Abstract:
Computerized method for aggregating relevant information from court records and presenting such information in electronic reports including tables and charts. There are five types of reports that focus on cases filed by Litigant, Attorney or Law Firm, Judge, Court, and Nature of Suit. A History option also is provided, in which are grouped all reports previously run by the user in one table. The user inputs a time frame and identifies specific reporting entities. The process accepts these inputs and constructs a list of cases that meet the specified criteria. The information in the list is presented to the user as a multi-part report containing tables and charts of aggregate information of particular interest to the user. Most report sections allow for “drilldowns” that bring additional specific focus to the reports. The reports are also configurable in a variety of ways including selecting graph types and section inclusion/exclusion.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present patent application is based on, and claims priority from, U.S. provisional Application No. 60/581,760, filed Jun. 23, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 
     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to techniques for creating a court record information report, and more particularly to a computerized method for obtaining, aggregating, and presenting court record information to users interested in producing such a report based on specific user criteria, for example, Litigant, Attorney, Law Firm, Judge, Case Type, or Court. 
     2. Related Art 
     Many people have a desire or need to investigate court records. The reasons for these investigations may be (1) to follow an ongoing case, (2) to investigate a party&#39;s litigation history, (3) to research an attorney&#39;s prior representations, or perhaps (4) to research a judge&#39;s prior rulings. A number of commercial services, as well as the courts themselves, offer the ability to view a court record for a case after a simple case search. However, an individual case or a case list that is the result of a simple search does little to provide a comprehensive picture of the prior activities of a specific litigant, attorney, or judge; nor can it inform one of new case filing trends by case type or court. 
     It is to the solution of these and other problems that the present invention is directed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide a computerized method for obtaining and presenting aggregated case information for selected time periods. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a computerized method for presenting aggregated case information in tabular and graphic format relevant to the type of aggregated case information being produced. 
     As used herein, “Strategic Profile report” or “Strategic Profile” means court record information obtained, aggregated, and presented by Litigant, Attorney, Law Firm, Judge, Case Type, or Court in accordance with the present invention. 
     The above and other objects of the invention are achieved by computerized methods for aggregating relevant information from court records and presenting such information in electronic reports including tables and charts with the ability to drill down further in meaningful ways. The process requires a user to input search criteria. Search criteria representing either a Litigant, Attorney, Law Firm, or Judge name are first filtered against a corresponding table of names. Matches are displayed to the user and selections are made. The final report is run against these user selections qualified by the date range entered. 
     Each report contains aggregated data (including counts and percentages) of significant data including the case type (or nature of suit), where the cases were filed (by state and by court), litigants, attorneys (including opposing and co-counsel), and judges. With the exception of the profiles by court and nature of suit, all profiles display a list of the cases that were included (matched to the criteria). Individual cases may be displayed online or setup for future case tracking. A number of tables presented in the reports allow for drilling down to more specific data. For example, a Litigant Strategic Profile allows one to select a specific Nature of Suit presented and view a report comprised only of those cases equivalent to the Nature of Suit selected. The Strategic Profile reports offer a variety of reporting options including (1) the ability to alter the graphic presentation between a pie chart and a bar chart (or where appropriate, a line chart), (2) the ability to sort and filter at least some, and preferably all, table columns (or in an alternate implementation, to view tables as static HTML or as a java applet allowing for sorting and filtering), (3) the ability to position charts to the right of or below associated tables, (4) the ability to include or not include selected tables and graphs, and (5) the ability to change the selected date range without having to re-specify other report criteria. The segments of a pie chart or the bars of a bar chart preferably are displayed in unique colors. A color key can be provided as a separate column of the corresponding table. “Mousing over” a segment of a pie chart or a bar of a bar chart displays the data represented by the segment or the bar. 
     A special print view of the reports allows for a display that eliminates all hyperlinks and header graphics. Reports also can be generated to data files (for example, PDF files), to allow the reports to be saved and to be sent to others. 
     A Litigant Strategic Profile allows a user to specify a litigant name and time period and quickly receive an online report that summarizes such items as (1) number of cases, (2) number of cases by type of case, (3) number of cases by state and court where the cases were filed, (4) attorneys and law firms who have represented the litigant. Any one of these aggregated lists can be drilled down to discover the unique set of cases comprising the aggregate. These cases can then be looked at individually and also (if the case is still ongoing) be marked for future investigation. 
     An Attorney or Law Firm (multiple attorney) Strategic Profile allows a user to specify one or more attorneys, a time period, and quickly receive an online report that summarizes such items as (1) the clients the attorney has represented, (2) the types of cases on which the attorney has worked, (3) the judges before whom the attorney has appeared, (4) the states and courts where the cases have occurred, and (5) other attorneys with or against whom the selected attorney(s) has worked. Any one of these aggregated lists can be drilled down to discover the unique set of cases comprising the aggregate. These cases can then be looked at individually and also (if the case is still ongoing) be marked for future investigation. 
     A Judicial Strategic Profile allows a user to specify a judge and a time period and quickly receive an online report that summarizes such items as (1) the types of cases presided over, (2) attorney appearances, and (3) a case load analysis over time. The unique set of cases that comprise each aggregate can readily be discovered and case details can be easily obtained. 
     A Nature of Suit (Case Type) Strategic Profile allows a user to specify a time period, a specific case type and one or more courts and to obtain a report that displays the number of cases filed over time. 
     A Court Strategic Profile allows a user to specify a time period, a specific court and one or more case types and to obtain a report that displays the number of cases filed over time. 
     Strategic Profiles present information in a way that has not been previously available or could only be obtained by spending many hours or even days researching individual cases. All of these reports are used by users for business development and litigation support and preparation purposes. Litigant Strategic Profiles allow a law firm to quickly gain insight into a company&#39;s litigation history and discover which law firms have represented the company in the past. Attorney and Judicial Strategic profiles present a litigation history for the attorney and judge that is an invaluable tool for trial preparation. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of this specification including the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is better understood by reading the following Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a high level flow diagram illustrating the steps in the method for creating aggregate profile reports in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2A  is an illustration of an exemplary Strategic Profile main menu screen. 
         FIG. 2B  is an illustration of the initial screen presented to a user at sign-on in an alternate embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3A  is an illustration of an exemplary Litigant Strategic Profile initial parameter input screen. 
         FIG. 3B  is an illustration of an exemplary Litigant Strategic Profile “Search Tips” screen providing instructions how litigant names are matched to database entries. 
         FIG. 3C  is an illustration of an exemplary Litigant Strategic Profile screen presenting possible litigant matches to the user for approval. 
         FIG. 3D  is an illustration of an exemplary heading of a Litigant Strategic Profile report, showing the name of the litigant, the dates the report covers, and the count of cases discovered. 
         FIG. 3E  is an illustration of an exemplary “Nature of Suit” section of a Litigant Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 3F  is an illustration of an exemplary “Jurisdictional Analysis” section of a Litigant Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 3G  is an illustration of an exemplary “Federal District Court Analysis” section of a Litigant Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 3H  is an illustration of an exemplary “Law Firm Analysis” section of a Litigant Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 3I  is an illustration of an exemplary Litigant Strategic Profile screen display of a report including only those cases where a selected law firm has represented the litigant. In this table, the lawyers from the selected Law Firm are displayed. 
         FIG. 3J  is an illustration of an exemplary “Case Listing” section of a Litigant Strategic Profile report, displaying a tabular listing of the cases included in the report (or report drill down). 
         FIG. 3K  is an illustration of an exemplary Litigant Strategic Profile Input Form section of a Litigant Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 3L  is an illustration of an exemplary Litigant Strategic Profile “Parameters” or Report Criteria section of the Litigant Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 3M  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the input screen of  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 3N  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the instruction screen of  FIG. 3B . 
         FIG. 3O  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the litigant match screen of  FIG. 3C . 
         FIG. 3P  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 3D . 
         FIG. 3Q  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 3E . 
         FIG. 3R  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 3F . 
         FIG. 3S  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 3G . 
         FIG. 3T  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 3H . 
         FIG. 3U  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the screen display of  FIG. 3I . 
         FIG. 3V  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 3J . 
         FIG. 3W  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 3K . 
         FIG. 3X  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 3L . 
         FIG. 4A  is an illustration of an exemplary Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile initial parameter input screen. 
         FIG. 4B  is an illustration of an exemplary Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile screen presenting possible attorney/law firm matches to the user for approval. 
         FIG. 4C  is an illustration of an exemplary heading of an Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile report, showing the name of the Attorney or Law Firm, the dates the report covers and the count of cases discovered. 
         FIG. 4D  is an illustration of an exemplary “Nature of Suit” section of an Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 4E  is an illustration of an exemplary “Case Load Analysis” section of an Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 4F  is an illustration of an exemplary “Judge Appearance Analysis” section of an Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 4G  is an illustration of an exemplary “Client Analysis” section of an Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 4H  is an illustration of an exemplary “Opposing/Co-Counsel” section of an Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 4I  is an illustration of an exemplary “Capacity Served” section of an Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile. 
         FIG. 4J  is an illustration of an exemplary “Case Listing” section of an Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile report, displaying a tabular listing of the cases included in the report (or report drill down). 
         FIG. 4K  is an illustration of an exemplary Input Form section of an Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 4L  is an illustration of an exemplary “Parameters” or Report Criteria section of an Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile. 
         FIG. 4M  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the input screen of  FIG. 4A . 
         FIG. 4N  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the screen of  FIG. 4B . 
         FIG. 4O  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 4C . 
         FIG. 4P  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 4D . 
         FIG. 4Q  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 4E . 
         FIG. 4R  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 4F . 
         FIG. 4S  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 4G . 
         FIG. 4T  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 4H . 
         FIG. 4U  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 4I . 
         FIG. 4V  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 4J . 
         FIG. 4W  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 4K . 
         FIG. 4X  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 4L . 
         FIG. 5A  is an illustration of an exemplary Judicial Strategic Profile initial input screen. 
         FIG. 5B  is an illustration of an exemplary Judicial Strategic Profile screen presenting possible matching judges to the user for approval. 
         FIG. 5C  is an illustration of an exemplary heading of a Judicial Strategic Profile report, showing the name of the judge, the dates the report covers and the count of cases discovered. 
         FIG. 5D  is an illustration of an exemplary “Nature of Suit” section of a Judicial Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 5E  is an illustration of an exemplary “Case Load Analysis” section of a Judicial Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 5F  is an illustration of an exemplary “Attorney Appearance Analysis” section of a Judicial Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 5G  is an illustration of an exemplary “Case Listing” section of a Judicial Strategic Profile report, displaying a tabular listing of the cases included in the report (or report drill down). 
         FIG. 5H  is an illustration of an exemplary Input Form section of a Judicial Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 5I  is an illustration of an exemplary “Parameters” or Report Criteria section of a Judicial Strategic Profile. 
         FIG. 5J  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the input screen of  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 5K  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the screen of  FIG. 5B . 
         FIG. 5L  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 5C . 
         FIG. 5M  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 5D . 
         FIG. 5N  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 5E . 
         FIG. 5O  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 5F . 
         FIG. 5P  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 5G . 
         FIG. 5Q  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 5H . 
         FIG. 5R  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 5I . 
         FIG. 6A  is an illustration of an exemplary Court Strategic Profile main screen. 
         FIG. 6B  is an illustration of an exemplary Court Strategic Profile verification screen confirming user selections of courts and/or nature of suit descriptions. 
         FIG. 6C  shows the arrangement of  FIGS. 6C-1, 6C-2, and 6C-3 , which together illustrate an exemplary “Total Number of Cases Filed” section of a Court Strategic Profile report where multiple Nature of Suit descriptions are specified. An alternate embodiment for the exemplary “Total Number of Cases Filed” section is illustrated in  FIG. 6H , which shows the arrangement of  6 H- 1  and  6 H- 2 .  6 H- 2  combines both the chart and the table that were separately displayed in  6 C- 2  and  6 C- 3 . 
         FIG. 6D  is an illustration of an exemplary “Nature of Suit” section of a Court Strategic Profile report where a single Nature of Suit description is specified. 
         FIG. 6E  is an illustration of an exemplary Court Strategic Profile Input Form. 
         FIG. 6F  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the screen of  FIG. 6A . 
         FIG. 6G  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the screen of  FIG. 6B . 
         FIG. 6H  shows the arrangement of  FIGS. 6H-1 and 6H-2 , which together are an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIGS. 6C-1, 6C-2, and 6C-3 . 
         FIG. 6H-1  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 6C-1 . 
         FIG. 6H-2  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 6C-2  combined with  FIG. 6C-3 . 
         FIG. 6I  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 6D . 
         FIG. 6J  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment input screen of  FIG. 6E . 
         FIG. 7A  is an illustration of an exemplary Nature of Suit Strategic Profile initial parameter input screen. 
         FIG. 7B  is an illustration of an exemplary Nature of Suit Strategic Profile verification screen confirming user selection of nature of suit. 
         FIGS. 7C, 7D, and 7E  are illustrations of exemplary headings of a Nature of Suit Strategic Profile for all, two, and one specified courts, respectively, showing the nature of suit description, the dates the report covers, the count of cases discovered, and the specified court or courts. 
         FIG. 7F  is an illustration of an exemplary “Total Number of Cases Filed” section of a Nature of Suit Strategic Profile report for all Courts, in which all Courts are selected. 
         FIGS. 7G and 7H  are illustrations of exemplary “Distribution of Total Number of Cases Filed” sections of a Nature of Suit Strategic Profile report in which all Courts are selected. 
         FIG. 7I  is an illustration of an exemplary “Total Number of Cases Filed” section of a Nature of Suit Strategic Profile report for all Courts, in which two Courts are selected. 
         FIGS. 7J and 7K  are illustrations of exemplary “Total Number of Cases Filed” sections of a Nature of Suit Strategic Profile report for each Court, in which two Courts are selected. 
         FIG. 7L  is an illustration of an exemplary “Total Number of Cases Filed” section of a Nature of Suit Strategic Profile report in which a single court is selected. 
         FIG. 7M  is an illustration of an exemplary Input Form section of a Nature of Suit Strategic Profile report. 
         FIG. 7N  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the input screen of  FIG. 7A . 
         FIG. 7O  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the verification screen of  FIG. 7B . 
         FIG. 7P  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report heading of  FIG. 7C . 
         FIG. 7Q  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report heading of  FIG. 7D . 
         FIG. 7R  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report heading of  FIG. 7E . 
         FIG. 7S  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 7F . 
         FIG. 7T  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report sections of  FIGS. 7G and 7H . 
         FIG. 7U  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 7I . 
         FIG. 7V  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 7J . 
         FIG. 7W  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 7K . 
         FIG. 7X  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 7L . 
         FIG. 7Y  is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the report section of  FIG. 7M . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In describing preferred embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. 
     The present invention is described below with reference to flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to an embodiment of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. 
     These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart block or blocks. 
     The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. 
     The present invention is preferably practiced within the environment of an application hosted on an Internet client-server hypertext distributed information retrieval system (for example, the World Wide Web). As is known by those skilled in this art, on the World Wide Web everything (documents, menus, indices) is represented to the user as a hypertext object in hypertext markup language (“HTML”) format. Hypertext links refer to other documents by their Uniform Resource Locators (“URLs”). The URLs can refer to local or remote resources accessible via File Transfer Protocol, distributed document retrieval systems, or distributed bulletin board systems, as well as those available via the http protocol used to transfer hypertext documents. These Hypertext pages also include code used to query a database resident on a remote server, consistent with user specified inputs and code to present the results in the manner described herein. 
     The client program (known as a browser), e.g. Microsoft® Internet Explorer and Netscape® Navigator, runs on the user&#39;s computer and provides two basic navigation operations: to follow a link or to send a query to a server. 
     A prerequisite for the process of producing Strategic Profiles is the accumulation of data that is then stored in a database configured to support Strategic Profile reporting. While the processes used to obtain, parse, and store these data are not part of the present invention, such processes being carried out by commercially available computer programs or by programs that can easily be written by those of skill in the relevant art, a discussion of these processes is relevant to an explanation of how Strategic Profiles are created. 
     While the process of creating a Strategic Profile is not limited to any specific court data, for exemplary purposes, it is described with respect to an implementation that reports against data obtained from the United States District Courts. However, it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that data can also be obtained from other courts, such as state courts, state and government administrative tribunals, etc. 
     Also, in the implementation described herein, the present invention is presented as a service available through the LexisNexis™ CourtLink® interactive, online, court-related legal databases. However, it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the present invention can be implemented as a stand-alone system and method, or in association with services other than the LexisNexis™ CourtLink® services. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , each night, new case data is obtained from the courts (step  10 ). Case data can be obtained from the courts by automated “dialer” programs, via the Internet web sites of the courts, or by dialup facilities provided by the courts, or can be delivered by the courts. The new case data obtained from the courts are captured and stored on a case-by-case basis as text on a host server. New case data obtained from some courts is already parsed into data fields. In the case of new case data that is not already parsed, a parsing program reads these data and parses (separates) the data into component data fields (step  20 ). These parsed data are then stored in a database in a series of database tables that are queried when Strategic Profiles are generated (step  30 ). These tables are as follows: 
     Docket table—contains basic information about the case (court, docket number, nature of suit, date filed, statute, cause of action, etc.) 
     Litigant table—contains a unique list of litigant names. 
     Litigant Link table—defines a relationship between a litigant and all of the cases in which the litigant is a participant; and defines the relationship of the litigant to the case (as plaintiff or defendant). 
     Litigant Order table—defines the order in which the case Litigants should be presented on the case docket. 
     Attorney table—contains a unique list of attorney information, including name, law firm, and address information. 
     Attorney Link table—defines a relationship between the attorney, the litigants represented by the attorney, and the cases involving the attorney. 
     Judge table—contains a unique list of judges 
     Judge Link table—defines a relationship between the judge and the cases that the judge has participated in. 
     Strategic Profile reports are created using parameters entered by a user and the data contained in the above-mentioned database tables. 
     The Strategic Profile reports are accessible through the Internet. A potential user first accesses the Internet using any conventional means, e.g. a personal computer having a modem connected to an Internet service provider using a standard phone line, cable service provider, etc. Once connected, the user uses a standard Internet web browser (such as Netscape® Navigator® or Microsoft® Internet Explorer) to access a web page that displays a menu of the Strategic Profile reports available ( FIG. 2A ) (or in an alternative embodiment, shown in  FIG. 2B , a history of the user&#39;s previously generated Strategic Profile reports, as will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter). 
     The user selects the specific Strategic Profile report to be run by selecting (for example, by clicking his or her mouse on) the menu tab representing the desired report. Selection may be achieved by “clicking” a mouse or track ball button or other conventional computer navigation device. “Clicking” is used herein as a generic term for such selection. 
     As shown in both  FIGS. 2A and 2B , which illustrates the Strategic Profile reports main menu screen, the list of reports includes the following: 
     Litigant Strategic Profile report  100   
     Attorney/Law Finn Strategic Profile report  200   
     Judicial Strategic Profile report  300   
     Court Strategic Profile report  400   
     Nature of Suit Strategic Profile report  500   
     The objective of the Strategic Profile reports is to present aggregated case information in tabular and graphic format relevant to the type of Strategic Profile being produced. In one implementation, the code being run by the user issues a direct query to a database to obtain the data needed for the Strategic Profile reports, and returns aggregated results. In another implementation, the code being run by the user packages up an XML message containing report instructions, and sends this request to a separate backend process (a program running on another computer). The backend computer reads the instructions, constructs correct queries similar to those issued by the code in the first implementation, gathers the resulting data, formats in XML, and returns it to the front end, which then displays the results. The second implementation provides improved security for the database as well as improved performance. The same data is ultimately returned and acted on by the program in both implementations. Accordingly, as described herein, the process of the program constructing or forming a query refers to the process employed by either implementation, or by other processes that achieve the same result, as will be well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     In both implementations, the report production is asynchronous, meaning that even if the user closes his or her browser while the report is being generated, the report results will be available next time the user logs in. 
     What follows is a detailed description of the implementation of each type of Strategic Profile. 
     Litigant Strategic Profile 
     Upon selecting Litigant Strategic Profile (by clicking the corresponding tab  100  of the main menu), the user is presented with a screen as depicted in  FIG. 3A . The user may link back to the Strategic Profile main menu or link to other LexisNexis Courtlink services by clicking on appropriate links (not shown). The user may click on the “Help” button  110  to receive detailed instructions and report samples. The user may click on any of the four other Strategic Profile tabs  200 ,  300 ,  400 , and  500  to create a report of the specified type. In an alternate implementation, shown in  FIG. 2B , a sixth option, a History tab  600 , is provided, in which are grouped all reports previously run by the user in one table, as discussed in greater detail hereinafter. 
     The central portion of the screen contains input fields  120   a - 120   e  where the user must specify the parameters used to generate a specific Litigant Strategic Profile. The user must specify a date range  130  for reporting purposes. As is well-known to those of skill in the art, an interactive calendar can be provided, which enables the user to select a date by clicking on it. This date range indicates the dates between which cases will be investigated containing the litigant(s) specified. Cases with an initial filing date outside this range will not be considered. The user may then enter a primary litigant name in the input field  120   a  and up to a pre-determined number of additional litigant names (in the exemplary screen illustrated in  FIG. 3A , the number of additional litigant names is four) in the input fields  120   b - 120   e . A litigant name can be the name of an individual, business, organization, or government agency that is a named party in a legal proceeding in the courts. The additional litigant names are optional and may be an alternate spelling of the primary litigant name, the name of a related company (perhaps a subsidiary), or the name of a party totally unrelated to the primary litigant. 
     Should the user click on the link  140  labeled “Search Tips,” a Search Tips screen (alternate embodiments of which are shown in  FIGS. 3B and 3N ) will be displayed, with an explanation of how names the user might enter are matched to database entries. Two optional fields  150   a  and  150   b  complete the input form. The user may elect to enter a “Client Matter Code” in optional field  150   a , useful for aggregating direct fees to be handled by the user&#39;s own internal billing system. As is well-known to those of skill in the art, previously-used billing codes can be provided in a drop-down menu, from which the user can select. The second optional field  150   b , labeled “Client Notes,” allows the user to make a free form notation regarding the particular Strategic Profile report to be generated. 
     Each time a Litigant Strategic Profile report is generated, a record is entered in a database table that is associated with the running of Litigant Strategic Profiles and records the fact that a specific user has run a specific report, so that should the user desire, he or she can rerun the report again at a later date with the same parameters. The bottom portion  160  of the input screen displays all of the Litigant Strategic Profiles queries previously run by the user. The user may elect to rerun any of these prior queries by clicking on the “Rerun” link  160   a  or to delete any of these saved records by clicking on the “Delete” link  160   b . At the very bottom of the screen is a link  160   c  that allows for the deletion of all previously saved records. 
     In an alternate embodiment, shown in  FIG. 3M , the user is allowed to select a chart type (for example a pie chart or a bar chart), for example, using radio buttons  196   c  and Reporting Selections (that is, the types of information to be included in the report), for example using check boxes  196   f , before running the initial report. 
     Clicking on the “Produce Profile” button  170  begins the reporting process. As a first step, the program takes the name(s) entered by the user and constructs queries that discover all possible matches (applying the search rules as described in the Search Tips page shown in  FIG. 3B ) against the Litigant database table. The program presents a screen (alternate embodiments of which are shown in  FIGS. 3C and 3O ) displaying these possible matches to the user for approval. In the example described herein, the input litigant name is “Microsoft.” The user may select any displayed litigant name  180   a  by clicking on the check box  180   b  next to the name. The user is also given the opportunity to select or deselect all names by clicking on the appropriate button  180   c  or  180   d , or as shown in  FIG. 3O , by using a single check box  180   h  that the user selects or deselects. This step of asking the user to indicate which name matches are relevant to the Litigant Strategic Profile is critical, due to the fact that there are many similar names and/or name variations in the case information as obtained from the courts. Without the step of allowing the user to indicate exactly which names are to be included, there is a high probability of generating erroneous results. 
     The user may elect to cancel the report by clicking on the “Cancel” button  180   e  or proceed to report production by clicking on the “Produce Profile” button  180   f . The user may also enter in an input field  180   g  a Litigant Name to be used only for printing on the report heading (not used for matching) by entering text in the input box next to “Name to use on report.” 
     When the user clicks on “Produce Profile,” the program begins to gather up the necessary information required to produce the report by executing a series of queries against the Litigant database tables. The Litigant Strategic Profile report is presented in five sections ( 191 ,  192 ,  193 ,  194 , and  195 , shown respectively in  FIGS. 3E, 3F, 3G, 3H, and 3I ), each of which includes a table and accompanying graphics. As a prerequisite to producing these sections, the program must first determine the set of cases that qualify based on the input parameters. The program forms a query that investigates the Litigant database table to extract all litigant names indicated by the user and then joins these names to the Docket table by using the Litigant Link table that defines a relationship between each litigant and the cases involving the litigant. Finally, the list of cases is filtered to include only those cases where the filing date of the case is between the dates specified by the user. Armed with this set of cases, the program can now produce the five tables (with accompanying graphics) displayed on the report. 
     A report heading  190  ( FIG. 3D ) is displayed showing the name of the litigant, the dates the report covers and the count of cases discovered. The first section of the report is a grouping of cases by Nature of Suit (or case type) description  191  ( FIG. 3E ). A query is executed against the database that identifies the qualified cases as described above and groups these cases by Nature of Suit category (for example, “Antitrust,” “copyrights,” “Employment,” “Other Civil Rights,” “Other Statutory Actions,” “Patent,” and “Trademark”). A count of cases in each category is presented and a percentage of each type of case against the total cases found is calculated. These results are then presented in tabular form  191   a  and also as a pie or bar chart  191   b  as shown in  FIG. 3E . Each Nature of Suit description in the table  191   a  is enabled to be a hyperlink, meaning that if the user should click on a specific description, an entirely new report will be generated (this is in effect a form of filtering by the rows of the report), further restricting the report to cases of only that particular Nature of Suit. This is a particularly useful feature to those users seeking to investigate case details of cases of only a particular category. 
     The Jurisdictional Analysis report section  192  ( FIG. 3F ) groups the cases in the set by the states in which they were filed. A chart  192   a  and accompanying graph  192   b  display counts and corresponding percentages. This report section provides the user with an overall view of the distribution of cases geographically, and along with the next report section, is particularly relevant to law firms doing business in the indicated regions. 
     The Federal District Court Analysis report section  193  ( FIG. 3G ) refines the Jurisdictional Analysis report section by regrouping the case set to display which specific Federal District Court the cases were filed in. Since many states have more than one district court, this presentation provides a more refined geographical distribution. The report section is displayed as a table  193   a  (Court Name, count of cases, percentage of total) and as a pie or bar chart  193   b.    
     The Law Firm Analysis report section  194  ( FIG. 3H ) regroups the cases by the Law Firms representing the litigant and presents a corresponding table  194   a  and chart  194   b  showing the Law Firm name, count, and percentage of total. Due to the fact that in many instances, more than one lawyer from a law firm will be listed on the case docket as representing the litigant, the counts presented in this table are usually higher than the total case count. Each Law Firm name is created as a hyperlink. When the user clicks on a hyperlinked law firm name, a new report will be generated including only those cases where the law firm has represented the litigant. When this new report is generated for a specific law firm, the Law Firm Analysis report section is replaced by an Attorney Analysis report section  194 ′ ( FIG. 3I ). This section displays the names of the attorneys who have represented the litigant in the case set where the indicated Law Firm is referenced. The table  194   a ′ and chart  194   b ′ display the Attorney name, case count, and percentage of total. 
     The final report section, the Case Listing report section  195  ( FIG. 3J ), is a tabular listing  195   a  of the cases included in the report (or report drill down). These are the set of cases initially selected by query that meet the specific criteria as defined by the user. When the user clicks on either a Nature of Suit description and/or a Law Firm, the case set is limited by this additional parameter. The case set is presented as a table only (no chart). The columns that can be displayed on this table are as follows: 
     (!) Attorney warning flag column  195   b —If an exclamation point (!) appears, this means that defense counsel has not yet been assigned for the litigant in the case. It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that symbols other than ! may be used as a warning flag. 
     Action  195   c  column—The user may click on a “View” case link to display the full case docket and/or a “Track” case link that will alert the user to any new case developments. 
     Court column  195   d —The court where the case was filed. 
     Docket column  195   e —The case docket number. 
     Heading column  195   f —The name of the case (e.g. Jones vs. Smith). 
     NOS column  195   g —The Nature of Suit (or type) of the case. 
     Filed column  195   h —The date the case was initially filed. 
     Case Law column  195   i —If a reference appears in this column, then it indicates that the case has been closed and that there are case law materials available through an online legal research database (in this exemplary implementation, on Lexis.com). Clicking on the reference will direct the user to this material. 
     At least some, and preferably all columns of the tabular case listing  195   a  are sortable, and selected columns are filterable. In addition, the user can customize the tabular case listing  195   a  by adding or removing columns, specifying the number of items shown on a page, and setting default sorting options, as discussed hereinafter. An alternate embodiment of case listing  195   a  (shown in  FIG. 3V ) is filterable according to parameters identified in drop-down menus  195   j  provided in at least some of the columns (as illustrated in  FIG. 3V , the Court and NOS columns). 
     The Case Listing section  195  is the final report section of the Litigant Strategic Profile report. Immediately following this section is an input form  196  ( FIG. 3K ) that allows the user to (1) switch to a different type of Strategic Profile (by clicking on a different one of tabs  100 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400 , and  500 ), (2) change the reporting dates for the current Litigant Strategic Profile (information fields  196   a ), (3) obtain product help (help button  196   b ), (4) change the chart type from pie charts to bar charts (or vice versa) (radio buttons  196   c ), (5) indicate whether the report tables should be active (meaning that report tables can be interactively sorted and filtered) (radio buttons  196   d ) in the implementation in which a java applet is used to allow sorting and filtering, (6) indicate the placement of charts in relation to tables (to the side, below or suppressed) (radio buttons  196   e ), or (7) indicate which of the five report sections should be displayed (check boxes  196   f ). The user can select the level of customization he or she requires and click the “Rerun Profile” button  196   g  to create a modified report. 
     An alternate embodiment of the input form, illustrated in  FIG. 3W , omits the Table Type option  196   d  (which is instead found in the alternate embodiment of the input screen illustrated in  FIG. 3M ) and the Report Layout option  196   e  (which in the alternate embodiment is superfluous because as shown in  FIG. 3V , all tables are made active, and as shown in  FIG. 3Q , the report layout is fixed as “Table next to Chart”). 
     The segments of the pie chart or the bars of the bar chart preferably are displayed in unique colors. As shown in  FIG. 3U , a color key can be provided as a separate column of the corresponding table (or as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, in a separate part of the screen). “Mousing over” a segment of a pie chart or a bar of a bar chart displays the data  194   c ′ represented by the segment or the bar. 
     Should the user desire a printable copy of the report (one without header graphics or the bottom input form), he or she can click the “Print View” button  196   h . A new browser window (not shown) will be opened that will accommodate this request. A report also can be generated to a data file (for example, a PDF file, as shown in  FIG. 3W , button  196   i ), to allow the report to be saved and to be sent to others. 
     At the very bottom of the report is a Report Criteria or Parameter section  197  ( FIG. 3L ) that recaps the input parameters used to generate the report. These parameters include the list of selected litigants, as well as the range of dates used to qualify cases. An alternate embodiment of the Parameter section  197 , having a slightly different layout, is illustrated in  FIG. 3X . 
     Another important feature of the Litigant Strategic Profile is its ability to link to other online databases of corporate affiliations (in this exemplary implementation, the LexisNexis Directory of Corporate Affiliations (“DCA”)). This online directory displays corporate relationships (such as subsidiaries, branches, divisions, etc). In the exemplary implementation described herein, the Litigant Strategic Profile links to the DCA in two places: (1) on the initial input form (as shown in  FIG. 3A , a link is embedded in the sentence “If you would like to perform research click here.”) and (2) on the returned list of name matches (as shown in  FIG. 3C , a link is embedded in the sentence “If you would like to perform this search please click here and a new results window will be opened.”). In either instance, the user can click on this link, enter a company name (or partial name), and discover related companies. This capability enables the user to discover additional litigation for parent, subsidiary, or other related companies. 
     Data required to reproduce the above-described Litigant Strategic Profile report are stored in a Litigant Strategic Profile database table and are displayed as an option the next time the user runs a Litigant Strategic Profile. 
     Litigant Strategic Profiles are unique in the way that they aggregate specific case information related to litigants, offering the user a view into the litigant&#39;s litigation history. Law firms can use Litigant Strategic Profile reports as part of their marketing and client development activities. For example, law firms can use Litigant Strategic Profile reports to quickly see which other law firms represent a specific client or prospect and how their firm fits into this picture; to quickly obtain a geographical view of where litigation takes place and align this with firm resources; and most importantly, to be able to understand the type of litigation in which a litigant is most commonly engaged, and in that way identify new business opportunities. 
     Corporations can use Litigant Strategic Profiles to investigate current and potential business partners or adversaries. A simple listing of cases (the only search result available using prior art methods and systems) must be laboriously investigated by looking at each case in detail and manually aggregating the information that is compiled automatically to produce the Litigant Strategic Profile report. A Litigant Strategic Profile report generated in seconds translates into hours of manual labor over alternative methods of compilation. Additionally, the ability to focus on a specific Nature of Suit and/or Law Firm further enhances the value over alternative methods. 
     Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile 
     Upon selecting the Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile tab  200  of the main menu, the user is presented with a screen as depicted in  FIG. 4A . The user may link back to the Strategic Profile menu or link to other online legal services (in the exemplary implementation described herein, other LexisNexis Courtlink services) by clicking on appropriate links (not shown). The user may click on the “Help” button  210  to receive detailed instructions and report samples. The user may click on any of the four other Strategic Profile tabs  100 ,  300 ,  400 , and  500  to create a report of the specified type. 
     The central portion of the screen contains input fields  220   a - 220   b  where the user must specify the parameters used to generate a specific Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile. The user must specify a date range  230  for reporting purposes. This date range indicates the dates between which cases will be investigated containing the attorney(s) specified. Cases with an initial filing date outside this range will not be considered. The user may then enter an attorney&#39;s name and/or a law firm name in input fields  220   a  and  220   b . Two optional fields  250   a  and  250   b  complete the input form. The user may elect to enter a “Client Matter Code” in input field  250   a  useful for aggregating direct fees to be handled by the user&#39;s own internal billing system. The second field  250   b , labeled “Client Notes,” allows the user to make a free form notation regarding the particular Strategic Profile to be generated. 
     Each time an Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile is generated, a record is entered in the database table that is associated with the running of Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profiles and records the fact that a specific user has run a specific report, so that should the user desire, he or she can rerun the report again at a later date with the same parameters. The bottom portion  260  of the input screen displays all of the Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile queries previously run by the user. The user may elect to rerun any of these prior reports by clicking on the “Rerun” link  260   a  or to delete any of these saved records by clicking on the “Delete” link  260   b . At the very bottom of the screen is a link  260   c  that allows for the deletion of all previously saved records. 
     Clicking on the “Produce Profile” button  270  begins the reporting process. As a first step, the program takes the name(s) entered by the user and constructs queries that discover all possible matches against the Attorney/Law Firm database table. If an attorney name was entered, then the query will match names containing the text of the name entered. If a law firm name was entered, then the program will use this input data as an additional qualifier. If a law firm name is entered without an attorney name, all attorneys associated with the law firm are displayed. If an attorney&#39;s name is entered in addition to a law firm name, then all attorneys with that name and associated with the law firm are displayed. The program presents a screen displaying all possible matches to the user for approval ( FIG. 4B ). The user may select any displayed attorney name  280   a  by clicking on the check box  280   b  next to the name. The user is also given the opportunity to select or deselect all names by clicking on the appropriate button  280   c  or  280   d . In an alternate embodiment, shown in  FIG. 4N , the user may select or deselect all names by clicking on a single check box  280   h . This step of asking the user to indicate which name matches are relevant to the Strategic Profile is critical, due to the fact that there are many similar names and/or name variations in the case information as obtained from the courts. Without the step of allowing the user to indicate exactly which names are to be included, there is a high probability of generating erroneous results. 
     The user may elect to cancel the report by clicking on the “Cancel” button  280   e  or proceed to report production by clicking on the “Produce Profile” button  280   f . The user may also enter a name  280   g  to be used only for printing on the report heading (not used for matching) by entering text in the input box next to “Name to use on report.” 
     When the user clicks on “Produce Profile,” the program begins to gather up the necessary information required to produce the report by executing a series of queries against the Attorney/Law Firm database tables. The Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile report is presented in seven sections  291 - 297 . As a prerequisite to producing these sections, the program must first determine the set of cases that qualify based on the input parameters. The program forms a query that investigates the Attorney/Law Firm database table to extract all of the attorney names indicated by the user, and then joins these names to the Docket table by using the Attorney Link table that defines a relationship between each attorney and the cases involving the attorney. The Litigant Link table is also queried in order to discover the litigants represented by the attorney(s). Finally, the list of cases is filtered to only include those where the filing date of the case is between the dates specified by the user. Armed with this set of cases, the program can now produce the seven tables (with accompanying graphics) displayed on the report. 
     A report heading  290  (shown in alternate embodiments in  FIGS. 4C and 4O ) is displayed showing the name of the Attorney or Law Firm, the dates the report covers and the count of cases discovered. The first section of the report is a grouping of cases by Nature of Suit (or case type) description. A query is executed against the database that identifies the qualified cases as described above and groups these cases by Nature of Suit category. A count of cases in each category is presented and a percentage of each type of case against the total cases found is calculated. These results are then presented in tabular form  291   a  and also as a pie or bar chart  291   b , as shown in  FIG. 4D . Each Nature of Suit description in the table is enabled to be a hyperlink, meaning that if the user should click on a specific description an entirely new report will be generated further restricting the report to cases of only that particular Nature of Suit. This is a particularly useful feature to those users seeking to investigate case details of cases of only a particular type involving the attorney(s). 
     The Case Load Analysis report section  292  ( FIG. 4E ) groups the cases in the set initially by year filed and optionally by month filed. The chart  292   a  and accompanying graph  292   b  display the period, counts, and corresponding percentages. This report section provides the user with an overall view of the number of cases being handled by the attorney(s). When displayed for attorneys for an entire law firm, a clear picture is presented of the numbers of cases in which the firm is involved in the Federal District Courts. 
     The Judge Appearance Analysis report section  293  ( FIG. 4F ) presents a table  293   a  of judge names  293   b  and the number of cases  293   c  in which the attorney(s) has appeared before the judge, as well as the name of the court  293   d  where the judge sits. There is no chart associated with this report section. The judge names are hyperlinks. Clicking on a judge name will further restrict the report to only those cases where the judge has presided over the case and redisplay all tables using only these cases. An alternate embodiment of table  293   a  is filterable according to parameters identified in drop-down menus  293   e  provided in at least some of the columns (as illustrated in  FIG. 4R , the Judge and Court columns). 
     The Client Analysis report section  294  ( FIG. 4G ) displays a tabular listing  294   a  of the clients represented by the attorney(s). There is no chart associated with this section. The query that produces this section joins the Attorney table to the Litigant Link table, the Litigant table, and the Docket table to determine which clients (litigants) have been represented by the attorney. The Litigant Link table is joined to the Litigant Order table to determine the capacity of representation (plaintiff, defendant, or other). The table presented on the report displays the following columns: 
     Client Name  294   b    
     Capacity (Plaintiff, Defense, Other)  294   c    
     Court  294   d    
     Case Heading (Title)  294   e    
     Nature of Suit (Case Type)  294   f    
     An alternate embodiment of table  294   a  is filterable according to parameters identified in drop-down menus  294   g  provided in at least some of the columns (as illustrated in  FIG. 4S , the Capacity, Court, Case Heading, and Nature Of Suit columns). 
     The Opposing/Co-Counsel report section  295  ( FIG. 4H ) is an important table  295   a  that displays other attorneys that subject attorney(s) have worked with or against (i.e. they were on the same or opposing sides). To construct this table, a complex query is run that gathers up all of the other attorneys from the cases in question and compares their representation in the cases to the subject attorney(s). The table displays the following columns: 
     Related attorney name  295   b    
     Category of representation  295   c —Plaintiff, Defendant, or other 
     Side  295   d —same or opposing side 
     Court  295   e    
     Case Heading (Title)  295   f    
     The “Side” column  295   d  will contain the designation “Same Side” if the attorney on a particular row of the table was representing the same side as the subject attorney(s). The term “Opposing” will appear in this column if the attorneys were on opposite sides. An alternate embodiment of table  295   a  is filterable according to parameters identified in drop-down menus  295   g  provided in at least some of the columns (as illustrated in  FIG. 4T , the Category of Representation, Side, Court and Case Heading columns). 
     The Capacity Served report section  296  ( FIG. 4I ) is a simple summary of the number of cases where the attorney(s) has represented the plaintiff, defendant, or other case participant, presented as a table  296   a  and also as a pie or bar chart  296   b.    
     The final report section, the Case Listing report section  297  ( FIG. 4J ) is a tabular listing  297   a  of the cases included in the report (or report drill down). These are the set of cases initially selected by query that meet the specific criteria as defined by the user. When the user clicks on either a Nature of Suit description and/or a Judge, the case set is limited by these additional parameters. The case set is presented as a table only (no chart). The columns that can be displayed on this table are as follows: 
     (!) Attorney warning flag  297   b —If an “!” appears this means that defense counsel has not yet been assigned for the litigant in the case. 
     Action  297   c —The user may click on a “View” case link to display the full case docket and/or a “Track” case link that will alert the user to any new case developments. 
     Court  297   d —The court where the case was filed. 
     Docket  297   e —The case docket number. 
     Heading  297   f —The name of the case (e.g. Jones vs. Smith). 
     NOS  297   g —The Nature of Suit (or type) of the case. 
     Filed  297   h —The date the case was initially filed. 
     Case Law  297   i —If a reference appears in this column then it indicates that the case has been closed and that there are case law materials available on, for example, Lexis.com. Clicking on the reference will direct the user to this material. 
     At least some, and preferably all columns of the tabular case listing  297   a  are sortable. In addition, the user can customize the tabular case listing  297   a  by adding or removing columns, specifying the number of items shown on a page, and setting default sorting options, as discussed hereinafter. An alternate embodiment of table  297   a  is filterable according to parameters identified in drop-down menus  297   j  provided in at least some of the columns (as illustrated in  FIG. 4V , the Court and NOS columns). 
     The Case Listing report section  297  is the final report section of the Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile. Immediately following this section is an input form  298  ( FIG. 4K ) that allows the user to (1) switch to a different type of Strategic Profile (by clicking on a different one of tabs  100 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400 , and  500 ), (2) change the reporting dates for the current Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile (information fields  298   a ), (3) obtain product help (help button  298   b ), (4) change the chart type from pie charts to bar charts (or vice versa) (radio buttons  298   c ), (5) indicate whether the report tables should be active (meaning that report tables can be interactively sorted and filtered) (radio buttons  298   d ) in the implementation in which a java applet is used to allow sorting and filtering, (6) indicate the placement of charts in relation to tables (to the side, below, or suppressed) (radio buttons  298   e ), (7) indicate which of the seven report sections should be displayed (check boxes  298   f ), or (8) indicate if the Case Load Analysis table should be displayed in the period of years or months (radio buttons  298   f ′). The user can select the level of customization he or she requires and click the “Rerun Profile” button  298   g  to create a modified report. An alternate embodiment of the input form, illustrated in  FIG. 4W , omits the Table Type option  298   d  (which is instead found in the alternate embodiment of the input screen illustrated in  FIG. 4M ) and the Report Layout option  298   e  (which in the alternate embodiment is superfluous because as shown in  FIG. 4V , all tables are made active, and as shown in  FIG. 4Q , the report layout is fixed as “Table next to Chart.” The segments of the pie chart or the bars of the bar chart preferably are displayed in unique colors. A color key can be provided as a separate column of the corresponding table. “Mousing over” a segment of a pie chart or a bar of a bar chart displays the data, for example  194   c ′ in  FIG. 3U , represented by the segment or the bar. 
     Should the user desire a printable copy of the report (one without header graphics or the bottom input form), he or she can click the “Print View” button  298   h . A new browser window (not shown) will be opened which will accommodate this request. A report also can be generated to a data file (for example, a PDF file, as shown in  FIG. 4W , button  298   i ), to allow the report to be saved and to be sent to others. 
     At the very bottom of the report is a Report Criteria or Parameter section  299  ( FIG. 4L ) that recaps the input parameters used to generate the report. These parameters include the list of selected attorneys as well as the range of dates used to qualify cases. An alternate embodiment of the Parameter section  299 , using a different format, is illustrated in  FIG. 4X . 
     Data required to reproduce this Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile are stored in a database table and is displayed as an option the next time the user runs an Attorney/Law Firm Strategic Profile. 
     Attorney/Law Firm Strategic profiles are a unique and valuable tool for litigators researching opposing counsel. All of the relevant facts about the attorney(s) activity in Federal District Court are displayed in concise tables and easy to read charts. While activity can be discovered at a glance, further detail can be uncovered by viewing the full case docket and supporting materials pointed to by the profiles. 
     Attorney/Law Firm Strategic profiles can also be used as a means of evaluating lawyer effectiveness and as a research tool. In particular, the Opposing/Co-Counsel Analysis provides invaluable detail regarding other attorneys who have worked for and against the subject attorney(s). 
     Judicial Strategic Profile 
     Upon selecting the Judicial Strategic Profile tab of the main menu, the user is presented with a screen as depicted in  FIG. 5A . The user may link back to the Strategic Profile menu or link to other online legal services, for example other LexisNexis Courtlink services, by clicking on appropriate links (not shown). The user may click on the “Help” button  310  to receive detailed instructions and report samples. The user may click on any of the four other Strategic Profile tabs  100 ,  200 ,  400 , or  500  to create a report of the specified type. 
     The central portion of the screen contains input fields  320   a - 320   b  and  330  where the user must specify the parameters used to generate a specific Judicial Strategic Profile. The user must specify a date range  330  for reporting purposes. This date range indicates the dates between which cases will be investigated with the involvement of the specified judge. Cases with an initial filing date outside this range will not be considered. The user may then enter a judge name  320   a . The user can also search for a judge by selecting a specific court from a dropdown list  320   b . Two optional fields  350   a  and  350   b  complete the input form. The user may elect to enter a “Client Matter Code” (input field  350   a ) useful for aggregating direct fees to be handled by the user&#39;s own internal billing system. The second field  350   b , labeled “Client Notes,” allows the user to make a free form notation regarding the particular Strategic Profile to be generated. 
     In an alternate embodiment, illustrated in  FIG. 5J , the user is allowed to select the Chart Type (using, for example, radio buttons  395   c ) and Reporting Selections (using, for example, check boxes  395   f ) before running the initial report. 
     Each time a Judicial Strategic Profile is generated, a record is entered in a Judge database table. The bottom portion  360  of the input screen displays all of the Judicial Strategic Profiles previously run by the user. The user may elect to rerun any of these prior reports by clicking on the “Rerun” link  360   a  or to delete any of these saved records by clicking on the “Delete” link  360   b . At the very bottom of the screen is a link  360   c  that allows for the deletion of all previously saved records. 
     Clicking on the “Produce Profile” button  370  begins the reporting process. As a first step, to the program takes the name and/or court entered by the user and construct a query that discovers all possible matching judges. The program presents these possible matches  380   a  to the user for approval ( FIG. 5B ). The user may select any displayed judge and begin the reporting process by clicking on the judge name. In an alternate embodiment, illustrated in  FIG. 5K , the user may select the desired judge by clicking on a radio button  380   c , and then begins the reporting process by clicking on the “Create Profile” button  380   d . The user may elect to cancel the report by clicking on the “Cancel” button  380   b.    
     When the user clicks on a judge name, the program begins to gather up the necessary information required to produce the report by executing a series of queries against the Judge and Judge Link database tables, as well as the Docket and Attorney database tables. The Judicial Strategic Profile report is presented in four sections  391 - 394 . As a prerequisite to producing these sections, the program must first determine the set of cases that qualify based on the input parameters. The program forms a query that investigates the Judge database table and uses the Judge Link table to quickly discover all cases presided over by the judge. These cases are filtered by the beginning and ending date parameters to produce a qualifying case set. Armed with this set of cases, the program can now produce the four tables  391   a ,  392   a ,  393   a , and  394   a  (with accompanying graphics  391   b ,  392   b , and  394   b ) displayed on the report. 
     A report heading  390  ( FIG. 5C ) is displayed showing the name of the judge, the dates the report covers and the count of cases discovered. An alternate embodiment of the report heading  390 , using a different format, is illustrated in  FIG. 5L . The first section  391  of the report is a grouping of cases by Nature of Suit (or case type) description. A query is executed against the database that identifies the qualified cases as described above and groups these cases by Nature of Suit category. A count of cases in each category is presented and a percentage of each type of case against the total cases found is calculated. These results are then presented in tabular form  391   a  and also as a pie or bar chart  391   b , as shown in  FIG. 5D ). Each Nature of Suit description in the table is enabled to be a hyperlink, meaning that if the user should click on a specific description an entirely new report will be generated further restricting the report to cases of only that particular Nature of Suit. This is a particularly useful feature to those users seeking to investigate case details of only cases of a particular type that the judge has presided over. 
     The Case Load Analysis report section  392  ( FIG. 5E ) groups the cases in the set by either year or month, providing an indication of the distribution of work over time. The chart  392   a  and accompanying graph  392   b  display counts and corresponding percentages. 
     The Attorney Appearance Analysis report section  393  ( FIG. 5F ) is a particularly useful table  393   a  indicating how many times each attorney has appeared before the judge. Each attorney name is a hyperlink. Clicking on an attorney name will regenerate a report for the cases related to the particular attorney only. There is no chart associated with this table. An alternate embodiment of table  393   a  is filterable according to parameters identified in drop-down menus  393   b  provided in at least some of the columns (as illustrated in  FIG. 5O , the Attorney Name and LawFirm columns). 
     The final report section, the Case Listing report section  394  ( FIG. 5G ) is a tabular listing  394   a  of the cases included in the report (or report drill down). These are the set of cases initially selected by query that meet the specific criteria as defined by the user. When the user clicks on either a Nature of Suit description and/or an Attorney, the case set is limited by this additional parameter. The case set is presented as a table only (no chart). The columns that can be displayed on this table are as follows: 
     (!) Attorney warning flag  394   b —If an “!” appears this means that defense counsel has not yet been assigned for the litigant in the case. 
     Action  394   c —The user may click on a “View” case link to display the full case docket and/or a “Track” case link that will alert the user to any new case developments. 
     Court  394   d —The court where the case was filed. 
     Docket  394   e —The case docket number. 
     Heading  394   f —The name of the case (e.g. Jones vs. Smith) 
     NOS  394   g —The Nature of Suit (or type) of the case. 
     Filed  394   h —The date the case was initially filed 
     Case Law  394   i —If a reference appears in this column then it indicates that the case has been closed and that there are case law materials available on, for example, Lexis.com. Clicking on the reference will direct the user to this material. 
     At least some, and preferably all columns of the tabular case listing  394   a  are sortable. In addition, the user can customize the tabular case listing  394   a  by adding or removing columns, specifying the number of items shown on a page, and setting default sorting options, as discussed hereinafter. An alternate embodiment of table  394   a  is filterable according to parameters identified in drop-down menus  394   j  provided in at least some of the columns (as illustrated in  FIG. 5P , the Court and NOS columns). 
     The Case Listing section  394  is the final report section of the Judicial Strategic Profile. Immediately following this section is an input form  395  ( FIG. 5H ) that allows the user to (1) switch to a different type of Strategic Profile (by clicking on a different one of tabs  100 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400 , and  500 ), (2) change the reporting dates for the current Judicial Strategic Profile (information fields  395   a ), (3) obtain product help (help button  395   b ), (4) change the chart type from pie charts to bar charts (or vice versa) (radio buttons  395   c ), (5) indicate whether the report tables should be active (meaning that report tables can be interactively sorted and filtered) (radio buttons  395   d ) in the implementation in which a java applet is used to allow sorting and filtering, (6) indicate the placement of charts in relation to tables (to the side, below, or suppressed) (radio buttons  395   e ), (7) indicate which of the four report sections should be displayed (check boxes  395   f ), or (8) indicate if the Case Load Analysis report section should be aggregated by month or year (radio buttons  395   f ). The user can select the level of customization he or she requires and click the “Rerun Profile” button ( 395   g ) to create a modified report. 
     In an alternate embodiment, illustrated in  FIG. 5Q , the  395   d  Table Type option  395   d  and the Report Layout option  395   e  are omitted, in favor of making all tables active (for example, as shown in  FIG. 5P ), and fixing the report layout as “Table next to Chart” (for example, as shown in  FIG. 5N ). The segments of the pie chart or the bars of the bar chart preferably are displayed in unique colors. A color key can be provided as a separate column of the corresponding table. “Mousing over” a segment of a pie chart or a bar of a bar chart displays the data, for example  194   c ′ in  FIG. 3U , represented by the segment or the bar. 
     Should the user desire a printable copy of the report (one without header graphics or the bottom input form), he or she can click the “Print View” button ( 395   h ). A new browser window (not shown) will be opened which will accommodate this request. A report also can be generated to a data file (for example, button  395   i , a PDF file), to allow the report to be saved and to be sent to others. 
     At the very bottom of the report is a Parameter or Report Criteria section  396  ( FIG. 5I ) that recaps the input parameters used to generate the report. These include judge name and court(s) as well as the range of dates used to qualify cases. An alternate embodiment of the Parameter section  396 , using a different format, is illustrated in  FIG. 5R . 
     Data required to reproduce this Judicial Strategic Profile are stored in a database table and are displayed as an option the next time the user runs a Judicial Strategic Profile. 
     Judicial Strategic Profiles are unique in the way that they aggregate specific case information related to a specific judge, allowing a litigator (or others) the opportunity to quickly see the types of cases that the judge has ruled on, as well as the listing of attorneys who have appeared before the judge. Law firms can use Judicial Strategic Profiles as part of their litigation preparation and research activities. Researching rulings by the judge on prior cases and the judge&#39;s dealing with counsel can provide valuable insight into developing litigation strategies. 
     Court Strategic Profile 
     Upon selecting Court Strategic Profile, the user is presented with a screen as depicted in  FIG. 6A . The user may link back to the Strategic Profile menu or link to other LexisNexis Courtlink services by clicking on appropriate links (not shown). The user may click on the “Help” button  410  to receive detailed instructions and report samples. The user may click on any of the four other Strategic Profile tabs  100 ,  200 ,  300 , or  500  to create a report of the specified type. 
     The central portion of the screen contains input fields  420   a - 420   d  where the user must specify the parameters used to generate a specific Court Strategic Profile. The user must specify a date range  430  for reporting purposes. This date range indicates the dates between which cases will be investigated that were filed in the specified court. Cases with an initial filing date outside this range will not be considered. The user may then enter a court in the input field  420   a  and may then optionally enter up to a predetermined number of Nature of Suit classifications in the input fields  420   b - 420   d  in order to restrict the case set further (in the exemplary screen illustrated in  FIG. 6A , the number of Nature of Suit classifications is three). The user may elect to enter a “Client Matter Code” in input field  450   a , useful for aggregating direct fees to be handled by the user&#39;s own internal billing system. The second field  450   b , labeled “Client Notes,” allows the user to make a free form notation regarding the particular Strategic Profile to be generated. In an alternate embodiment, illustrated in  FIG. 6F , before choosing a court from the input field  420   a , the user selects between multiple radio buttons  420   e  to specify the type of court (e.g. a US District court or a State Court) for which the Strategic Profile report is to be prepared. 
     Each time a Court Strategic Profile is generated, a record is entered in a Court database table. The bottom portion  460  of the input screen displays all of the Court Strategic Profiles previously run by the user. The user may elect to rerun any of these prior reports by clicking on the “Rerun” link  460   a  or to delete any of these saved records by clicking on the “Delete” link  460   b . At the very bottom of the screen is a link  460   c  that allows for the deletion of all previously saved records. 
     In an alternate embodiment, illustrated in  FIG. 6F , the user is allowed to select the Chart Type (for example, using radio buttons  493   c ) and the Reporting Period (for example, using radio buttons  493   f ) before running the initial report. 
     Clicking on the “Produce Profile” button  470  begins the reporting process. The first step produces a screen that verifies the user selections ( FIG. 6B ). The user may elect to produce the report or cancel by clicking on the appropriate button. An alternate embodiment of the verification screen using a different format is illustrated in  FIG. 6G . 
     The Court Strategic Profile report takes on a slightly different appearance depending on the options selected. If all Nature of Suit descriptions are included (e.g. no specific Nature of Suit description was specified), then the report will initially display a report heading  490  showing the name of the court, the dates the report covered, and the count of cases discovered, followed by a Total Cases Filed report section  491  that displays a table  491   a  for the total number of cases filed in the court by time period (either by month or by year) with an accompanying bar or line chart  491   b  ( FIG. 6C-1 ). Following this section is a report section  492  that displays the number of cases filed by each Nature of Suit across the entire time period as a table  492   a  ( FIG. 6C-2 ) and as a corresponding graph  492   b  ( FIG. 6C-3 ). If two or three Nature of Suit descriptions are specified from the initial input form, the report will first display the Total Cases filed across all selected Nature of Suit classifications followed by individual tables for the count of cases filed for each Nature of Suit in the court. If one Nature of Suit classification is selected, then the report  491 ′ is simply one table  491   a ′ displaying the count of cases for the selected Nature of Suit in the specified court and a corresponding graph  491   b ′ ( FIG. 6D ). 
     At the bottom of the report is an input form  493  ( FIG. 6E ) that allows the user to (1) switch to a different type of Strategic Profile (by clicking on a different one of the tabs  100 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400 , and  500 ), (2) change the reporting dates for the current Court Strategic Profile (information fields  493   a ), (3) obtain product help (help button  493   b ), (4) change the chart type from bar charts to line charts (or vice versa) (radio buttons  493   c ), (5) indicate whether the report tables should be active (meaning that report tables can be interactively sorted and filtered) (radio buttons  493   d ) in the implementation in which a java applet is used to allow sorting and filtering, (6) indicate the placement of charts in relation to tables (to the side, below, or suppressed) (radio buttons  493   e ), or (7) indicate if the reporting period should be aggregated by month or year (radio buttons  493   f ). The user can select the level of customization he or she requires and click the “Rerun Profile” button  493   g  to create a modified report. Should the user desire a printable copy of the report (one without header graphics or the bottom input form), he or she can click the “Print View” button  493   h . A new browser window (not shown) will be opened that will accommodate this request. 
     In an alternate embodiment, illustrated in  FIG. 6J , the Table Type option  493   d  and the Report Layout option  493   e  are removed, in favor of making all tables active, and fixing the report layout as “Table next to Chart” (see, for example,  FIG. 6H-2 ). A report also can be generated to a data file (in the example of button  493   i , a PDF file), to allow the report to be saved and to be sent to others. 
     Data required to reproduce this Court Strategic Profile are stored in a database table and are displayed as an option the next time the user runs a Court Strategic Profile. 
     Court Strategic Profiles are run primarily to gauge the level of activity in certain courts for specific case types. A law firm can use this trend data to better allocate firm resources both geographically and by practice area. Others, especially the media, use this report to research litigation trends. 
     Nature of Suit Strategic Profile 
     Upon selecting Nature of Suit Strategic Profile  500 , the user is presented with a screen as depicted in  FIG. 7A . The user may link back to the Strategic Profile menu or link to other online legal services, for example, other LexisNexis Courtlink services, by clicking on appropriate links (not shown). The user may click on the “Help” button  510  to receive detailed instructions and report samples. The user may click on any of the four other Strategic Profile tabs  100 ,  200 ,  300 , or  400  to create a report of the specified type. 
     The central portion of the screen contains input fields  520   a - 520   e  where the user must specify the parameters used to generate a specific Nature of Suit Strategic Profile. The user must specify a date range  530  for reporting purposes. This date range indicates the dates between which cases will be investigated that were filed in the specified court. Cases with an initial filing date outside this range will not be considered. The user must then select a Nature of Suit description from a dropdown list  520   a . The user may then optionally select none or up to a pre-determined number of Courts in the input fields  520   b - 520   e  for reporting (in the exemplary screen illustrated in  FIG. 7A , the number of Courts is four). The user may elect to enter a “Client Matter Code” (input field  550   a ), useful for aggregating direct fees to be handled in by the user&#39;s own internal billing system. The second field  550   b , labeled “Client Notes,” allows the user to make a free form notation regarding the particular Strategic Profile to be generated. 
     Each time a Nature of Suit Strategic Profile is generated, a record is entered in a database table that is associated with the running of Nature of Suit Strategic Profiles and records the fact that a specific user has run a specific report, so that should the user desire, he or she can rerun the report again at a later date with the same parameters. The bottom portion  560  of the input screen displays all of the Nature of Suit Strategic Profiles previously run by the user. The user may elect to rerun any of these prior reports by clicking on the “Rerun” link  560   a  or to delete any of these saved records by clicking on the “Delete” link  560   b . At the very bottom of the screen is a link  560   c  that allows for the deletion of all previously saved records. 
     In an alternate embodiment, the user is allowed to select the Chart Type (using, for example, radio buttons  593   c ) and the Reporting Period (using, for example, radio buttons  593   f ) before running the initial report, as illustrated in  FIG. 7N . 
     Clicking on the “Produce Profile” button  570  begins the reporting process. As a first step, the program produces a screen that verifies the user selections ( FIG. 7B ). The user may elect to produce the report or cancel by clicking on the appropriate button. An alternate embodiment of the verification screen using a different format is illustrated in  FIG. 7O . 
     A report heading  590  is displayed showing the Nature of Suit (case type), the dates and courts the report covers, and the count of cases discovered.  FIGS. 7C, 7D, and 7E , respectively illustrate exemplary headings for reports in which all, one, and two courts are specified. Alternate embodiments of these three figures with the same information but a different format are illustrated by  FIGS. 7P, 7Q, and 7R . 
     The Nature of Suit Strategic Profile report takes on a slightly different appearance depending on the options selected. If all Courts are included for a specified Nature of Suit, the report will initially display a Total Cases Filed section  591  with a table  591   a  and chart  591   b  ( FIG. 7F ) for the total number of cases filed in the Nature of Suit by time period (either by month or by year). This section is next followed by a Total Cases Filed By Court section  592  with a table  592   a  ( FIG. 7G ) and a chart  592   b  ( FIG. 7H ) showing the distribution of these cases across all courts. The accompanying charts can be either bar or line as specified by the user. 
     If two, three, or four Courts are specified from the initial input form, the report will first display the Total Cases filed across all Courts combined  591 ′ ( FIG. 7I ) with a table  591   a ′ and corresponding graph  591   b ′, followed by Cases Filed by state sections  592 ′ with individual tables  592   a ′ for the count of cases filed for each Court ( FIGS. 7J and 7K ), and corresponding graphs  592   b ′. If a single Court is selected, the report  592 ″ is simply one table  592   a ″ displaying the count of cases for the selected Nature of Suit in that Court and a corresponding graph  592   b ″ ( FIG. 7L ). 
     At the bottom of the report is an input form  593  ( FIG. 7M ) that allows the user to (1) switch to a different type of Strategic Profile (by clicking on a different one of tables  100 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400 , and  500 ), (2) change the reporting dates for the current Nature of Suit Strategic Profile (information fields  593   a ), (3) obtain product help (help button  593   b ), (4) change the chart type from bar charts to line charts (or vice versa) (radio buttons  593   c ), (5) indicate whether the report tables should be active (meaning that report tables can be interactively sorted and filtered) (radio buttons  593   d ) in the implementation in which a java applet is used to allow sorting and filtering, (6) indicate the placement of charts in relation to tables (to the side, below, or suppressed) (radio buttons  593   e ), or (7) indicate if the reporting period should be aggregated by month or year (radio buttons  593   f ). The user can select the level of customization he or she requires and click the “Rerun Profile” button  593   g  to create a modified report. Should the user desire a printable copy of the report (one without header graphics or the bottom input form), he or she can click the “Print View” button  593   h . A new browser window (not shown) will be opened which will accommodate this request. 
     In an alternate embodiment, illustrated in  FIG. 7Y , the Table Type option  593   d  and the Report Layout option  593   e  are omitted, in favor of making all tables active, and fixing the report layout as “Table next to Chart” (see, for example,  FIG. 7T ). A report also can be generated to a data file (for example in button  593   i , a PDF file), to allow the report to be saved and to be sent to others. 
     Data required to reproduce this Nature of Suit Strategic Profile are stored in a database table and are displayed as an option the next time the user runs a Nature of Suit Strategic Profile. 
     Nature of Suit Strategic Profiles are run primarily to gauge the level of activity in certain courts for specific case types. A law firm can use this trend data to better allocate firm resources both geographically and by practice area. Others, especially the media, can use this report to research litigation trends. 
     History Report 
     In one embodiment, individual tabs on the Strategic Profile reports main menu screen have their own history information. In an alternate embodiment, shown in  FIG. 2B , a separate History tab  600  is provided on the main menu. Upon selecting History (by clicking the corresponding tab  600  of the main menu), the user is presented with a screen as depicted in  FIG. 2B . In the History screen, all reports previously run by the user are grouped in one table  610 . The table  610  includes a selection box column  610   a ; an Action column  610   b  displaying the available actions that can be taken for each report; a Type column  610   c , displaying the type of report for each report; a Report Name column  610   d  displaying the name of each report; a System column  610   e  displaying the court system for which each report was run; a Date Run column  610   f  displaying the date each report was run; a Rerun Free Until column  610   g  displaying either the date and time until which the user can rerun a report without charge or the charge for rerunning the report; a Date Range column  610   h  displaying the date range for each report; a Results column  610   i  displaying the number of entries in each report; a Client Matter Code column  610   j  displaying the client matter code (if any) entered by the user for each report; and a Project Notes column  610   k  displaying any project notes entered by the user for each report. The table  610  is sortable by most columns and filterable according to parameters identified in drop-down menus  620  provided in at least some of the columns (as illustrated in  FIG. 2B , the Type, System, Client Matter Code, and Project Notes columns). 
     It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the specific form in which the reports are displayed can be changed as needed according to user preference and to improve readability. For example, graphs can be presented in either three dimensions, as shown in  FIGS. 3E-3I, 4D, 4E, 4I, 5D, 5E, 6C-3, 6D, 7F, and 7I-7L , or in two dimensions, as shown in  FIGS. 3Q-3U, 4P-4Q, 4U, 5M-5N, 6H-1, 6H-2, 6I, and 7S-7X . The reports can be tabbed or otherwise divided into separate sections  50 ,  52 ,  54  corresponding to separate web pages (for example, section 1—Profile Report (tables and graphs); section 2—Case List; and section 3—Criteria), as shown in  FIG. 3P . As shown in  FIG. 3V , link  195   k  can be provided to a menu that allows the user to customize case list tables by adding or removing columns, specifying the number of items (rows in the table) displayed on a page (instead of displaying all items (rows in the table)), and setting default sorting options. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated user interfaces or to the order of the user interfaces described herein. Various types and styles of user interfaces may be used in accordance with the present invention without limitation. 
     Modifications and variations of the above-described embodiments of the present invention are possible, as appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.