How to Search by a Creditor's Name on Lexis CourtLink

You can search by a creditor's name in the search box as well as in the Creditor field. There are different rules that apply to each method though. 

Creditor Field
Search Tips for the Creditor Field
Search Box
Search Tips for the Search Box

 Creditor Field

The Creditor field searches the terms that are entered using a segment search. Take the following steps to search by a creditor's name in the Creditor field:

1. Select a court or courts from the within drop-down.
2. Enter the debtor's name in the Creditor field.
   Note:  Leave out initials, middle names, or abbreviations.
3. Click search.

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 Search Tips for the Creditor Field

Ampersands (&)
When searching for a litigant name that has an ampersand in its name such as AT&T, omit the & symbol and enter the following in in the Litigant field: at t.

Apostrophes (')
Apostrophes are ignored.

Business Names
Omit abbreviations like Inc., LLC., etc. as the court may or may not use these. 
Use quotation marks to keep the creditor's name together without any intervening terms. 

Carets (^)
The caret operates as an OR connector.

Hyphens (-)
Hyphens are ignored unless in between 2 spaces.

Individual Creditor Name
Avoid searching for common last names with no other criteria.

Middle Initials
Avoid using middle initials whenever possible because the court may not have entered a middle initial. 

Noise Words
Noise words are ignored. For a list of noise words, see Lexis CourtLink Unsearchable Words. If a creditor name includes noise words, search with the name in quotation marks. For example, search "agency for the performing arts". 

Periods
Periods are read as a space.

Quotation Marks
Use quotation marks to keep creditor names together with no intervening terms. 

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 Search Box

Take the following steps to search by a creditor's name in the search box:

1. Select a court or courts from the within drop-down.
2. Enter plaintiff-litigant(xxx) in the search box. 
   Note:  The xxx stands for the creditor's name. 
3. Click the magnifying glass or press the Enter key on your keyboard.

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 Search Tips for the Search Box

Generally
The Search Box uses Lexis^® search logic. You can construct Natural Language or Terms & Connectors searches. You can also utilize wildcards and segments. Put your search terms in quotation marks to look for an exact phrase when running Natural Language searches.
 

Using Symbols and Special Characters
The Lexis^® CourtLink^® service does not search for the following special characters or symbols and ignores them as terms and treats them like spaces in most situations:

• # (number / pound)
• , (comma)
• $ (dollar sign)
• @ (at / section)
• : (colon)
• - (hyphen)
• / (slash)
• ' (apostrophe)

There are a few special characters that cannot be searched and change the way the service interprets your search:

• " (quotation marks) - You cannot search for quotation marks, but you can use quotation marks in your search to find exact phrases or turn off some search functionality.
• & (ampersand) - You cannot search for an ampersand, but you can use & as an equivalent to the AND connector.
• . (period) - The period is generally viewed as a space. Use quotation marks in your search to turn off that functionality.
• ( ) (parentheses) - You cannot search for parentheses, but you can use them in your search.

The Lexis CourtLink service processes the search with the other terms you entered.

Terms separated by any symbols or punctuation are generally read as a phrase and the results include those terms together with any type of punctuation.

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