Researching Case Law Worksheet- Contracts

7/27/2019 Researching Case Law Worksheet- Contracts

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Yale Law School

Lillian Goldman Law Library

Fifth Hour Legal Research / Fall 2013

JGK rev. 10.15.13 1

Researching Case Law

Creating an Issue Statement for Research / Search String:

5Ws Plus: Who, What, When, Where, Why, Legal Theory, Relief, Procedural

Posture (use whats appropriate).

TAPP: Things, Actions, People, and Places.

List synonyms and antonyms. Characterize people and parties (e.g. grandparents instead of grandmother,

nanny, or grandma).

Revise by examining your search results: Are certain words bringing upirrelevant concepts or cases? Are there terms of art that should be included

in your search string?

Useful Boolean Connectors and Expanders

And Use to connect two different

words or concepts.

Contract and Breach

or Use to connect synonyms. Contract or Agreement

/s Dictates that the words

appear in the same sentences

Service /s unique

/p Dictates that the words

appear in the same

paragraph

Profits /p remedy

/n Dictates that the words

appear within a certain

number of words of one

another.

Promise /50 reliance

! Wild card; use at the end of a

word.

Recover!= recover, recovery

Use for phrase searching liquidated damages

* Universal character Remed* = remedy NOT

remedial

In the Westlaw Next Search box, you must use adv: or the advanced search options


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One Good Case Research Method:

With one good case you can find other, on-point authority by

1. Using the Headnotes to find an on-point Topic/Key Number. Topic/Key Numbersrepresent a narrow point of law contained in the case. Using theHeadnote/Topic/Key Number will lead you to other cases from all jurisdictions

that share the same narrow point of law.

2. Using the cases and other authority cited by the court by referring to the Tableof Authorities or using the hyperlinks in the case.

3. Use the Citator (Shepards / Citing References/ Bcite) to find additionalauthorities.

4. Use the terms and concepts contained in the case to build additional searchstrings.

Lexis Advance Headnote:

Westlaw Next Headnote:

Narrow TopicsTopic (Broad)

Brings you directly into the case at that point.

Narrow point of law from the

Brings you directly into the case at that point.

Topic (Broad)

Key Number: follows the k and corresponds to the narrow issue of la

Narrow point of

law from the case.


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Hints for Using Headnotes

Use the narrowest topic (in Lexis Advance) or the Topic and Key Number (inWestlaw Next) to take you to more cases that share the same, narrow point

of law.

Adjust your jurisdiction. Receive a list of headnotes from cases (in Westlaw Next) or cases (in Lexis

Advance) that share the same narrow point of law.

Search within the results for a specific keyword/term/concept.Citating

1. Use a Citator to confirm you have good law and to find more cases.2. Determining that you have good law is a two-prong analysis:(a) How have subsequent, other courts treated your case?

(i) Note: depth of treatment(ii) Note: jurisdiction

(iii) Note: flags/symbols interpret

(b) What happened to your case as it progressed through the system? Overruled?

Affirmed? Remanded? etc.

3. Use a citator to find additional relevant cases because the citator lists all cases thatcite your case. (Shepards / Citing References).

To Citate in Westlaw Next

Citating in Westlaw involves interpreting flags or symbols that are attached to each

case. The most common are

1. Use the History Tab. Review the subsequent appellate history (What happened toyourcase subsequent to the decision at hand? Was thejudgmentaffirmed? Was the

judgment reversed? Was an appeal dismissed? Was certiorari denied or granted?).

Direct history is listed on the left. Previous history is what happened to your case before the decision at

hand (for purposes of citating, its not important but it may provide somecontext to the procedural history).

Subsequent history is what happened to your case afterthe decision athand. This is important for determining whether you case is good law.

Graphic in center, right shows all history.


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Use the drop-down menu to specify previous or subsequent history.

2. Use the Negative Treatment Tab to determine whether any courts in the relevantjurisdiction (consider: mandatory authority / binding precedent) have said anything

negative about your case as to relevant issue (Did subsequent courts from the

jurisdiction decline to extend? Distinguish? Question?)

Focus on the issues: Use the Headnotes in the column on the right todetermine what issue(s) the case listed is treating your case.

Focus on jurisdiction. Does negative treatment come from a court inanother jurisdiction? Are the decisions from that court binding?

Read the decisions to determine how negative the treatment reallyis. Forexample, distinguished byis considered negative treatment, it doesnt

typically impact the validity of prior cases.

Citating on Lexis Advance

Similar to Westlaw Next.

1. Click the Shepardize button on the right.2. Review the Appellate History.3. Review the Citing Decisions.

Narrow by analysis (how other courts have treated or analyzed your case) Narrow by jurisdiction (to focus on the relevant jurisdiction). Narrow by or look for relevant headnotes number to focus on the

relevant issues.


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For more on learning to research a legal issue, seeIntroduction to Legal Research

Handoutavailable on theSmall Group website.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/163952324/Introduction-to-Legal-Research-Handouthttp://www.scribd.com/doc/163952324/Introduction-to-Legal-Research-Handouthttp://www.scribd.com/doc/163952324/Introduction-to-Legal-Research-Handouthttp://www.scribd.com/doc/163952324/Introduction-to-Legal-Research-Handouthttp://library.law.yale.edu/small-group-legal-research-coursehttp://library.law.yale.edu/small-group-legal-research-coursehttp://library.law.yale.edu/small-group-legal-research-coursehttp://library.law.yale.edu/small-group-legal-research-coursehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/163952324/Introduction-to-Legal-Research-Handouthttp://www.scribd.com/doc/163952324/Introduction-to-Legal-Research-Handout


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I. Draft an issue statement for research:

Use 5Ws Plus (Who, What, When, Where, Why, Legal Theory, Jurisdiction, Procedural

Posture) or TAPP (Things, Actions, People, Places) to identify keywords and concepts.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

II. Locate Secondary Material:

A. Treatises

Concepts for searching (more general; select the more broad terms/concepts

from your issue statement):

__________________________________________________________________

Find a treatise using theLaw Library Treatise Finder:

__________________________________________________________________

Find a treatise usingMorris(law library catalog):

__________________________________________________________________

B. ALRs

Concepts for searching (select general and specific concepts from your issue

statement):

__________________________________________________________________

Find an ALR in Lexis Advance or Westlaw Next:

__________________________________________________________________
http://library.law.yale.edu/research/treatise-finderhttp://library.law.yale.edu/research/treatise-finderhttp://library.law.yale.edu/research/treatise-finderhttp://library.law.yale.edu/http://library.law.yale.edu/http://library.law.yale.edu/http://library.law.yale.edu/http://library.law.yale.edu/research/treatise-finder


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C. Law Review Articles

Concepts for searching (more specific; select the more specific terms/concepts

from your issue statement):

__________________________________________________________________

Find a law review article using Google Scholar (Settings / Library Links / Yale

University Library):

__________________________________________________________________

III. Locate Case Law

A. Jurisdiction:_______________________________________________________________

B. Search Strings:_______________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

C. Relevant Case(s):

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

D. Topic and Key Numbers:

__________________________________________________________________

Researching Case Law Worksheet- Contracts

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