Survey Finds Virtual Dead Heat in Lawyers’ Use of Westlaw, LexisNexis and Fastcase

Westlaw and LexisNexis are typically viewed as the dominant leaders among legal research services. But a recent survey found that Fastcase is in a virtual dead heat with Westlaw and LexisNexis among smaller-firm lawyers.

The just-released information comes from a survey conducted in 2016 by law practice management company Clio. The survey asked Clio users what tool they use for legal research. Out of 2,162 respondents, their top-three answers were:

1. Westlaw, 20.58 percent (445 respondents).
2. Fastcase, 20.35 percent (440 respondents).
3. LexisNexis, 20.21 percent (437 respondents).

As you can see from the numbers, this is a virtual tie, with only eight responses separating the top three.

Next in order was Google Scholar, named by 13.6 percent of respondents, and Casemaker, named by 10.22 percent of respondents.

Two important caveats to note:

1. Clio’s users are primarily solo, small and mid-sized firms. Larger firms are not represented in these numbers.
2. Clio and Fastcase have an integration which may prompt more Clio users to use Fastcase.

“There’s no ‘big two’ in legal research anymore,” Fastcase CEO Ed Walters said this morning. “From now on, it’s the big three – and Fastcase is still growing.”