Robert Ambrogi Blog
Legal research company Fastcase continues to expand the breadth of materials available to subscribers through its platform. Less than a week after announcing the addition of public records data, the company today says a partnership with the American Bar Association will allow paid access to select book titles published by key ABA sections.
Steve Errick, chief operating officer at Fastcase, told me that he is working with the ABA to add publications from different sections one at a time, with family law, health, trial, IP, and criminal law among the first sections in the pipeline. He did not specify the titles to be added but said the arrangement would average 30-60 titles per section.
Subscribers will have access to these titles from directly within the Fastcase 7 platform, but they will be required to purchase the titles to which they want access. Individual titles will be sold at the ABA’s retail price, while firms that purchase multiple or enterprise subscriptions will be eligible for discounts based on number of titles purchased and number of firm users.
Even though individual titles will be priced the same as purchasing them from the ABA, subscribers get two benefits by purchasing them through Fastcase, Errick said. One is ease of access to the titles directly from the platform and the other is the addition within the books of links to cases and regulations.
Fastcase has not yet resolved how to grant access to a firm that has an existing print subscription and wants to get it within Fastcase, Errick said, but he is working with the ABA on creating a pass-through subscription.
The ABA titles will be available for purchase within Fastcase 7 to any subscriber, whether a direct law firm subscriber or a member of a Fastcase partner bar association. Law schools and government organizations will also be able to subscribe to the collection as part of their Fastcase access.