Has anyone compared West's Annotated California Codes on LawDesk
Expertise with Deering's on Lexis Law Publishing's Law on Disc? To
understand the differences, you won't benefit from the reviewing the
"product coverages" of each, because the descriptions are almost
identical. (Go ahead and try printing them, by the way. You can't!)
The product coverages suggest only trivial differences, such as that
Deering's has selective casenotes approved by the Reporter of
Decisions, or that West includes the Popular Names Table in the Index.
You would never know, except by using the products, whether either has
unique advantages. You may or may not get documentation when you first
order the discs, and you still many not get it if you request it. At
any rate, the available documentation offers you no guidance about the
nature of the products. Calling West Group or Lexis Nexis Law
Publishing accomplishes nothing, because neither company has any
descriptive information about the Codes on CD-ROM.
Is this problem generalizable? For example, West Group offers the
Michigan Reporter on LawDesk, which includes the state's Supreme Court
decisions and Court of Appeals decisions. Lexis Law Publishing offers
Michigan Law on Disc, which includes these decisions and the Michigan
Statutes Annotated. How would Michigan law librarians compare these
products?
Michael Ginsborg
Assistant Law Librarian
California Judicial Center Library
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