Did you know that many of the legal research resources accessible through Biddle Law Library are available as mobile apps that allow you to continue your research on your phone, tablet, or other mobile device? Read about some of the best offerings and advice for how to effectively manage mobile legal research.
Author: Paul Riermaier
Sometimes pressing legal questions arise and the answer can’t wait for you to sit down at a computer. With mobile legal research apps you can quickly pull up a relevant statute, easily refer to that case you heard mentioned, or read the latest law review articles.
Find your favorite legal research databases and study aids below and spend some time setting up mobile access on your device so you that you will have the answer to your next question at your fingertips.
Keep in mind that most of the resources listed can also be accessed from the internet browser on your mobile device. However, some features like offline reading or other enhancements may not be available when simply using the mobile web version of a tool.
Contact a Biddle Librarian for any questions about setting up or researching with these different resources.
Legal Research Databases
Both Lexis and Westlaw provide mobile access to their primary legal research databases. On their apps you can search and read case law, statutes, regulations, secondary sources, and news. The apps integrate with your account credentials so your history, folders, and alerts are synced whether you access via app or desktop browser. Fastcase, a lower-cost legal research database, and HeinOnline also have mobile apps available.
Ebooks, Treatises, and Study Aids
As you may know Biddle Law Library offers several digital resources for accessing study aids. The apps for these platforms allow you to download ebooks, podcasts, or audiobooks.
Like with legal research databases, most of these resources can be accessed simply from the browser on your mobile device. But if you want to save material and read it offline you will have to use the associated app.
Also note that while many of these resources do not require logging into an account when accessed on the law school’s network, if you want to access this resource remotely or set up offline access you will have to create an account.
Legal News
Mobile apps from legal news publishers make it easy to keep up to date on recent developments. You can also set custom search alerts to monitor topics or entities that interest you.
Law360
Law360 is a key legal news resource and with the mobile app you can have easy access to recent news stories, search for specific articles, and get real-time alerts.