One response to the large and rapidly growing number of legal cases with which nonlawyer researchers must deal is computerized legal data retrieval technology. LEXIS, an example of such technology, improves upon traditional research tools in two ways: it increases the speed with which researchers may discover relevant documents and, through its…

Describes the INFOTRAC and LEGALTRAC systems, which provide general and legal bibliographic databases stored on videodisk and accessed by microcomputer. The discussion of the system includes performance of the various hardware components, the assembly process involved, and online searching experiences. (CLB)

Highlights the unique characteristics of NEXIS, a full-text database of newspaper, wire-service, magazine and newsletter stories, and discusses its structure, educational versus commercial rates, the old versus new price structure, and search tips. An addendum describes changes through October 1985 and detailed appendices are included. (Author/EM)