Research ReviewResearch ReviewResearch ReviewResearch ReviewFor Grimes Moot CourtFor Grimes Moot Court

January 18, 2005January 18, 2005http://www2.bc.edu/~shearj/grimeshttp://www2.bc.edu/~shearj/grimes

What is legal research?

The search for authority:

to predict a likely outcome

to advise a client

or

to advocate for a client

Where to Start

Think

Plan

Choose

Research to Understand the Problem

Understand the facts - read your record.

Understand legal terms - legal dictionaries, words and phrases.

Understand general legal principles and what general areas of law are involved - general secondary sources.

Researching the Problem Itself

Types of AuthorityPrimary

(Can be binding)

Secondary(Can only be persuasive)

Sources ConstitutionsCasesStatutesRegulationsCommentaries

e.g. Law Reviews

Background Materialse.g., Records and Briefs

Citation Theory

Why we citeTo provide authority for our pronouncements

What cites do Identify source of authority

Tell where to find source of authority

Provide limited information on weight of authority

date - jurisdiction - relevant subsequent history

Lawyers often start with secondary

sources.

Easier to read and understandContains cites to primary materialsLeads you to leading cases Well organized

Treatises (Books)

Used for:

general overview

citations to primary sources

persuasive authority

Find Books in Catalogs

Tips for Using QUEST

Index browses when you only know the beginning of a title or when you want to browse a list of authors, titles, or a known Library of Congress Subject Heading.

Find Books in Catalogs

Tips for Using QUEST

Keyword search when you don’t know the exact title, author or subject heading.

Find Books in Catalogs

Tips for Using QUEST

Choice of databases

Law

Whole catalog

Internet resources only

Find Books in Catalogs

Tips for Using QUEST

Advanced search for field-restrictors, and more sophisticated searching.

Suggested Title: Constitutional Law

American Constitutional Law, 3rd ed. Vol. 1, by Laurence H. Tribe. (Foundation Press 2000). Use 2nd ed. for Chapters 9 - 18 (1988). Law Permanent Reserves

KF 4550 .T785 2000 & 1988.

Suggested Title: Constitutional Law

Constitutional Law, 7th ed. by John E. Nowak and Ronald D. Rotunda (West 2004). Hornbook Series Law Permanent Reserves

KF 4550 .N6 2004.

Suggested Title: Constitutional Law

Constitutional Law: Principles and Policies, 2nd ed., by Erwin Chemerinsky (Aspen Law & Business 2002).Law Permanent Reserve

KF 4549 .C655 2002.

Suggested Title: Constitutional Law

Treatise on Constitutional Law: Substance and Procedure, 3rd. ed. by Ronald D. Rotunda & John E. Nowak (West 1999). [5 vol.]Law Permanent Reserves KF 4550 .R63 1999.

Suggested Title: Constitutional Law

Understanding Constitutional Law, 2nd ed. by Norman Redlich, John Attanasio, Joel K. Goldstein (Matthew Bender 1999).Law Permanent Reserve KF 4550 .R43 1999. 

Suggested Title: Civil Procedure

Federal Practice and Procedure, by Charles Alan Wright. (some volumes with Arthur R. Miller and May Kay Kane) 2d and 3d editions (West 1982- Gradually replacing 2d ed. since 1998). [67 volumes plus index.]Law Permanent Reserve KF 8840 .W68 1982 andLaw Permanent Reserve KF 8840 .W68 1998. 

Suggested Title: Civil Procedure

Civil Procedure, by Jack H. Friedenthal, Mary Kay Kane, Arthur R. Miller. 2nd ed. St. Paul, Minn.(West 1993). Hornbook seriesLaw Permanent Reserve KF 8840 .F72 1993.

Suggested Title:Civil Procedure

Civil Procedure,  Fleming James, Jr., Geoffrey C. Hazard, Jr., John Leubsdorf. 4th ed. Boston (Little, Brown 1992).Law Permanent Reserve KF

8840 .J3 1992. 

Suggested Title: Civil Procedure

Moore's Manual, Federal Practice and Procedure,  by James Wm. Moore, Allan D. Vestal, and Philip B. Kurland. New York,  (M. Bender,  1962- ) [3 volumes].

Law Permanent Reserve 

KF 8820 .A313M64. 

Law Reviews

Uses

recent developments

citations to primary sources

persuasive authority

Start with IndexesIndexes lead you to articles about a particular topic.

Full text searching leads you to any use of a term.

Law Review Indexes - ILP

Index to Legal Periodicals & BooksAvailable electronically (back to 1980) through The web link from law library electronic resources page (on campus only) Westlaw - ILPLexis - LAWREV;ILP or Index to Legal Periodicals

Index to Legal Periodicals and Books (ILP)

Broad Legal Subject Headings

Law Review Indexes - CLI

Current Law Index Available electronically through the web link from law library electronic resources page (on campus only) Westlaw - LRI Lexis - LAWREV;LGLIND or Legal Resource Index

Current Law Index/Legal Resources

Index (LRI)

Specific general subject headings with subdivisions

Law Review Indexes - CILP

Current Index to Legal PeriodicalsAvailable electronically through The web link from NELLCo web page (on campus only) Westlaw - CILP

Law Reviews - Full Text

WESTLAWTP-ALL

contains: law reviews, texts, American Law Reports (ALR), legal encyclopedias (American Jurisprudence 2d and Corpus Juris Secundum), CLE course materials, bar journals, and legal practice-oriented periodicals.

LEXISLAWREV;LGLPUB Legal Publications Group File

contains: law reviews, bar journals, ABA journals, legal newspapers, legal newsletters, specialty legal publications, and CLE materials

Hein OnlineHistorical collection of images of

legal sources.

Large collection of law review pages accompanied by searchable text.

ALR (American Law

Reports)

Case Finding ToolProvides:historical background;citations to primary sources;structure/ organization

ALR (American Law

Reports) Check Annotation History Table before reading annotationIndexed by:

ALR Index; ALR Quick Index

Full text searchable: ALR (Westlaw) ALR;ALR (Lexis)

Statutes and Constitutions

Annotated codes to find interpretive cases.

Cases - Print Sources

Digest SearchesUseful for finding cases under legal concepts and principles.Brings together cases with a variety of fact situations.

Cases – Full Text Searching

Relevancy Ranking

Search words

Weighted according to algorithms

To find “most” relevant based on ranking criteria

Terms and Connectors

Search words

Combined with Boolean connectors

To find all exact matches

Cases – Terms and Connectors

When you need everything using particular terms

When terms are unique

When you want to include a field search

When you need to know how many cases use these terms

Connectors

Alternatives “or”

ConjunctionsJoining: “and” “&”Proximity: w/# /#Ordered Proximity:

pre/# +#Grammatical: /s /p

Exclusions “but not”

Cases – Relevancy Ranking

When you don’t know much about a subjectWhen you don’t want just a casual mentionWhen you are willing to take a close matchWhen you need an extensive discussion

Westlaw and

Lexis call it --

Natural Language

Supreme Court Rules

Electronically:Supreme Court Rules From the United States

Supreme Court. In Adobe PDF Format. http://www.supremecourtus.gov/ctrules/ctrules.html

Supreme Court Rules 10/95 from Cornell Law School. Hypertext and searchable. http://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/supct/overview.html

Supreme Court RulesFederal Civil Judicial

Procedure and Rules (West annual)Law Permanent Reserve KF 8816 .A193Supreme Court Rules begin on page 575.

Court Records – Briefs and Arguments

Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court of the United States.Law General Collection

KF 101.8 .K87

Court Records – Records and Briefs

Records and Briefs of the United States

Supreme Court in Microfiche since 1971.

Westlaw SCT-BRIEF Merits briefs from 1990-91; Amicus briefs

from 1995-96.Lexis GENFED;BRIEFS

briefs beginning with January 1979.

Court Records – Oral Arguments

May It Please the Court: Landmark Cases Argued Before the Supreme Court, Transcripts and Cassettes.

Law Permanent Reserve KF 8816 .A193

Court Records – Oral Arguments

The Oyez Project – Audio materials from the United Sates Supreme Court via RealAudio

Oral Arguments of the Supreme Court of the United States

Westlaw – SCT-ORALARG (1990-91 term to the present)

Lexis – GENFED;USTRAN (From October 1979)

Topical Services

United States Law Week (BNA)(latest two years at Law Permanent Reserves)Also available electronically.

UpdatingDo you have the latest information?

Check dates whether print or online.

Citator Services – KeyCite and Shepard's

When to StopDon't waste your time

Don't stop too soon

Any Questions?Reference Librarians are on duty:

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