Logging On to Your Account:
Q. How do I access the premium content of the LitWatch service?
A. LitWatch is a subscription-based service.
You must be a subscriber to access the premium content of the www.LitWatch.com website.
We have a range of subscription plans to meet the needs of individuals and businesses.
For more information about subscribing, please visit our subscriptions page.
All use is subject to our terms of use page.
Q. How do I logon to my LitWatch account?
A. Each authorized user is assigned a unique User Name and Password.
To logon to your account, enter your user name and password in the "Sign In" area on the left hand side of the LitWatch home page (www.LitWatch.com) or when that information is requested.
Q. How do I change my LitWatch user name or password?
A. Changing and protecting your password is crucial to avoiding misuse of your account.
To change your password, logon to your account and click on the "change password" link on the menu list appearing on the left side of the internal home web page. You will be asked to enter your current password and to enter and confirm your new password.
To change your user name, contact LitWatch customer support by e-mail or by telephone at 703.683.1224.
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LitWatch Subscription Plans:
Q. What are the different subscription plans?
A. LitWatch has plans designed for individuals for a flat rate, which depends on whether you want real-time access or cheaper, delayed access. LitWatch's sales team can also develop a custom plan for firms with multiple users. For more details, please see our subscriptions page or contact our sales department by e-mail or by telephone at 703.683.1224.
Q. Do subscription plans include access to LitNews stories and LitBase documents?
A. Yes, all subscription plans include access to LitNews stories and LitBase litigation documents.
For flat rate plans, each month, subscribers receive a specified number of document and story retrievals or downloads, with the number depending upon the level of your subscription plan.
No credits are charged when conducting a search for a news story or document.
Rather, download credits are only used upon retrieval, i.e., when viewing a LitNews story or downloading a LitBase document.
A. Visit our trial request page to obtain a free sample of LitWatch, subject to our standard terms of use and subscription terms.
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Types of Stories and Documents LitWatch Covers:
Q. What types of cases does LitWatch report on?
A. LitWatch is a litigation news service. We report on significant business cases, mostly civil litigation. Many involve publicly traded corporations. We occasionally cover criminal cases when the offenses relate to business misconduct. We also cover certain cases that may have "entertainment" value to our subscribers.
Q. How does LitWatch decide which cases to cover?
A. As a news organization, we exercise our editorial judgment to identify matters that are commercially or legally significant. Our coverage focuses on cases that are of greatest interest to LitWatch subscribers, which include attorneys and law firms, in-house lawyers at major businesses, and members of the financial/investor community. If you are interested in customized or deeper coverage, we also offer consulting services. Contact our Sales Department for details.
Q. How does LitWatch decide what litigation documents to make available in connection with a LitNews story?
A. We make every effort to include the significant documents associated with the events described in our LitNews stories.
We also try to obtain the documents as soon as possible, although that often depends on how quickly our sources respond.
Our editors often obtain documents directly from the parties or their counsel, allowing us to obtain documents faster than traditional means.
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How LitWatch is Unique:
Q. How is LitWatch unique?
A. LitWatch is the only realtime litigation news service.
LitWatch is fast, accurate, and expert.
LitWatch also provides access to actual litigation documents. LitWatch's LitMail™ email alerts notify busy subscribers so you get the full benefit of LitWatch without constant attention.
Enterprise subscribers can also pass the cost of LitWatch through to clients.
Q. How does LitWatch differ from FindLaw?
A. LitWatch is a news service that provides original content in the form of LitNews stories and copies of actual litigation documents.
LitWatch is fast and accurate, with expert analysis.
LitWatch conducts its own research and investigation of significant litigation developments, in many cases interviewing counsel.
In addition, LitWatch focuses on the matters that are of greatest interest and importance to the business community.
Q. How does LitWatch differ from Pacer?
A. Pacer is an interface to certain federal courts that make some information available electronically via the Internet.
For the most part, only "docket" information is available through Pacer, not the substance or content of the documents in the court files.
LitWatch regularly covers the leading state and federal courts where important commercial litigation is most likely to be filed, regardless of whether such courts are accessible electronically.
LitWatch actually analyzes and organizes the information, writing original stories and attaching the important litigation documents.
LitWatch also tends to be much faster.
Q. How does LitWatch differ from Pacer repackagers?
A. Many court-related information providers simply provide an interface to Pacer and other electronic links to some state and federal courts that provide electronic access to court records.
They do not provide original stories or content, nor are they selective -- just search for important stories about GE or Ford, for example.
In addition, expensive and slow "fetching" services are typically used to obtain litigation documents.
LitWatch is faster, contains original, edited content, and includes expert analysis -- it's also cheaper.
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LitWatch's Services and Features:
Q. What are the services that LitWatch provides?
A. The primary services that make up LitWatch include LitNews - original stories and headlines about breaking litigation developments; LitBase - actual litigation documents including complaints, answers, briefs, motion and decisions; and, LitMail - daily LitNews headlines summaries and email alerts of breaking developments meeting a subscriber's individual criteria.
In addition, subscribers have access to LitWatch's extensive archive of more than 26,000 LitNews stories and over 15,000 LitBase documents. For more information, please visit our LitWatch features page.
Q. Are all services available under each of the subscription plans?
A. For the most part, yes. However, depending on your level of subscription plan, access to stories, documents and email alerts may be delayed by four or more hours.
Enterprise plans also include special features for multiple users, like client billing and self-administration features.
All plans are subject to our subscription terms and terms of use.
Q. How is access to LitNews stories and LitBase documents delayed?
A. Depending on your level of subscription plan, your access to LitNews stories and headlines and LitBase documents may be delayed. LitMail e-mail alerts triggered by matches in your portfolio will also be delayed in accordance with your subscription.
For those looking to react quickly to breaking litigation events, LitWatch offers both individual and enterprise real-time access plans.
Q. What does the trademark "LitSEC" on a LitWatch document mean?
A. LitSEC™ is a LitBase document relating to the SEC or a form filed with the SEC by a company. The "SEC" refers, of course, to the US Securities & Exchange Commission. LitWatch typically extracts litigation information we believe is timely and significant from filings by companies with the SEC, such as the Form 10-Q and 10-K, which have special sections devoted to legal proceedings. Although the Company's information is typically quoted verbatim by LitSEC, with our highlights added to assist the reader, we may publish only a part of the company's filing, e.g., if other parts appear stale or less material.
Q. What does the trademark name "LitAnalyst" on part of a LitWatch story mean?
A. LitAnalyst™ (a red "LA" next to the story headline) denotes the portion of a LitNews story containing our in-depth analysis, opinions, interpretations, and explanations of the implications of litigation events, beyond the basic news coverage in our LitNews story and the LitBase litigation documents.
Q. What are AdminWatch™, LitBrief™, LitDocket™, LitPass™, LitEdgar™, LitPR™, LitFiling™, and LitReport™?
A. These are other LitWatch-related products and services introduced as part of LitWatch's efforts to expand both the scope and depth of its coverage. Contact LitWatch sales for more information.
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Using the LitWatch Service:
Q. How do I access LitNews stories and LitBase documents?
A. To access LitNews stories and LitBase documents, you will need to login to your account.
Once you have logged in, you will be presented with several options including accessing LitNews headlines and LitBase document descriptions.
Simply click on the applicable icon/button.
In addition, once logged into your account, you may also access any of the LitWatch services and features by clicking on the desired feature as listed along the left margin of each of the subscriber web pages.
Q. What is the best way to use LitWatch to keep abreast of current litigation developments?
A. LitWatch tracks breaking litigation developments, presenting the most recent stories in reverse chronological order.
Subscribers who have established their personal "portfolios," will receive email alerts when stories meeting their portfolio criteria are published. (Email alerts are delayed in accordance with your subscription terms.)
Subscribers may view recent headlines and stories at LitWatch.com by logging into their accounts and clicking on the "Recent headlines" link under "LitNews" in the menu on the left hand side of each account web page.
Subscribers may also receive daily email LitNews headlines summaries.
Each summary email (delivered on every business day) includes the LitNews headlines for litigation developments covered by LitWatch in the previous 24-hours.
Q. How can I tell if there is a LitBase document available in connection with a particular LitNews story?
A. When you view a headline for a LitNews story, stories with documents available will have the "LB" symbol at the end of the headline.
In addition, when you view a LitNews story, any related LitBase documents will be listed.
Remember that LitBase documents are added as we obtain them, so documents are sometimes attached to stories hours or days later -- we're sometimes at the mercy of court clerks.
Q. How do I set up my portfolio so that I can receive intra-day email alerts and filter stories online?
A. To obtain the full benefits of LitWatch, you should establish your individual portfolio. Depending on your subscription plan, this will allow you to receive email alerts throughout the day whenever a story fitting your portfolio criteria is published or to receive the Custom Morning Notes summary e-mail. To set up your Portfolio, log in to your account and click on the "Configure Portfolio" option/link, which appears along the left hand side of each account web page.
Depending on your subscription plan, you may be able to establish portfolio settings for both intraday alerts and the Custom Morning Notes. First, enter the keywords and ticker symbols and select the industries and categories of interest. To include everything, click the “Include all news events” checkbox at the top.
Next, select the alert types. These allow you to further narrow your search by including certain types of events matching the criteria you set above. Click on the links on the page for a detailed description of each. To receive all coverage matching your criteria, check all of these boxes.
Finally, scroll down the page and click the "Save" button.
Q. How do I find a LitNews story about a specific case?
A. Depending on your subscription plan, you may have access to LitWatch's fully searchable archive of LitNews stories.
To search for a LitNews story about a particular case, click on the "LitNews Search" link (after logging into your account) that appears in the menu on the left hand side of each account web page.
Enter the names of a party or other keyword in the search box.
If you know the approximate date of the story (or underlying litigation development), you may also narrow your search by date.
When you click on "Search," a list of LitNews headlines for stories meeting your search criteria will appear.
To view a LitNews story, click on the headline.
Q. How do I find a LitBase document associated with a specific case?
A. All subscribers have access to LitWatch's fully searchable archive of LitBase litigation documents.
To search for a LitBase document from a particular case, click on the "LitBase Search" link (after logging into your account) that appears in the menu on the left hand side of each account web page.
Enter keywords in the "search criteria" boxes; check off the portion(s) of the document that you want LitWatch to search; select the type of document that you are searching for; and, if appropriate, enter a "date range." in the search box.
When you click on "Search," a list of LitBase document description documents meeting your search criteria will appear.
To view/download a LitBase document, click on the document description.
Q. How do I find decisions written by a particular judge?
A. To find decisions authored by a particular judge, use the LitBase search and the LitNews search features (see the previous two FAQs), entering the judge's name as the search criteria.
Q. How do I find documents authored by a particular attorney/law firm?
A. To find documents authored by an attorney (or law firm), use the LitBase search feature (see above), entering the attorney's name as the search criteria.
We obtain attorney names from the documents and other sources we use. Because practices of some courts and law firms vary, sometimes these do not include all attorneys who worked on the matter and some names may be misspelled.
Q. How do I research significant litigation affecting a particular industry?
A. To view headlines from LitNews stories about litigation developments affecting a particular industry, click on the "View by industry" link (after logging into your account) that appears in the menu on the left hand side of each account web page under "LitNews."
Check off the industry that you want to search and click on the "Search" button at the bottom of the page.
The twenty-five most recent LitNews headlines for stories about litigation developments for that industry will appear.
Q. How do I research significant litigation by type or subject of litigation, i.e., environmental, employment, entertainment, etc.?
A. To view headlines from LitNews stories involving a particular type of litigation, click on the "View by category" link (after logging into your account) that appears in the menu on the left hand side of each account web page under "LitNews."
Check off the category of litigation that you want to search and click on the "Search" button at the bottom of the page.
The twenty-five most recent LitNews headlines for stories about litigation developments involving that litigation category will appear.
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Download Credits and Managing Your Account:
Q. How do my account download credits work?
A. Each flat rate subscription plan includes a specified number of downloads per month, which we track by adding and subtracting credits. Each month you pay your subscription, you add credits. Some plans also may add credits for an additional charge, usually at a discount.
Credits are only used when viewing a LitNews story or downloading a LitBase document.
No credits are charged when undertaking administrative functions or conducting a search for a news story or document.
Credits are required, however, to view stories and documents retrieved by an archive search, located on the recent headlines list, or viewed in response to a LitMail email alert.
Q. How long do I have to use my download credits?
A. For most plans, download credits do not expire and will roll over from month to month.
Q. How do I find out how many download credits my account has at any given time?
A. Once you have logged into your account, this information is available by accessing your "Account" web page.
A link to your account page appears as one of the options when you first login to your account and is also listed along the left side of each account web page.
Q. If I use up all of my monthly credits, can I purchase additional download credits?
A. Most LitWatch subscription plans allow additional download credits to be purchased.
To purchase additional credits, contact LitWatch by e-mail or by telephone at 703.683.1224.
Q. How do I terminate my account?
A. To terminate your LitWatch account, send an e-mail request to Customer Service or call 703.683.1224 or 703.683.1231.
Your account will be terminated as of the next scheduled account renewal date.
LitWatch does not refund subscription fees.
Details about the subscription terms are found at our subscription terms page
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Contacting LitWatch:
Q. How do I contact LitWatch?
A. For all inquiries, you may contact LitWatch by e-mail or by telephone at 703.683.1224 or 703.683.1231.
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