Summer 2024 and Post-Graduation Use of Lexis, Westlaw, Bloomberg Law

The Law Library provides you with unlimited access to a number of premium resources while you are in school and even after you graduate. But it’s important for you to know that your access may change during the summer or if you graduate. You may face limitations while using these platforms for non-academic work, such as representing clients in a commercial law firm.

Summary of Legal Research Platform Access

ServiceSummer AccessPost-Graduation AccessImportant Notes
Bloomberg LawUnrestricted access (academic or commercial use).6 months after graduation.
Lexis Unrestricted access (academic or commercial use).6 months after graduation. Can apply for 12 months of access if working at a non-profit 503(c)(3).
Westlaw Access for select academic use (see full info below).6 months after graduation (60 hours per month).Job searching tools on Westlaw and TWEN will remain open for 18 months.

More Details on Legal Research Platforms

Lexis

Summer
Lexis’ Terms & Conditions automatically allow you to use the platform during the summer months and after graduation:

Students should check with their employers. Some employers would rather students use their internal IDs rather than their law school IDs for billing purposes.

After Graduation
Once you graduate, you’ll automatically receive access for 6 months through the graduate access program.  If you’re working in the non-profit sector (at a 501(c)(3) corporation), you can apply for 12 months of access through their ASPIRE Program.  More information is available here: https://www.lexisnexis.com/grad-access/. Graduates may use their Lexis IDs for commercial purposes.

Summer
Westlaw automatically allows students to use the platform during the summer and after graduation, but they contain a specific limitation on usage:

Westlaw

Private internships, unconnected from school credit, are ineligible and you may not bill private clients for this access or research. However, you are encouraged to use Thomson Reuters tools to prepare for the bar exam or otherwise learn the law. Students may use their accounts for academic work, research assistant assignments, job searching, and other non-commercial uses.

After Graduation
Westlaw’s Grad Elite Program provides up to sixty hours of unpaid, non-commercial usage of Westlaw per month for an additional six months from the date of graduation. Please note that you may not use Westlaw for private internships, work unconnected from school credit as well as billing private clients. Additionally, you will maintain access to job-searching tools on Westlaw and TWEN for 18 months. Graduating students can register for Westlaw’s Graduate Elite Program here.

Here are the steps to enroll in the Westlaw Graduate Elite Program if the link above does not work:

  1. Sign on at www.lawschool.tr.com
  2. Click on your name (top right corner)
  3. Click “Grad Elite Status”
  4. Click “Extend My Access After Graduation”

Bloomberg Law

Summer
Bloomberg Law provides unrestricted summer access to all law students for any research purpose, whether academic or commercial.  You do not need to take any additional steps to secure summer access to your registered Bloomberg Law account.

After Graduation
Bloomberg Law automatically extends your account for six months after you graduate and you still have access to their online training materials and practice resources. Graduates may be limited in docket retrieval for items not yet uploaded into the Bloomberg system, although they may download items already present in the system. More information can be found here:
https://help.bloomberglaw.com/docs/blh-110-law-school.html.