The average person can now use the Internet to research the law as it pertains to their situation. This can save much time and money when it comes to selecting and hiring an attorney.

There are many great legal research websites available on the Internet. Westlaw, of course, is the mother of all legal research websites and is the resource attorneys use most to research and prepare cases. Lexis-Nexis is second to Westlaw but has distinct advantages, the greatest being its Shepardize feature. The Legal Information Institute at Cornell University has a wealth of information and is a great resource for the average person to use to research many areas of law, especially opinions of the United States Supreme Court.

Here are some of the most popular legal research websites on the Internet. It never hurts to know as much about your case as you can. But always remember the benefits of discussing your case with an experienced attorney. Choose a website to begin researching the law:

• All Law.com: http://www.alllaw.com
• Catalaw: http://www.catalaw.com
• Cornell Legal Information Institute: http://www.law.cornell.edu
• European Library: http://www.theeuropeanlibrary.org/
• Georgetown: http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/
• GPO Access: http://www.access.gpo.gov
• Hieros Gamos: http://www.hg.org
• Indiana University Virtual Law Library: http://www.law.indiana.edu/lawlibrary/
• Jurist: http://www.jurist.law.pitt.edu
• Law.com: http://www.law.com
• Lawsource.com: http://www.lawsource.com
• LLRX.com: http://www.llrx.com
• Thomas at Library of Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov
• Virtual Chase: http://www.virtualchase.com

These links are courtesy of AALLNET and can be found on the Internet at http://www.aallnet.org/about/legal_links.asp. Other key law research links:

Westlaw: http://westlaw.com Lexis-Nexis: http://lexis.com Findlaw: http://findlaw.com

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Alabama and Massachusetts are the only two states with punitive wrongful death statutes

In those states, a plaintiff's recovery depends on the degree of the fault of the wrongdoer and not upon the loss suffered either by the relatives or the decedent's estate. All citizens lives are considered to be of equal value in wrongful death cases in those states.

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