There is a new article available via SSRN that discusses the new features within WestLaw Next and how these may impact legal research in academia. Written by Ron Wheeler, the library director at the University of San Francisco School of Law, the article is a great discussion about this new legal research product and addresses some of its strengths and weaknesses. Professor Wheeler has an in-depth analysis of the impact of "crowd searching" and how this technology may be ill-suited for law school environments. He argues that WestLaw Next may be valuable for firm environments, where a small number of legal materials are used frequently, compared to law school environments where scholars write on emerging and novel legal areas. Professor Wheeler is one of the foremost law librarians, and legal research experts, in the country. I highly recommend this article.

Does WestlawNext Really Change Everything: The Implications of WestlawNext on Legal Research -- SSRN