Dan Cunningham, the composer of yesterday's email re $5.00 / document
charges, and I work together. I've been reading the responses, and have
a couple of observations.
1/ Why do librarians have to find a work around? Why can't we argue the
price should be lowered - a lesser cost for less information.
2/ Why use
another version of Westlaw, print a screen (and lose formatting) or
cut and paste, etc. Dan's Westlaw search required he retrieve over 200
cases. Most of the work arounds would have taken considerably more time
than the batch mode print request does. The requesting attorney wanted
to review all first pages, and then decide which she wanted in full. That
method doubles the price of a case.
3/ Why not do step pricing - both lexis and westlaw. $ 1.00 for the
first page, $ 3.00 for .kw or term, $ 5.00 for the entire "document".
4/ I checked westlaw today - both 5.28 & 6.31 versions - for how documents
are described on the offline print or print/download screens.
Neither
request screen makes clear that the first page of "all documents"
"selected documents" or "this document" is itself a document. I doubt
many users would intuit from the descriptions on those screens that that
first page, as well as the full text, costs $ 5.00.
The Westlaw subscriber agreement does not indicate that a first page
or term mode print is a document. Lexis' pricing summary does indicate the
price is the same regardless of format.
5/ Yes, many firms have flat fee contracts, so you're not always
taking about "real dollars" - but clients are billed, and it's always best
to avoid charging them more than is necessary.
Nora Levine 510 466 6195/phone
Crosby, Heafey Roach & May 510 273 8898/fax
Oakland CA noras@netcom.com / nlevine@chrm.com
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