News Post

The Alabama State Bar has offered Fastcase legal research as a benefit to members since 2020. Recently Fastcase merged with international legal research provider vLex. This merger resulted in an enhanced and upgraded legal research platform, which is now being rolled out to Alabama State Bar members starting November 12, 2024.

The combined vLex Fastcase is as committed as ever to democratizing the law and providing the best in legal research. The improved “vLex Fastcase” service will provide free access to extensive primary law collections, including case law, statutes, regulations, and constitutions.

What’s New?

• New Homepage

  Custom news feeds tailored to specific practice areas or jurisdictions. vLex Fastcase allows you to discover new content and information you might not have thought of searching.

• Cert Negative Citator

  A key feature of the upgrade is the new Cert citator, which flags negative treatment and other citing references to a case. Cert offers more extensive coverage and more types of negative treatment than Fastcase’s previous citation service.

• AI Case Analysis

  The new version also includes skills from Vincent AI, vLex’s AI research assistant. Members will have free access to automated headnotes, case summaries, and the ability to find similar legal materials using Vincent.

• Alerts and Saved Documents

  Enter a citation in the search bar and select the document from the suggested list. Filters help narrow searches by jurisdiction and content libraries for relevant results. The interactive outline allows browsing and searching individual sections of statutes, regulations, and practice guides. Tag frequently used documents for quick access later.

• Word and Chrome Integrations

  Seamlessly integrate vLex Fastcase with Microsoft Word and Google Chrome so that it aligns with your drafting and initial research workflows. These integrations provide easy access to vLex Fastcase features directly within your daily tasks.

Sign into Fastcase as you normally would when logging in through your ASB member portal. You will then be given the option to access the upgraded platform, vLex Fastcase, or continue to the existing Fastcase 7 service. All current subscriptions will automatically transition from Fastcase 7 to vLex Fastcase. You will be able to transfer any notes, folders, and favorites to the new platform.

Timeline

November 12, 2024 – Transition/Soft Launch:
On this date, a button will be added to the Fastcase site for users to access vLex.

December 19 – vLex | Fastcase Official Rollout:
ASB members will land on the vLex Fastcase homepage, but there will be an option to return to Fastcase 7 under “Account Settings”.