Legal Definitions - WL

WL stands for WESTLAW.

WESTLAW is a widely used, comprehensive online legal research service. It provides legal professionals, academics, and students with access to an extensive database of legal information, including statutes, case law (court decisions), administrative regulations, legal journals, treatises, and other secondary sources. It is an essential tool for conducting legal research, staying updated on legal developments, and preparing legal documents.

Here are some examples of how WESTLAW is used:

• A corporate attorney is advising a client on a potential merger and needs to understand all relevant antitrust regulations and recent court interpretations. They would use WESTLAW to search for federal statutes, agency guidelines, and landmark judicial opinions related to antitrust law, ensuring their advice is based on the most current legal landscape.

  This example illustrates how WESTLAW serves as a critical resource for legal professionals to access and analyze complex regulatory frameworks and case law to inform strategic business decisions.

• A law student is preparing for a moot court competition where they must argue a complex point of constitutional law. They would rely on WESTLAW to find dissenting opinions from Supreme Court cases, scholarly articles discussing the nuances of the constitutional provision, and historical legislative debates to build a robust and well-supported argument.

  This demonstrates WESTLAW's utility for academic research, allowing students to delve deeply into legal history, academic commentary, and judicial reasoning to develop sophisticated legal arguments.

• A paralegal working for a family law firm needs to verify the latest amendments to their state's child support guidelines before drafting a new settlement agreement. They would log into WESTLAW to quickly locate the current version of the statute, including any recent legislative changes or judicial interpretations that might affect the calculation.

  This shows how WESTLAW is used for practical, day-to-day legal tasks, ensuring that legal documents and advice are based on the most up-to-date statutory and regulatory information.