F you Westlaw and Lexis

Dumb.

I felt like I was limited in my options. I know I can go to the law library and look things up the old fashioned way. In fact, my first year of law school, I decided that I was only going to use books to research topics of law. My second year, that quickly changed, and I do believe I never set foot in the "no talking" part of the library again (except once, when I needed to look up some legislative history from 1950-something, but that was on the shelves just inside the glass doors).

Instead of actual books, I've since used the wonder that is the internet. There are limitations however, and for school and work I used Lexis (an on-line database) to research case law. The (free) internet is still the best for actual law (esp. the IRC), and nothing beats actual paper books to view state and local law.

So, I have felt at a distinct disadvantage in my research abilities since graduating from law school, as Lexis and Westlaw are both extremely expensive and you all know my financial situation.

Now, YEAY, I've found that through my local bar association, I have a search engine at my disposal for free. I say free, though it is paid for by my bar dues. Nice stuff. And aren't I silly for not having noticed it earlier? It is about time my head comes out of my arse.

And I found out earlier this week that my malpractice insurance is almost TWICE as much as a doctor has to pay. WTF?