Westlaw alternatives for small firms and what to compare

Small firms look for Westlaw alternatives for one reason above others: cost per seat. A full research platform is priced for large firms, and a firm of two or three attorneys feels every seat. The right alternative depends on the work you do. This guide lists what to compare before you switch.

Coverage

Ask which courts and which years are covered, whether the federal code and regulations are included and how state statutes are handled. If you practice in one state, state coverage matters more than national breadth.

Citator and treatment history

The strongest reason to keep a full platform is a citator such as KeyCite or Shepard's. If you depend on formal treatment flags, price one seat of that service for the rare cases that need it and use a lighter tool for the rest. Be wary of any tool that claims to replace a citator without stating how.

Citation verification

Check whether the tool verifies the citations in its own answers and in your drafts. This is where small firms get the most risk reduction for the least money.

Pricing model

Compare per seat pricing with per firm pricing. CaseCode, for example, charges per plan: 149 USD per month for Solo, 349 USD for up to five people and 799 USD for up to fifteen. Annual billing takes 50 percent off.

A practical test

Take a recent brief and run it through each candidate. Count the citations it finds, the ones it verifies and the ones it flags. Then ask a research question you already know the answer to. Start with the citation checker to see how this looks.