In order to have access to Westlaw and Lexis during the summer take a minute and extend your passwords.  If you neglect to do this your access will be limited to 2 hours a month during June and July.

For Westlaw summer access click here.  There are separate links for current and graduating students.  Current students are restricted to the following uses:

• Summer law school classes
• Law review or law journal work
• Project for a professor
• Moot court
• Unpaid, nonprofit public interest internship/externship pro bono work required for graduation.

Passwords may NOT be used for research for law firms, government agencies, corporations or other purposes unrelated to law school coursework.

Graduating students’ passwords expire on May 31, 2011 but can be extended for bar preparation.   If you extend your password you will receive 10 hours of Westlaw access during the summer – 5 hours in June and another 5 hours in July. Note that password extension in no way alters the WestlawRewards membership agreement. WestlawRewards points expire 30 days after graduation.

For Lexis summer access click here. Lexis’s terms of use are much less restrictive than Westlaw’s. Current and graduating students are restricted to the following uses:

• Class preparation and assignments
• Research associated with moot court or law review / law journal
• Research associated with pursuing a grant or scholarship
• Service as a research assistant to a professor (either paid or unpaid)
• An unpaid internship / externship or clinic position for school credit
• Bar review
• Clerkship for credit
• Research skill improvement for educational (non-commercial) purposes.

Additionally, Lexis has the ASPIRE program again this year.  The ASPIRE program enables students and graduates pursuing public interest work to benefit from free access to LexisNexis tools and services.  Eligibility:

• All students and graduates (including December 2010 graduates) who pursue verifiable public interest work
• Deferred fall associates pursuing public interest
• 2011 graduates pursuing public interest work while searching for employment
•  2011 graduates who pursue public interest work as a continuing profession.

The registration form is available here,  and more information is available here.

One last thing–the Law Library website has a number of research guides that you might find helpful, especially the guide to Free and Low Cost Resources for Legal Research. Remember that the reference librarians are here all summer long and that you can always call the reference desk at 914-422-4208, or email your reference questions to us at reference@law.pace.edu.