Statute Annotations in Westlaw®

Many lawyers prefer to start their research with statutes rather than cases. West attorney-editors make this easier by adding special features that help you locate the right statute, see its legislative history, understand it in perspective, and link to cases that interpret it.

Annotations speed your research and add insight. According to independent estimates, West has 90 percent more annotations than other online legal research services.

The table of contents helps you find statutes without citations.
Because you typically won't have an exact statute citation to use as a starting point, the tables of contents on Westlaw can play an essential role in accelerating your research. All you need to know is the subject matter; the table of contents quickly leads you to the important statutes for that subject. Browse it as you would any book's table and quickly find the statute you need.

Notes of decisions list the cases that interpret your statute.
Once you've found your statute, West's exclusive notes of decisions will provide you with a brief summary of the important cases that interpret your statute and links to the full text for each case. Notes of decisions make it seamless to work back and forth between case law and statutory law, so you can gain a full understanding of the legal underpinnings of your issue.

Historical notes show how your statute evolved.
Statutes are never created in a vacuum. Westlaw's historical and statutory notes quickly show you the evolution of its construction and application. See the effective dates, language from session law and legislative history.

Cross references provide instant links to more resources.
Cross references and library references lead you to key numbers, law reviews, treatises, and even pertinent forms on Westlaw.

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