The Cost of Free Legal Research

18 June 2024 12:00

Tempting as free research is, the case for professional research is compelling.

The non-billable hours you save searching online can pay for a subscription in weeks, the confidence you have in your information means confidence in your case and the reputational risks of presenting false information to clients, barristers and judges all add up to make free research something no lawyer can afford.

Legal Research Free or Paid

Cost
While free research wins on cost, with annual subscriptions from under $2,500 per annum, LexisNexis® professional research isn’t out of reach as you may think (especially with three months free on new subscriptions).

Time
With professional research, you can find complex legal information in seconds. On the internet, it can take hours; non-billable hours any lawyer can better use elsewhere.

Accuracy
Are you happy to base your client’s case on something from the internet or ChatGPT? There’s unbelievable free stuff online, but some of it is unbelievable for a reason.

Reputational risk
Would you tell paying clients you only use free research? Would you tell a judge the mainstay of your case is from AI?

The verdict
There will always be some small law firms who think free research is worth the downsides, but do you want to be one of them?

Can you really afford Free Research? Read more about it in our whitepaper or contact us today for a free demo.

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