How have computers simplified and improved the ability of paralegals to do high-quality legal research?

Computers and online databases have simplified and improved the ability of paralegals to do high- quality legal research. One of the great benefits of computer technology for legal practitioners is computer-assisted legal research. Thorough and up-to-date legal research requires access to a huge volume of source materials, including state and federal court decisions and statutory law. Today, attorneys and paralegals can access most of these materials online. An obvious advantage of online research is that you can locate, download, and print out court cases, statutory provisions, and other legal documents within minutes without leaving your desk. Another advantage is that new case decisions and changes in statutory law are entered almost immediately into certain online legal databases, especially Westlaw and Lexis. This means that you can find out quickly whether a case decided three months ago is still "good law" today. Internet resources are always changing, but the basic principles of online research will remain applicable.