KeyCite
The most complete, accurate, up-to-the-minute citation service available
Instantly verify whether your case, statute, administrative decision, or regulation is good law, and get citing references
KeyCite combines the West 125-year tradition of editorial excellence with our leading-edge technology to bring you the most current content.
- Trace the history of a case, statute, administrative decision, or regulation to determine if it is good law
- Retrieve all citing cases, statutes, proposed legislation, administrative decisions, and analytical sources related to your case
- Identify weaknesses in your opponent's case with Table of Authorities precision
- Receive instant notification of changes in the law with [KeyCite Alert]
- Get a pictorial view of the direct history of a case with [Graphical KeyCite]
Current, accurate, and fast
- The most current and accurate citator available
- West attorney-editors subject every case to rigorous, and fast, analysis you'll find a case's direct history within four hours of our receiving it, and overruled cases within 24 hours
- With more than 1,500 direct history phrases, KeyCite uses the exact language of the courts
Visual symbols speed up your work
- KeyCite's red and yellow warning flags tell you at a glance whether your document has negative history
- Depth-of-treatment stars help you focus on the most important citing references
Integrated with Westlaw and the West Key Number System
- Test after test shows that the West Key Number System is the most precise and accurate tool for finding on-point law
- Integrated with up-to-the-minute coverage of cases, state statutes, USCA, regulations, more citing references, and comprehensive analytical sources
More complete
- All federal and state cases in the West's National Reporter System
- More than 1 million unpublished decisions
- Full coverage of the USCA
- Pending legislation
- Statutes from all 50 states
- The complete Code of Federal Regulations
- More than 700 law reviews
- Administrative and IRS decisions
About search terms
On other systems, if you don’t phrase your query using the same words as the authoring judge, you won’t retrieve relevant cases. For example, you use "renter" and the judge uses "tenant." Terms vary from judge to judge and you aren’t able to find what you need.
With Westlaw, this can’t happen. In both the headnotes and the case synopses, West attorney-editors insert synonyms, antonyms, expanded legal meanings, terms of art, general terms, and other terms you're likely to use so your query delivers what you need.
Take a closer look
KeyCite Symbols »
These symbols show you the status of a case or a statute at a glance.