Casemaker’s little-known Thesaurus function can provide users with expanded search capabilities. By placing a tildé (~) immediately before a word (no spaces allowed), users can find synonyms for keywords. Because the thesaurus allows for the expansion of the number of searchable cases with similar dialogue, this greatly increases the chance of finding case law that is most applicable to your challenges. For example, entering ~alcohol into the Full Document Search Query box will yield the case law containing the words, “liquor,” “whiskey,” “intoxicant,” “spirits,” and more.

Entering the word ~car will yield the words “car,” “automobile,” “auto,” “vehicle,” “train,” and others. But users need to be careful. Because the word, “vehicle” can also mean, “conveyance,” this word may also appear in the search. When searching for ~animal the surnames “Hare” and “Hunter” may appear.

The Thesaurus function can also be used in conjunction with other search parameters such as AND, OR, NOT, PHRASE, and SUFFIX EXPANSION searches.

For more information about Casemaker, visit http://www.ksbar.org/casemaker or
e-mail casemaker@ksbar.org.