Pacific Legal Gateway

Gateway Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a Gateway? What is the purpose of a Gateway ?
• Why did PacLII start the Pacific Legal Gateway ?
• Who can use the Gateway ?
• How do I use the Pacific Legal Gateway ?
• How did you choose all of the sites you have linked to on the Gateway ?
• What is a Newsfeed and how does it work ?
• How do I access the Thomson Brookers Databases ?
• What Thomson Brookers databases are currently available through the Gateway ?
• Who has access to the Commercial Legal Databases ?
• How can I gain access to the Commercial Legal Databases ?
• Can you do legal research for me ?
• How do I recommend a site for the Gateway ?
• How do I report an error that I've found on the Gateway ?

What is a Gateway? What is the purpose of a Gateway ?

A gateway is literally "a door to information." It is a web site that acts as a doorway or introduction to many other Web sites that are often grouped into categories.

The objective of this Gateway is to provide a single website that provides access to legal content and research resources for Pacific Island countries.

Why did PacLII start the Pacific Legal Gateway ?

This Gateway assembles many pertinent Pacific region legal information resources as well as providing free access to certain subscription legal databases for the Judiciary and Public Legal Officers across PacLII jurisdictions. Offering this tool to Pacific jurisdictions will reinforce legal research skills, thus developing a more solid foundation for jurisprudence and strengthening Pacific legal sectors.

Who can use the Gateway ?

The Gateway is free for anyone to use. However, there are certain resources that are accessible only to the Judiciary and Public Legal Professionals in the 20 Pacific jurisdictions that PacLII serves. These resources include access to commercial databases from Thomson Brookers, including Westlaw.

How do I use the Pacific Legal Gateway ?

Please refer to "How to Use the Pacific Legal Gateway" for this information.

How did you choose all of the sites you have linked to on the Gateway ?

These sites were chosen by qualified law librarians and general librarians who have worked with legal professionals. These sites are intended to provide a sample of excellent legal research tools that can aid Pacific legal professionals. They were selected with Pacific legal research needs in mind.

What is a Newsfeed and how does it work ?

A newsfeed is a direct electronic link to the top news stories from a particular newspaper. In the case of the Gateway, "Jurist," a legal newspaper from the University of Pittsburgh in the United States, has been linked to. As the paper itself changes its headlines, the headlines on the Gateway will also change accordingly. You only have to click on the headline that interests you to be taken to the Jurist site in order to read the full story.

Initially, PacLII wished to link to a Pacific legal journal. However, websites that fit this description do not, as yet, have the proper technology to implement a newsfeed. It was decided to use an international legal title until such a time as this technology is made available on Pacific websites.

How do I access the Thomson Brookers Databases ?

Please refer to "Help Accessing Thomson Brookers Databases" for a step by step guide to accessing these products. This is a PDF document, so you will need Adobe PDF reader to access it. You can obtain the PDF reader free of charge at the Adobe website.

What Thomson Brookers databases are currently available through the Gateway ?

Who has access to the Commercial Legal Databases ?

These are accessible only to the Judiciary and Public Legal Professionals in the 20 Pacific jurisdictions that PacLII serves. Judiciary includes High and Supreme Courts, Courts of Appeal, Magistrates Courts, Island Courts, etc. Public Legal Professionals include State Law Offices, Public Prosecutors, Public Solicitors, etc. This definition can also be extended to anyone who serves a legal role for the State.
In addition, you must not have an existing subscription to the databases available through the Gateway.
If you are not sure whether you qualify for access, please use the Feedback Form to ask PacLII for access. We will respond to you within 24 hours.

How can I gain access to the Commercial Legal Databases ?

If you would like to gain access to the commercial legal databases, please use the Feedback Form to ask PacLII for access. We will respond to you within 24 hours.

Can you do legal research for me ?

Research assistance may be available from PacLII and the University of the South Pacific Law Library. Please feel free to inquire as to the extent of our available research services by using the Feedback Form. Note that there maybe a charge associated with these services.

How do I recommend a site for the Gateway ?

We encourage recommendations for sites that our users find useful. If this site is found to be of general use for Pacific jurisdictions, it will be added to the Gateway. Please send all site referrals through the Feedback Form.

How do I report an error that I've found on the Gateway ?

Please report any error you find through the Report an Error Form form. We endeavor to fix any errors within 24 hours.