Two of the biggest names in legal technology have come together in the name of legal research. Earlier this month, LexBlog announced its collaboration with Fastcase simplifing the citing process for law bloggers and open legal publications everywhere.
Fastcase’s legal research database is now accessible to those using LexBlog’s managed WordPress platform. As a result, citing primary law within one’s content has just gotten much easier. Those using the platform can now cite a case, code, or regulation in their blog posts via Fastcase without running into paywall blocking issues.
Prior to this innovation, many legal beat writers would link to websites like Bloomberg, LexisNexis, and Thomson Reuters in order to cite primary law, or worse, they wouldn’t link to the citation at all. This was often troublesome, especially when readers wanted more context and they didn’t have the necessary paid subscription credentials required to grant access to the primary law that was cited. However, with this new integration, LexBlog’s platform will display the case, code, and/or regulation from Fastcase’s database within the same browser interface of the publication.
The innovation also incorporates LexBlog’s network of published posts in Fastcase libraries. This means that whenever a law blogger cites primary law, the blog will annotate the case, code, or statute for him/her automatically. It will also provide those writing up future posts on the platform with a list of others who have published anything about the specific citation used. Therefore, those using the platform to publish content can easily view other insight’s and interpretations of the law in question to add to their legal research.
As law blogs gain popularity as secondary authority publications, clear and easily accessible citations to primary law will be essential for building a solid case. Kudos to LexBlog and Fastcase. Let’s hope this form of technology will become available to those not using this platform.