Here’s the blurb on the latest version of Fastcase
Benefits That Benefit You
Fastcase 7 is an even more fluid and easy-to-navigate online legal research library. It has all of the familiar features and tools, plus an enhanced Forecite, Tag Cloud, Authority Check and Bad Law Bot, more advanced search options, new results screen options, larger fonts and selections to make documents easier to read on computer screens and new dual-column printing options.
When Fastcase 7 becomes available, you’ll see a slider in the top right corner of your screen that allows you to toggle back and forth between Fastcase 7 and the classic Fastcase service.
When you use the new Fastcase 7 version, you’ll also get the following new features and additions:
The New Home Screen
When you enter Fastcase 7, you will be greeted with a guided visual tour that automatically loads the first time you toggle over and can be viewed anytime. You will notice several resources, tools and updates are prominently displayed, including: Help resources (such as the ability to live chat with a Fastcase reference attorney), any new results on alerts you have set for particular searches and quick access to a much more detailed version of your search history than was available in previous versions of Fastcase.
A More Advanced Search
For the first time you can search across different types of materials at the same time. Cases, state constitutions, attorney general opinions – choose to search everything or filter results down to just a select category. You can also choose to search across all materials associated with a particular state jurisdiction simultaneously.
The Results Screen
When you run a search on Fastcase 7 your main results are accompanied by several tools, all on the same page. These panels can be hidden or expanded without any load time, everything is pre-loaded. You can also move panels and customize your research experience.
You control which results are displayed with the Filter pane and can clear and apply filters to your heart’s content without ever leaving the results page.
The Tag Cloud is the first of its kind in the legal research space. You can ascertain which terms are being used to discuss a legal issue in a flash and can click any term to see only results that use that term.
The Interactive Timeline is now displayed directly below your search results. You do not have to go to another page to view the timeline and can now see your results and the data visualization of those results simultaneously.
Suggested Results are displayed alongside your main results for every search. This right-hand column is no longer just for HeinOnline materials, but Forecite Results, Journals and everything in between.
The Document Page
Fastcase 7 makes reading cases on a screen easier by using large, beautiful fonts. You can make the reading experience even cleaner by activating full screen mode using the diagonal arrows on the top right of the opinion text.
Your results list is now displayed alongside the opinion text in larger format. You can favorite or add cases to your print queue directly from an opinion page.
The New Authority Check
You can view Authority Check alongside your opinion. All of your citing cases, the case-level Interactive Timeline and Bad Law Bot, can be viewed without opening a new tab or window. Statistical information about which jurisdictions are citing your case is now clearer so you can spot trends in the law on the fly. You can view the Authority Check report right next to your case, or expand it for the full dashboard view.
New Dual-Column Printing
Now you can download up to 500 documents at a time in a zip file, with each document in a separate file. Each file has an intelligent name, so you can identify them in a snap.
OBA Practice Management Advisor Darla Kite-Jackson said, “as a former law librarian, I am really excited about the new features of Fastcase7. The increased speed, ease of searching and filtering and expanded result display certainly improve the user experience and make Fastcase comparable with other costlier commercial legal research databases. However, I realize that there are those who may not be ready to move from the familiar classic Fastcase system. Allowing users to switch back and forth between classic Fastcase and Fastcase7 using the toggle button is another way Fastcase has addressed user preference in a customer-focused approach.”
The Fastcase service ordinarily costs $995 per year for an individual subscriber, but bar members have access to Fastcase and Fastcase 7 for free as a member benefit. Fastcase has pioneered the smartest legal research tools in the market, with integrated citation analysis tools, data visualization maps of search results and the first legal research apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The service also includes Bad Law Bot, the first big data service to identify negative citations to judicial opinions.
