What does Shepardizing help validate in Westlaw?

Shepardizing is a process that specifically pertains to validating the authority and status of legal opinions and cases within a legal research platform like Westlaw. By using Shepard's citation service, legal professionals can ensure that the cases they are relying on have not been overturned, reversed, or otherwise negatively treated in subsequent cases. This meticulous checking is vital for establishing the reliability and current significance of legal precedents.

When a legal opinion is Shepardized, it provides comprehensive information about how courts have addressed that particular opinion since it was decided, offering insights into its continued validity. This contrasts with options like statutes, which are typically static and do not require the same level of ongoing validation as case law. While research is a broader term that encompasses various activities including Shepardizing, the specific action of Shepardizing is focused on the validation of legal opinions. Briefs, being documents prepared for court cases, do not fall under the validation process that Shepardizing provides.

Therefore, Shepardizing is fundamentally about confirming the robustness and authority of legal opinions, making it crucial for effective legal research and ensuring that attorneys base their arguments on currently valid legal precedents.