How do I search specific segments?
In Lexis Advance Pacific, documents of the same type have similar structures and contain certain sections and data elements in common. For example, all case documents contain the case name, citation, judge's name, and so on. These common document sections and data elements are called segments, and using the Advanced Search forms in Lexis Advance Pacific lets you limit your searches to these specific segments. Segment searching is especially useful when you are looking for:
- Opinions written by a specific judge
- Cases involving a specific party
- Cases in which a particular lawyer or firm appeared as counsel
Each Advanced Search form contains fields that correspond to specific segments found in the documents being searched. To use the form, simply enter text in one or more of these fields and click the Search button.
If you prefer to use the standard Search box (located on the Home page, in the global navigation bar, or at the top of each Advanced search form), you can still limit your searches to specific segments by entering (in the Search box) the segment name followed by your search terms in parentheses. For example, the following segment search query can be used to find case documents for which "stone" was one of the judges:
judge(stone)
Which Segments Can Be Searched in Lexis Advance Pacific?
The segments you can search vary by document type. Select each of the links below to list the segments you can search for that content type.
AU and NZ Analytical Materials
AU and NZ Forms and Precedents
Using Natural Language or Terms & Connectors in Segment Search Units
You can use either natural language or terms & connectors within a segment search unit. For example, the following segment search units are both valid and produce the same results:
- judge(brown stone)
- judge(brown or stone)
For more information, see What is natural language vs. terms & connectors searching?
Using Multiple Segment Search Units and/or Mixing Them with Standard Search Terms
You can include multiple segment search units in a single search entry, and/or you can mix them with standard search terms. For example, the following searches are all possible:
- court(FCA) and judge(brown)
- right to counsel and judge(brown)
- right to counsel and court(FCA) and judge(brown)
1 Entering text in only the Legislation Title field will result in the LEG-TOP-TITLE segment being searched. Entering text in both the Legislation Title and Provision Name/Number fields will result in the LEG-TITLE and PROV-NUM segments being searched.