Tools

Minimize client research fees for cost recovery

If your firm chooses to recover some or all of its research charges, consider the following tips and strategies to minimize client fees.

Maximize your search results

All searches have the same suggested chargeback value, so it's best to get the most from your search. Try to capture as many documents as possible relevant to your issue by using broad terms and minimizing the use of field restrictions. Up to 10,000 documents can be displayed for each content type searched.

Avoid editing your search: Use filters and search within results

Editing and running a revised search is like running a new search and incurs another suggested chargeback value. Instead, use content-specific filters to narrow your search result list. For example, use
Search within results
 to add more terms and refine your results.
Search within results
 and the other filters are included in the value of the initial search. It's best to run a fairly broad initial search (see tip above) and then use filters to target documents. Apply filters multiple times to refine your search until you find relevant documents without triggering any additional suggested chargeback values.

Filter KeyCite Citing References display

As with search results, use the content-specific filters to refine your Citing References. Suggested chargeback values aren't accrued when you apply or undo filters. Use
Search within results
 to maximize your efficiency and identify key search terms in the KeyCite results.

Use FIND whenever applicable

If you know the name or citation of the case or legislation you want, use
FIND
 to retrieve specific documents without incurring a search charge. Select
FIND
 next to the search bar to access the template.

Use your Westlaw
Edge
 Canada history to revisit a search

You can rerun a search or reopen a document in your history list without incurring additional suggested chargeback values until 2 am the next day. Select
History
 on any page to go to your Westlaw
Edge
 Canada history.

Save documents to folders

Save your documents and text snippets to folders. Case law and legislation documents saved in folders always reflect the current state of the law. Folders and any linked documents remain indefinitely, and you can open documents from folders without incurring additional suggested chargeback values for up to 1 year (except legal memos, which can be opened up to 5 times only).

Activities that don't trigger transaction values

  • Time spent signed in
  • Exporting documents by printing, emailing, or downloading
  • Viewing tables of contents
  • Adding annotations and highlighting
  • Filtering search results
  • Creating, modifying, or deleting folders

This article applies to:

  • Product: Westlaw Edge Canada
  • Subject: Research