Westlaw New Zealand - How to research a case by topic using natural language 

Natural language searching allows you to search by asking a question or typing in a sentence that describes the information you are looking for.

Conduct a search using natural language by following these steps: 

  1. Type the legal issue you are researching into the global search bar, e.g., Copyright infringement involving musical works, and click search.
  1. In the overview summary page, results display the case law where keywords are found in the judgment, and West Key Number Classifications related to similar points of law. 
  2. Select Cases on the left-hand side to view all relevant cases.
  1. If there are too many results, you can narrow them down by:  
  1. Editing your search – reword your natural language search in the global search bar. 
  2. Searching within results – search within your results for cases containing an additional term or phrase, e.g., "intellectual property". 
  3. Filtering – filter results by a specific aspect, e.g., jurisdiction or date. 
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What is a Client ID?

The Client ID is used to record billable time against a client or matter. The Client ID is recorded in your History tab within Westlaw. Enter a client name, research topic or a matter number and click the Start new session button to get started with your research.

Update: The Client ID prompt has now been removed for IP access.

How to login with OnePass on Westlaw UK?

Using the Westlaw UK sign in page, please enter in your Username and Password and click Sign in. If you have forgotten your OnePass login credentials, please click either Forgot username? or Forgot password? and follow the prompts to reset your details.

Westlaw UK OnePass Sign in page

If your organisation is set up with IP access and you access https://uk.westlaw.com within the recognised IP network, you will be let into the platform without needing to log in. To login with OnePass please follow our tip sheet here.

What’s the timeout limit for Practical Law and Westlaw UK?

6 hours.

What will happen to my “old” Westlaw UK alerts?

During the period of parallel access (September to December) users will continue to receive alerts from current Westlaw UK. When the period of parallel access ends the alerts will be deleted on the closed platform. Users will need to ensure they recreate their alerts on the new Westlaw UK if they wish to continue to receive them.

What will happen to my existing Westlaw UK alerts?

As the new Westlaw UK service has an improved search and alerts engine, users will need to set up their alerts on the new service. This will ensure users are alerting on the most up to date, relevant content and can make use of the new features on the service. We will not be turning off old alerts until users are happy with the alerts on the new platform.

What will happen to my deep links to Westlaw UK content?

Westlaw UK will be moving to a new platform at the end of 2019. As new features and enhancements are launched on the new platform we expect our users to make new Westlaw UK their service of choice. All users will have a period of dual access when they can use both sites. During this dual running period, users will be able to create deep links to the new Westlaw UK to replace existing links they may have created on their intranet or in documents. This approach allows users to manage how and when they link to the new service. The new service makes it easier to get to certain content types and other content has been improved and restructured. We also know that users have some very old links in outdated formats and links to content that is no longer available. Therefore, a user led approach allows everyone to ensure links to the new service achieve the goal the user originally intended.

Is there a download limit for books?

The document delivery limit is currently 500, pending review. However, customers are reminded that they cannot download more than one or two chapters at a time or risk being in breach of their terms of service. We monitor for excessive usage and accounts can be suspended if this is detected.

Is it possible to deep link to parts of a book, such as a particular paragraph or the forms in the White Book?

We have released a page-level link builder. This works in the same way as the previous site, in that you will be able to generate a link to a given web page. You will not be able to generate a link that then also takes you to a particular paragraph within that webpage.

Where are Westlaw UK Books?

Westlaw UK Books can be accessed from the product dropdown in the top left-hand corner. There are also links to books from cases, legislation and Practical Law content. The new books service delivers a considerably enhanced experience, tailored for commentary content.

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