Docket Reseach: Finding Dockets Using Bloomberg Law

After logging in to Bloomberg Law you should be directed to a homepage with a search bar.  You can type "dockets" into the search bar and choose "Dockets Search" OR click on "Litigation" (above the search bar) and choose "Dockets Search" from the drop down menu. The following search window will pop up. 

To track developments in a particular case, first find and open the docket for that case.  Then chose "track docket" and choose your preferred  frequency for receiving alerts about new developments in that docket. 

Bloomberg Law publishes a docket coverage map that use you can to determine which jurisdiction's dockets, over which time periods, are available. 

Dockets coverage is extensive and narrowing your search using whatever information (jurisdiction, party names, dates, judge, docket or case number, keywords) will be helpful.  Keep the following in mind:

• Docket numbers (sometimes called case numbers) can only be used for searching federal dockets in Bloomberg Law.
• You can narrow down jurisdictions in which to search by choosing "Browse Full List" and then using the arrows/drop down menus to select courts with specificity.  You can select more than one court or groupings of courts.  
• Keyword searches without additional filters tend to result in search returns that are too extensive to easily sift through. If you are using more than one keyword, click on the ? icon for information about helpful search operators.  
• If you are searching by party name (including amicus) or presiding judge use the correctly labelled search boxes, not the keyword search box. 

Creating search alerts is a good way to keep abreast of new filings and legal developments on a legal topic of interest. If you were, for instance, to create a federal docket search using the "Nature of Suit" option and choosing "Family and Medical Leave", you could be notified, at a frequency of your choosing, of each new case initiated nationwide or in the jurisdiction you narrowed down to that concerned the Family and Medical Leave Act. 

You can create an alert on a docket search from the search form or by clicking  “Create Alert” at the top of the results list.