The best thing about using Fastcase for online legal research is that it's absolutely free to ISBA members. But another part of its appeal is its intuitive search engine. Unlike some of its competitors, Fastcase uses search technology that's familiar to just about anyone who Googles (or Yahoos, altavistas, Dogpiles, etc.)

But just to make it easier, Fastcase offers a tutorial on its Web site that guides you through the search process and describes some of its powerful features. To view it, visit fastcase.com and select “Interactive Demo” from the navigation bar.

Among other things, the tutorial introduces you to the three principal ways to search Fastcase – by using natural language, Boolean phrases (e.g., “jurisdiction” AND “standard of review”), and citation lookup – and shows you where to find pointers for each type of search.

It also shows how easy it is to search multiple juris--dictions simultaneously, then sort the results by jurisdiction after they're returned. It notes that you can save a particular search to your Web browser's “favorites” and return to it later. It describes how to get “live chat” online help. And it explains how to print and save search results in Word, rich text, and Acrobat formats.

Of course, the best way to learn about Fastcase is to roll up your sleeves and start searching – because it's free, there's no penalty for experimenting and no expensive learning curve. Sign in today at www.isba.org.