Legal research is a necessary but time-consuming part of practice. Clio Library, available through Clio Work and powered by vLex, addresses this by streamlining the review and analysis of authoritative legal documents. You can access over one billion primary law sources, dockets, and secondary materials from more than 100 countries to find specific legal authorities and manage research efficiently.
Get started with Clio Library
Clio Library provides access to a vast collection of legal and regulatory information. Regardless of your practice area, you can use these resources to streamline legal research, gain a deeper understanding of legal issues, and find relevant documents from more than one hundred countries.
- In the top left corner of Clio Manage, pick Clio Work from the dropdown menu.
- Select Library from the left navigation panel.
Search and browse options
Clio Library offers three distinct ways to find information depending on your research goals and the amount of detail you already have.
- Simple search
- Use the main search bar for broad keyword searches or to find a specific document by its title or citation.
- Browse content
- Use the Browse menu as a structured index. This allows you to navigate by jurisdiction, content type, courts, or categories of law, ideal for exploring an area without a specific keyword.
- Advanced search
- Use specific fields and define parameters for focused, detailed, or complex searches.
Boolean operators and search syntax
When searching Clio Library, you can use Boolean operators and search syntax to make your searches more precise and get the best results possible.
| Operator or syntax | Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a AND b | Finds documents containing both terms. | trust AND deed. |
| a OR b | Finds results with either or both terms. | tenant OR lessee. |
| a AND NOT b | Excludes all results with the second term. | liability AND NOT tort. |
| "Abc" | Finds the exact term or phrase.; | "Wrongful termination" |
| [a b c] | Searches for the words within a proximity of 20 words. | [duty care negligence] |
| [a b c]/N | Customizes the proximity (N = number of words). | [contract employee]/5 |
Understand Clio Library document types
Clio Library supports a wide range of document types and serves as a centralized resource for different forms of legal authorities. Understanding the scope of these documents helps you determine which resource is most appropriate for your research task.
Primary law
- Constitutions: The fundamental laws of a nation or state that establish the framework of government and protect individual rights.
- Statutes: Written laws passed by legislative bodies (like Congress or a state legislature).
- Legislation: A broad category including statutes and acts. In the Library, these include status indicators so you can see if a law is currently in force or has been repealed.
- Regulations: Rules created by executive agencies to carry out and enforce statutes.
- Administrative materials: Decisions, orders, and rulings from regulatory agencies (such as the SSA or EEOC) that interpret and apply specific regulations.
- Rules and guidelines: Procedural rules that govern how courts and agencies operate, such as the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
- Case law: Judicial decisions and court opinions that interpret how laws apply to specific facts. This is often used to find precedents.
- Dockets: Official court records that provide the history of a particular litigation, including filing trends and case progress.
Secondary sources and strategic tools
Secondary sources analyze, explain, or summarize the law. They are used to gain a deeper understanding of complex legal issues.
- Books and Journals: Authoritative guidance and scholarly commentary. You can view the table of contents to quickly navigate to specific legal theories.
- Jury verdicts and Settlements: Records of past trial outcomes and settlement amounts. You can use these to value a case or gauge potential recovery for a client.
- Forms: Standardized legal templates and documents that can be adapted for specific filings or agreements.
- Corporate filings: Official records submitted by businesses to government entities, useful for due diligence or identifying company structures.
- News and Blogs: Current legal news and commentary. You can use SmartTopics to personalize a newsfeed that alerts you to changes in your practice area.
- Practice notes: Practical research guides that provide step-by-step instructions for specific legal tasks.
- Key Number System: A specialized tool used specifically for Canadian case law to help you find related cases based on a unique classification system.
Navigate and filter search results
The results page is organized into three columns: the Left for refining, the Center for documents, and the Right for additional metadata and actions.
Apply filters
Use the left-hand panel to set the boundaries of your research.
- General filters: Narrow by Content type, Jurisdiction, and Date.
- Jurisdiction-specific: These appear dynamically based on the region (e.g., Court, Reported series, and Category).
- Cited authorities filter: See only documents that cite a specific authority. Select Cited Authorities, check the relevant boxes, choose Any or All, and click Apply.
Refine the view
- Search within results: Use the field at the top of the filter panel to add new keywords to your currently filtered set.
- Reorder results: Sort by Most Cited, Most Recent, Relevance, or Most Visited.
- Matching paragraphs: Next to the document preview, click the Show matching paragraphs icon shown below to see exactly how your terms appear in the text.
Sync and search your own documents
You can search across your own files by connecting a cloud storage service (such as Dropbox or Google Drive) to the Clio Library Cloud.
- Integrate: Sync your file hosting service to browse your personal documents within the Library.
- Search filters: Once synced, your documents will appear as a content type in the left-hand filter panel. You can include or exclude them from any search.
Manage and organize research
You can use the following tools in the navigation panel or on the right side of the document to organize your work.- Folders: Organize research by client or matter. Create a + New Folder in the Folders tab, then click the Add to folder icon on any document.
- Share: Send documents via email, social media, or unique Document ID links.
- Reference managers: Export citations to RefWorks or download a .ris file for EndNote. Reference managers are compatible with writing software like Microsoft Word. Be sure to check your writing for style and accuracy when creating references.