Blogging Everything You Ever Wanted to know but were afraid to ask 1.
What You Always Wanted to Know About Legal Research * * But Were Afraid to Ask.
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Transcript of What You Always Wanted to Know About Legal Research * * But Were Afraid to Ask.
What You Always Wanted to Know
About Legal Research *
*But Were Afraid to Ask
Overarching Themes
• Update• Take
advantage of the work of others
• Use help services
Acronyms & Words
• Bieber’s• Bluebook• Black’s &
general dictionaries
• Words & Phrases
Leave It to Bieber’s
• Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations
• Dictionary of Legal Citations
The Bluebook• Blue pages• Tables &
abbreviations• Jurisdiction-
specific• Courts,
documents, states, periodicals, services
Words and Phrases
• Judicially defined• Nationwide• Annual pocket
parts• Westlaw: search
cases or statutes, field WP (term)
Unfamiliar Topic
• Find a research guide
• Consult a treatise
• Check ALR or Causes of Action
• Read a law review article
Treat-ises
ScholarlyComprehensiveAuthoritative• Corbin on
Contracts• Nimmer on
Copyright
Washington
• Wash. Practice• Wash. Lawyers
Practice Manual• WSBA deskbooks
(Loislaw)• Wash. Legal
Researcher’s Deskbook 3d
Fact Pattern
•American Law Reports
•Causes of Action (tort-based)
Law Reviews
• Index vs fulltext• Hein Online for
“historic” articles
• Shepard’s & Keycite
• Annotated codes
Forms
• Formbook collections
• LexisNexis & Westlaw databases
• Office boilerplate
Facts
• Public libraries–Seattle Public
– Internet Public Library
• Almanacs
Constitutions
• Initial volumes of statutory codes
• Annotated codes cite to law review articles & cases
Statutes
• Easier to read in print
• Easier to update online
• Popular names
• Tables
Effective Dates
Washington• 90 days after
adjournment• Laws of Wash.• RCWA tables &
pocket parts
United States• Presidential
signature OR as stated in the act
• Statutes at Large
• USC, USCA & USCS
Legislative History
Shortcuts• USCCAN• LexisNexis
Congressional• LexisNexis &
Westlaw• Bibliographies
50 State Surveys
• M-H Law Digest• National Survey of
State Laws• Subject
Compilations of State Laws
• Uniform Laws Annotated
Caselaw
•One good case
•Secondary sources
•Update online
Missile - any
• Admin. decisions• Court rules• Ethics opinions• Judicial
biographies• Jury instructions• Jury verdicts
Bag ‘O Tricks
• How to use a new source
• Smaller, targeted databases
• System as a citator
Paper Trail
•CALR searches
• Internet finds
•Citator checks
•Dead ends
Stop When . . .
• You have found the answer
• The cost exceeds the benefit
• Multiple sources cite the same authorities
Kindness of Strangers