The Internet as it exists today is the last place to begin legal research as lawyers define it. The Net is filled with anemic databanks and frustrating dead ends. It lacks a comprehensive database of court opinions, and existing sites contain only recent cases and rudimentary search tools. Things aren t likely to improve in the near future. I know of no court willing to invest the considerable resources necessary to convert old cases to searchable text.
Search indexes require fast, expensive computers.
I don't recommend buying MacLeod s book if you are searching for a resource to compete with current case law databases. Lexis and Westlaw have little to worry about from the Internet. When a new technology comes along, we tend to evaluate it by reference to old technologies. When personal computers came along, many law firms saw little more than a way to save on Liquid Paper. Too many lawyers still view them as fancy typewriters for their secretaries.