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Casemaker—A Free Research Tool for Your Practice

By Roberta Gubbins posted 07-05-2019 02:43 PM

  

Casemaker, a free member service provided by the State Bar of Michigan, is a web-based program for legal research. Its library contains codes, rules, and case law that you can browse and search. Michigan lawyers can search all 50 states and the federal districts.

The Casemaker library is extensive.

The Michigan Library contains Michigan’s administrative code, attorney general opinions, case law, constitution, federal court rules, session laws, state court rules, statutes, workers compensation decisions, and Michigan Register.

The Federal Materials Library offers extensive coverage including bankruptcy opinions
circuit opinions, code of federal regulations, constitution, court of appeals, Department of Justice decisions, district court, federal Register, federal sentencing guidelines manual, IRS revenue rulings, National Labor Relations Board, public laws, and United States Code, to name a few. The complete list can be found on the home page after you sign in.

Other States Materialsgenerally include case law, statutes, constitution, supreme court and appellate cases, some court rules, and jury instructions.

Casemaker Pro, normally a subscription-based package of products that enhance Casemaker’s capabilities, is also free for SBM members. Included in the service are:

  • CaseCheck + identifies whether your case law citations are still good law; it reviews the citation history for both state and federal cases
  • CasemakerDigest provides a first look into the most recent decisions handed down by state and federal courts
  • CiteCheck is a personal cite checker for a pleading, brief, or other document
  • Casemaker Libra is a searchable library of treatises, practice guides, and continuing legal education materials sponsored by bar associations and other publishers and linked to Casemaker

Casemaker also provides legal forms for which there is a fee.

Casemaker is easy to access. Start at the SBM home page, sign into the Member Area with your user name and password. On the lower right-hand side of the page under a column titled Extras, you will find the link to Casemaker. Once on the opening page you can create a user name and password and you will see search training aides under video, help, and webinar tabs.

The user’s guide is available online.

If you get stuck and need Casemaker customer support, call (877) 659-0801, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday thru Friday or email support@casemakerlegal.com.

After years practicing law, Roberta Gubbins served as editor of the Ingham County Legal News. Since leaving the paper, she provides legal content writing for lawyers. She is editor of The Mentor, the SBM Master Lawyers newsletter. Writing as Alexandra Hawthorne, she published a cozy mystery, Murder One in Midvale Corners.

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