ALR delivers what no other resource can: an objective, in-depth, analysis of your specific legal issue, together with a complete list of every case – in every jurisdiction – that discusses it.
With thousands of attorney-authored articles covering the entire breadth of U.S. law, ALR saves you hours of time by taking you deeper on a topic, faster. Westlaw makes it easy to find the exact ALR article you need – then links you to every other on-point resource. No wonder this legendary series has been cited by more courts than any other secondary resource.
Use ALR to:
- Quickly get up to speed in an unfamiliar area of law – every article delivers an impartial, in-depth analysis of your specific legal issue
- Locate all relevant caselaw in one easy search: at the end of every ALR article, you'll find an exhaustive, comprehensive list of cases that discuss the topic; cases are organized by state, so you can pinpoint local authority fast
- Answer and advise with confidence – no matter how narrow or unusual the issue, you can tap into the best thinking on the topic, then read the important cases
- Determine which cases are controlling and understand why
Complete coverage:
Westlaw has the complete ALR series online. That's all six series, both Federal series, the ALR Digest, and the new ALR Index:
- ALR 1st
- 13,000+ unsuperseded annotations (2,000+ superseded)
- 175 volumes
- ALR Digest
- Summary of all unsuperseded annotations from all series
- Released annually
- Includes West Key Numbers
- ALR Index
- Recently created in response to customer and field sales requests
- The revised ALR Index will be available on Westlaw in October, including more than 40,000 entries to the ALR 1st series.
Four ways to find what you need fast
Despite the depth and breadth of coverage, Westlaw makes it easy to locate the right
ALR article.
- Type your legal issue in plain English and the powerful Westlaw research engine delivers the right article instantly
- You can also zero in on the right content via ResultsPlus, an exclusive Westlaw timesaver that suggests relevant ALR articles based on your original search terms
- The ALR Digest is synched to the West Key Number System, so if you have a Key Number, you can find the companion ALR article – and vice versa.
- The ALR Index, released in 2008, indexes every annotation for easy location and cross-referencing.
Written by capable attorneys
Every article is a complete research brief that summarizes all caselaw relevant to a specific legal point. Articles analyze distinctions among cases to give an objective analysis of both sides of an issue. Plus, the authors add such helpful features as prefatory statements, detailed outlines, practice pointers, and cautions.
And connect to all related content – confident you've missed nothing
Because Westlaw integrates all its content, a single
ALR article links you to other content that pertains to your specific point of law, such as:
- Cases, statutes, rules, and regulations
- KeyCite references so you can see the status of the cited law – is it still good?
- Other on-point analysis, including references to Am Jur, digests, treatises, law reviews, and more
- Such legal documents as briefs, pleadings, and motions, that were submitted in cited cases
With ALR on Westlaw, you can literally start anywhere in the research stream to line up every on-point resource. Fast, in-depth, and thorough.
Take a Closer Look
See a demo »
Watch this brief video to discover why some users refer to ALR as "Already done Legal Research."
Product Support
Online Training for ALR users »
To learn more about ALR and how it can be used to expand your research, simply sign on to the West eLearning Center and search "ALR."
ALR E-Annos »
Here's a handy list of ALR electronic annotations, sorted by topic. All of these annotations originated online. Some have been, or will soon be, published in ALR bound volumes.
ALR Critical Issues Guides »
ALR Critical Issues guides are free annotation tools that you can use to speed your legal research. Guides are available for products liability, consumer credit, drunk driving, and other popular legal topics.
ALR Alerts »
ALR subscribers automatically receive the ALR Alert newsletter, where they can read up on the most recent ALR annotations and get a sneak peek at upcoming topics. Each newsletter describes the highlights of current and upcoming volumes and includes a topical index of new annotations.
Email the editors »
What new topic areas would you like to see in ALR? How can we make ALR more useful for you? The ALR editorial staff welcomes your feedback.