The Shepard's Citations Service provides a comprehensive case citation and treatment history to verify the validity of case law, statutes, agency opinions, and other legal documents. Only case law is covered in Nexis Uni.
Shepardizing™ is the practice of using the Shepard's Citations Service to validate a citation.
When you Shepardize® a case, Nexis Uni provides a report showing every opinion where that case has been referenced, all treatments of the case, and, most importantly, whether or not the case is "good law." If the case has been overruled, it is considered "bad law" and may no longer be cited as a legal precedent.
Clermont College paralegal students also have access to Lexis Advance. Lexis Advance provides more resources and should be used in place of Nexis Uni once access is granted. If you are a paralegal student and need access, please contact your professor.
1.) Login to Lexis Advance to begin. As a UC Clermont College paralegal student, you should receive an account. Please see your professor if you need assistance. If you do not have access yet, you can Shepardize in much the same way using Nexis Uni.
2.) Locate a legal case. You may search by citation, parties, or topic. You can also browse by jurisdiction.
3.) Once you've located and selected a particular case, you can find the Shepard's Signal on the right side of the screen.
4.) You can view the top citing reference, browse other treatments of the case (positive, negative, and neutral), or click "Shepardize this document" to get a full report.
For more information on Shephardizing or Shephard's Signals, browse the resources below.
