County officials defend Westlaw subscription as law-library costs rise

Stephenson County officials discussed a notable increase in law-library and online legal-research subscription costs during the Oct. 8 meeting, and the board approved the related budget line as presented.

Circuit Clerk (recorded in the transcript as the Circuit Clerk) reported she had spoken with the sheriff about an ADA grant and had applied for $1,000 for CART real-time translation service; she then noted the law library account showed a significant percentage increase. County attorneys and other officials explained that online legal-research services such as Westlaw had added features (including AI-assisted search) and that Westlaw remains the primary, widely used service for judges, prosecutors and public defenders.

Speakers said the Westlaw contract includes a 5% contractual increase and that the law-library book subscription showed a roughly 9% increase in one line. Officials compared Westlaw to LexisNexis and other services, calling Westlaw the fastest and most comprehensive for the county's needs, though they acknowledged other vendors exist and can be slower or less comprehensive.

The board agreed to keep the subscription in place for the coming year and said the finance committee could continue to examine alternatives if needed. No formal motion to cancel or replace the service was recorded; the board's approval of the related budget line was part of the larger budget votes taken that evening.

Questions about long-term cost trends and contract details were raised; officials said some increases are built into multi-year contracts and that the board would monitor costs going forward.