Frequently Asked Questions

There's a number of questions that we get a lot here at Geronimo. We've compiled a highly useful list for you.

• Do the Casefinder Discs Expire?
• Do I have to pay sales tax?
• Do I have to return old discs?
• How come you guys are so cheap?
• When will Model Jury Instructions be included?

• Do The CaseFinder Discs Expire?

  No. As long as you comply with the terms of the license agreement, you can use a set of CaseFinder discs forever.
  
  

• How Come You Guys Are So Cheap?

  We think the real question is "How come the other guys are so expensive?" but we'll answer this anyway.
  

  1. We obtain a significant portion of the new materials that we add to the databases each month in digital format, saving us considerable time and expense. For those older materials which can only be obtained from print sources, we employ high speed scanners and state-of-the-art optical character recognition ("OCR") software, but the final step still requires human proofreading.
  2. We do not employ any sales personnel. All of our sales are direct to the customer. Our focus is on producing accurate databases and powerful software, not marketing. We believe in the old-fashioned notion that a satisfied customer is the best source of new business.
  3. We do not employ editors to prepare headnotes or digests for the cases we publish. When headnotes had been prepared by government sources, and are therefore in the public domain, we include them.
  4. We've spent ten years working with Virginia and Federal statute and case law, and developing software internally. We utilize a number of custom-built computer programs that accelerate and simplify our internal production processes.
  
  
  
• If I Subscribe To Monthly Discs, Do I Have To Return My Old Discs Each Month?

  No. However, to comply with the terms of the license agreement, you must stop using the earlier discs when you install a later month.
  
  

• Geronimo Is Not Located In Virginia. Why Do I Have To Pay Virginia Sales Tax?

  Geronimo was incorporated in Virginia in 1989, when the founders were practicing law. In addition, referring to the first item above, the Commonwealth of Virginia does a superb job of making the latest materials, both case law and statutes, available on the internet in digital format. CaseFinder users benefit from those efforts, and it seems only "fair" to re-pay the Commonwealth a little bit for that service.

• When Are You Going to Include The Model Jury Instructions?

  Inasmuch as the Model Jury Instructions were written by a committee of attorneys selected by, and operating under the guidance and auspices of, the Supreme Court of Virginia, we believe that those portions of the Instructions that were drafted by the Committee or the Court should be in the public domain. However, a May 12, 1977 contract between the Supreme Court and The Michie Company purports to give full control over all sales of the publication of The Model Jury Instructions, together with the copyright thereon, to Michie, effectively creating a monopoly. We would very much like to include the Model Jury Instructions, but in light of that contract, we are unsure as to how we should proceed.