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LAW LIBRARY RESOURCES: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT WESTLAW

Where can I find WESTLAW?

WESTLAW is available on the Web at http://lawschool.westlaw.com/. You can use the web version both here at school and at home.
 

What should I do if I forget my WESTLAW password?

You can obtain your WESTLAW password from the WESTLAW student representative in room 321 during office hours, or from a reference librarian. You will be asked for identification. 

A personalized username and password is now available for WESTLAW.  You can make up your own username and password to be something that means something to you and will be something you can remember instead of a collection of numbers and letters. If you remember your security question and the answer you can contact WESTLAW via phone at 1-800-WESTLAW to get your password.

What printer should I print to?

There is a Westlaw dedicated printer for student printing. The printer is located in room 322 in the Law Library. You can print to it from wherever you do your research, even if you live off campus. Be sure to pick up those print jobs.

Please Note: Printing to the Westlaw dedicated printer is free of charge. The toner and paper is paid for by Westlaw, not the Law School.

How do I tell which attached printer my printouts are going to?

Your default for Westlaw should be the dedicated printer in Room 322.  If, however, that printer is not working or if you are at home, you should print to the attached printer.  To determine which attached printer your printout is being sent to, follow these steps:
  1. Go to Start -> Settings -> Printers
  2. Right click on each printer name. The default printer will have a check mark next to "Set As Default" on the right click menu.
Depending on the method you choose to print (i.e., File -> Print or browser's Print icon or Ctrl-P), the program may ask you which printer you want to print to.

Also, while print jobs are being prepared/spooled, the printer icon should appear in the lower, right-hand corner of the screen, next to the clock. Double-clicking on that printer icon will bring up the attached printer that you currently have print jobs in.

The name of each attached printer is taped to the top of the printer.

How do I print to WESTLAW's dedicated printer?

This is the preferred method of printing from WESTLAW.

There is a WESTLAW dedicated printer for student printing which is located in Room 322 in the Law Library.  You can print to it from wherever you do your research, even if you live off-campus.  Please be sure to pick up those print jobs.  The printer will allow you to print on both sides of the page and you can configure it to print the full width of the page or in columns (book style).

To print to the WESTLAW dedicated printer, look in the left hand side of the split screen/left frame and right above the list of citations there will be a box labeled "Print: All Options" with a pull down menu.  Click on "Current Document" in order to print the document which is in the center frame.  If you'd like to print other documents or just the cite list please make your selection from the same pull down menu.  Clicking on "Current Document" will bring you to the screen to set up your current document print options.  This will show your default options.  You can change those options or you can just select different options for this print job.

Click on  "Standalone Printer" or select it from the pull down menu. On this same page you can also select how the printout should be formatted under Duplex Mode (double-sided printing).  You may select "none" which will print only on one side of the paper; "left-edge binding" (notebook style); or "top-edge binding" (legal pad style).  You can also select the delivery format which will allow you to customize whether you'd like your printout to be full width or composed/book style (double columns).

Once you have the options the way you want then click on "continue" and the print job will be gathered and sent to the printer.

How can I find out about WESTLAW training or contact the WESTLAW representative or student representative?

The lawschool.westlaw.com support page has information about optional WESTLAW training sessions. "Click here" under Training and select Northeastern University from the list. Notice of optional classes may also be given by signs, or e-mail. Mandatory training for first year students is scheduled through Legal Practice.

The lawschool.westlaw.com support page also links to an NUSL information page, which identifies the WESTLAW student representative for the quarter and our WESTLAW academic account manager. "Click here" under Your School's Resources and select Northeastern University from the list. You can e-mail the WESTLAW academic account manager directly from this page. The WESTLAW student representative, a 2nd or 3rd year NUSL student hired by WESTLAW to assist you, has office hours in Room 321 or 322 in the library. The student representative's hours are posted on the door of Room 321.

What is the number for WESTLAW customer service?

WESTLAW has two customer service numbers. Call 1-800-WESTLAW for technical assistance. Call 1-800-REFATTY for research assistance. There is also a WESTLAW reference attorney hotline phone in Room 321.

Is there a text-only version of WESTLAW?

WESTLAW has a text-only version that is available at http://text.westlaw.com/  This is a link to the commercial version of WESTLAW and you must enter in a client identifier to get access to WESTLAW.  A client identifier can be anything such as the letter X or your last name or the project that you are working on.
 

Last Updated - February 1, 2006
Northeastern University School of Law, 400 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115