You can control the databases searched on either one. It can be narrow or large.
Most of the information on Lexis or Westlaw is available free, easily assessable.
Some information on Lexis or Westlaw is free. Agreed. But most? No. Particularly if that information is legal in nature. For example, if you can point me to up-to-date, free Matthew Bender materials on the Internet, I'm all ears.
I believe they are both total ripoffs.
Unquestionably.
BTW, I do hours of legal research every day.
If I were the client, I would question the quality.
No you can control the database from narrow to very narrow. The information that they search is a fly speck compared to the information Google searches.
Some information on Lexis or Westlaw is free. Agreed. But most? No. Particularly if that information is legal in nature.
Lexis and westlaw have primarily legal cases and statutes. All legal cases and all statutes are available free on the Internet and are easily accessable. Google is often actually faster. For example, all I have to do to pull up Minnesota Statute 609.25 in Google is search MN 609.25. The statute is the top entry. Both Lexis and Westlaw have more steps to get the statute.
For example, if you can point me to up-to-date, free Matthew Bender materials on the Internet, I'm all ears.
Matthew Bender? I haven't seen one of their books since law school. I guess some states use their forms, but forms are easily found on Google, free of charge.
If I really wanted to have a legal research engine, that I had to pay for, I think I would use Thelaw.net, accurate and way cheaper than Lexis and Westlaw. As for me, Lexis is provided by my employer so I use it. I previously had Westlaw and I used that. I still find about half my useful legal information with Google.