Westlaw offers three main pricing options. First, “Plan A” is kind of old school. When you log into Westlaw with Plan A you'll have to choose whether you want your session to be billed hourly or by transaction. If you choose “hourly,” the clock starts the second you log in and it keeps ticking at the same rate regardless of what you do. If you have this option, use it only when you know exactly what you want and you can dive in, grab it, and print it, then get out. If you choose to be billed by transaction, you'll only be charged for the actual searches you conduct. There is no charge for logging in; charges basically begin once you enter a search query and hit “search.”

The second and most common pricing plan is called “Special Plan” (creative, huh?) and it's basically a negotiated flat rate for searches w/in some subset of Westlaw's available databases; each subscriber negotiates which databases are included in their “special” plan. You can do as many searches as you want in databases included in the plan; searches in databases outside the plan cost extra. This is a common arrangement in many firms and government agencies. Talk to your firm/agency librarian to find out exactly what is and is not included in your special plan.

Westlaw's last pricing option is called “Pro Plan.” It's a “mini flat rate” designed for public interest organizations, solos, and really small or boutique firms. You pay a flat rate each month for access to only a couple of sources you know you need. For example, if you're practicing criminal law in Alaska, you'd probably have access to Alaska and maybe 9th Circuit criminal cases, as well as Alaska criminal statutes, and that's it. You'll be shut out of everything else. (I assume you could always have a second login for searching on a transactional basis on your own dime.)

If for some reason you're ever stuck searching on a per-transaction basis, here are some things to keep in mind to keep costs to a minimum:

1. The larger the DB, the more expensive to search. Pick the appropriate size db for your research task.
2. The more specialized the database, the more expensive it is.
3. Use the “directory” to narrow your search (look for the white “directory” link at the top of your screen after you log in). This makes Westlaw a little more like Lexis in that it allows you to choose the most appropriate (and narrow) database for your search.
4. In the Directory, the sources on the right side are more expensive than those on the left.
5. In the Directory, use the “Topical Practice Areas” to narrow your search.
6. Charges begin once you enter a search string and hit “search.”
7. Once you get a list of results they are included in the transaction; you can read through them w/out extra charge.
8. When you want to search, write out the search on piece of paper so you don't waste time and money experimenting w/search terms inside Westlaw.
9. Also, before you search, call 1-800-Westlaw; tell them you want to run search but you're not sure of the results. They will run it for you and tell you how many cases you'll get. If it's a bad search, they will help you craft a better search. This is free!
10. Over time you'll get better at formulating searches, but until that point, don't hesitate to call for every single research assignment you have.
11. If you just know the issue but don't know what kind of search to run, you can also call that number and they will help you formulate your search.
12. Within a search result, “Results Plus” results (in the frame on left side of screen) cost extra.
13. Internal citations w/in cases count as extra transactions. If you just want to click on citations and print them out, use the hourly search.
14. If you accidentally hit “search” before you were finished formulating your search terms, call the number and tell them you messed up and they will credit you.
15. A “transaction” does not depend on the number of hits you get. Make sure your search is not too narrow or too broad. 40-150 might be pretty good number of results.
16. Narrowing in a search: use Locate in Result—does not count as transaction.
17. Use “Field” searching to get a quicker answer. E.g., author, attorney, synopsis digest, etc.
18. The Synopsis Digest field restricts search to summary and headnotes.
19. The Synopsis field restricts to that.
20. “Digest” restricts to headnotes only.
21. Words/Phrases will search for any part of the case that talks about the definition of a term; use for definitions of legal issues related to a word or phrase.
22. Keycite is a transaction; use it only for those cases you absolutely know are going into your brief.
23. Keycite is probably the least expensive transaction on WL.
24. Use “limit keycite display” at the bottom of a keycite results page to narrow results for no extra charge.
25. Research Trail keeps history of your searches; print this trail for every assignment you do to give you a research record for every client/assignment.
26. You can return to those results before 2 a.m. on the next day.

When I started law school and learned about the way Wexis gets law students used to unlimited service and then yanks it away at graduation, I knew it was going to be hard to deal with when the time came. As I think about not being able to just sort of go exploring inside Wexis anymore, I know I'm going to miss that freedom. A lot.