Why should you use Shepard's or KeyCite on a relevant case?

Using Shepard's or KeyCite on a relevant case is primarily important to confirm that the case remains good law and to find additional cases that cite it. These tools serve as citation guides that provide crucial information about the status of legal precedents. Specifically, they track the history and treatment of cases over time, indicating whether a case has been affirmed, reversed, or questioned by subsequent decisions.

Confirming that a case is still considered valid is essential for legal research, as using a case that has been overturned or negatively treated could undermine the credibility of legal arguments or positions. Additionally, these tools facilitate the discovery of other relevant cases that cite the original decision, which can provide a broader context and help identify trends in the law, making them valuable resources in building robust legal arguments or understanding legal principles more thoroughly.

Obtaining journal articles, checking for citations, and summarizing the case are useful activities in legal research but do not directly address the primary utility of Shepard's or KeyCite, which is to ensure a case's legal standing and locate relevant materials that cite or discuss it further.