflows. These integrations provide easy access to vLex Fastcase features directly within your daily tasks.
● New interface: The updated, user-friendly interface of vLex Fastcase allows you to browse by content type across jurisdictions, enabling quicker access to relevant legal content. Improved navigation at the document level includes a table of contents linked directly to specific sections of cases, statutes, regulations, books, and journal articles.
● AI case analysis: Use this feature to access automatically generated header notes, view the legal issue of a case, and gain insights into the matters at hand quickly.
● Legal information powered by technology: At the heart of vLex Fastcase is a commitment to innovation. Our technology streamlines legal research and aids lawyers in finding the necessary information swiftly and efficiently.
Enhanced Features
Members will enjoy the following enhancements with vLex Fastcase:
● Improved user experience: Experience a more streamlined, intuitive interface that allows you to browse by content type and jurisdiction quickly. Navigation at the document level is also enhanced, with links directly to specific sections within cases, statutes, regulations, books, and journal articles.
● Informed of relevant content: Discover new content and information with custom news feeds tailored to specific practice areas or jurisdictions, and a Featured Libraries section. These discovery tools highlight relevant secondary content right on your homepage.
● Research from within your daily workflows: vLex Fastcase integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Word and Google Chrome, aligning with your drafting and initial research workflows. These integrations provide easy access to vLex Fastcase features directly within your daily tasks.
What can you search for on vLex Fastcase?
You will be able to access everything you had on Fastcase 7, plus:
● Comprehensive U.S. coverage: vLex Fastcase brings the whole national law library to your desktop, with online access to a legal research database of cases, statutes, regulations, court rules, and bar publications, and more, right at your fingertips.
● Featured libraries: vLex Fastcase offers a unique repository for WSBA deskbooks, not typically available on other platforms. This exclusive access provides bar members with a significant advantage in research and case preparation.
● International content: vLex Fastcase allows you to search for materials beyond your subscription and outside the U.S., including legal information from over 100 countries. You can opt to upgrade to access this additional content if needed.
Troubleshoot Issues with vLex Fastcase
For assistance with login issues through the Washington State Bar Association website or general inquiries about your membership benefits, please contact vLex Fastcase Customer Support toll-free at 1-866-773-2782 (available 8 a.m.–9 p.m. EST Monday–Friday, excluding holidays) or email helpdesk-us@vlex.com.
For additional resources, visit our support center at https://support.vlex.com.
Send Us Your Feedback
If you have any other questions or feedback about Fastcase, please contact us.
Free Webinars
vLex Fastcase provides free live training webinars that will walk you through all the most important tools and features. These webinars provide an extensive overview of the platform and tips and tricks to getting the most out of your research.
As an added benefit, these webinars are available for CLE credit in most jurisdictions, and are a great way to accumulate CLE credit remotely.
Click here to check out upcoming webinars and sign up today!
WSBA Deskbooks
Subscriptions to online version available through vLex Fastcase
You can purchase annual subscriptions to online, word-searchable versions of WSBA deskbooks, as individual deskbooks, collected into practice area libraries, or in a comprehensive “all-publications” library, through vLex Fastcase. Find pricing, including discounted and group pricing here. Log in to vLex Fastcase via your myWSBA.org account and select “Browse Libraries.” Under “Treatise and Books” select “Washington State Bar Association” to see a list of deskbooks. Expand each deskbook title to review an outline of its contents. To Subscribe, contact vLex Fastcase Customer Support Toll-Free at 1-866-773-2782 (available 8 a.m–9 p.m. EST Monday–Friday, excluding holidays) or email helpdesk-us@vlex.com.
Print and eBook versions available through LexisNexis®
Through a joint publishing relationship, WSBA deskbooks are available in print and eBook formats through LexisNexis.® View WSBA deskbooks on the LexisNexis bookstore.
Other Resources for Legal Research
The Washington State Law Library offers limited reference assistance across the state. To learn more, review the law library policy on research and advice.
Free and Low-Cost Research
The following external links include other legal research tools that may help you in your practice:
Washington Pattern Jury Instructions | Published by Thomson Reuters
LLRX | Law and Technology Resources for Legal Professionals
Seattle University School of Law | Law Library Guides
University of Washington Law School | Legal Research Guides
Cornell Law School | Legal Information Institute
Law Library of Congress | The World's Largest Law Library
Yale Law School | The Avalon Project, Ancient and Medieval Legal Resources
Lending Library
The WSBA Lending Library offers over 300 titles to borrow for free, regardless of your geographic location. You can order books online and have them shipped to you for free. The following legal research books are available:
- The Lawyer's Guide to Fact Finding on the Internet
- Internet Legal Research on a Budget: Free and Low-Cost Resources for Lawyers
You can also view a list of all of our secondary law material.
Get Started
To start borrowing books, you can register online through myWSBA. Browse books and place holds at wsba.libib.com.
To learn more, visit the lending library page.
Not seeing what you're looking for? Send us an email.
