Legal Research’s Historical Tapestry: How the History of the West Publishing Company Impacts Modern Legal Research and Lawyers’ View of the Law

Legal research is complicated. It requires a high level of technical expertise to use today’s legal research platforms. Legal research is so much more. Modern legal research has its roots in the West Company’s digest, key number, and headnote system that was developed over 150 years ago. Today’s law students must learn how West’s history impacts legal research to truly understand how the company and its products have influenced the law. It is the responsibility of the legal academy to teach this history to the next generation of lawyers so that they can engage in the level of reasoning that is required of them.