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The Researching Paralegal

~ Articles and Research for Legal Professionals

The Researching Paralegal

Category Archives: Federal Law

In Custodia Legis Free Webinar Honeypot

22 Sunday Nov 2020

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Case of First Impression, Federal Law, Legislative History, Library of Congress, Research, U.S. Government

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Federal Statutory Research, In Custodia Legis, Margaret Wood

December 2020 US Law Webinars: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things, by Margaret Wood, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress

https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2020/11/december-2020-us-law-webinars-these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite-things/?loclr=eaiclb

A CLE honeypot for those who need CLE credits to maintain bar requirements or professional paralegal designations or who simply want to improve their legal research skills. In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress, is now giving free one-hour webinars. On December 10, 2020, sign up for a review of the U.S. Code and Statutes at Large. In February, there will be a webinar on case law.

If you are asking yourself why on earth would I need to know anything about the Statutes at Large, or do not know what it is, here is a refresher: https://bit.ly/35TKW0f. If you ever have had to research the legislative intent of a federal statute, this is one of the best research tools to find it.  

I highly recommend signing up to sharpen up your research skills regardless of whether you need the CLE credits. -CCE

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Legal Research Finally Demystified.

26 Sunday Apr 2020

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Case Law, Court Rules, Federal Law, Internet, Law Journals, Law Reviews, Legal Encyclopedia, Legislative History, Mandatory Law, Primary Law, Regulations, Research, Secondary Resources, State Law, Statutes

≈ Comments Off on Legal Research Finally Demystified.

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Eric Voight, Legal Analysis, Legal Research

Legal Research Demystified, by Eric Voight, Professor of Legal Research and Writing, Faulkner University

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3354594 (table of contents and a sample chapter)

I have a new favorite legal research textbook and reference guide for law and paralegal students — Legal Research Demystified.  In my opinion, it offers a fresh approach to finding and understanding the law. It guides a student in a logical process to research common law and statutory issues. It minimizes the chances that students will miss an important step or forget a necessary tool, such as the digest system or a citator.    

I like the way this book uses hypotheticals and visual aids, including screen captures from online databases, checklists, and charts. It does what a book on legal research should do – it shows and tells you how to do legal research rather than discussing finding research tools in a vacuum.

Everyone learns in a different way, but I think the opportunity to practice what you have learned is one of the strongest ways to teach. I was impressed to see that both students and professors have access to online exercises for each chapter using Core Knowledge for Lawyers (https://coreknowledgeforlawyers.com).

Each self-guided exercise walks students through the steps identified in the textbook and teaches them to research on Westlaw and Lexis Advance, again using visual aids, tips, and hypotheticals. As students electronically answer each question, Core Knowledge instantly provides feedback and an explanation of the right anwer.  It is my understanding that additional exercises should be available May 2020. -CCE

 

 

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Excellent Beginner’s Guide to Federal Legislative Intent.

14 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Law, Legislative History, Research, Statutes

≈ Comments Off on Excellent Beginner’s Guide to Federal Legislative Intent.

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In Custodia Legis Blog, Legal Research, Legislative Intent, Statutes at Large

Research Guides in Focus – Compiling a Federal Legislative History: A Beginner’s Guide, by Barbara Bavis, In Custodia Legis Blog

https://guides.loc.gov/legislative-history/introduction?loclr=bloglaw

You may remember the Schoolhouse Rock song, “I’m Just a Bill.” Both state and federal laws – statutes – start out as just a bill. Once the bill is passed by a state or federal legislature and signed by a governor or the President, it becomes law. If you want to be proficient in legal research, it is important to understand this process. This post is an excellent introduction to federal legislative intent and how to use it to research and interpret federal statutes, also called codes.

If you are researching a new statute, you need to know where to look. Once a statute becomes law, it is not immediately categorized into the federal code.  Instead, it is published chronologically in the Statutes at Large. (See https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/.)  Statutes are “codified,” meaning categorized and published in the United States Code, anywhere from 6 weeks to a year after it became law.  The United States Code, just like state statutes, are organized alphabetically into titles and numbered consecutively, such as Title 26, Internal Revenue Code. (See http://uscode.house.gov/browse.xhtml.)

There will be situations in which you will need to research why a statute or federal code was written and passed into law. When the legal argument hinges on a particular law, we normally look to case law to see how our jurisdiction’s court, or those that would be persuasive to our court, interpreted this statute. But, if your statute is recent and no case law has yet addressed it, you must research the legislative intent to support your argument. In other words, why was the bill written, what was its purpose, and what were the reasons given when the bill was debated to pass it?

Courts apply the law to the facts of each case to decide that case’s outcome, while relying on precedent and doctrine of stare decisis. But, when no case law interpreting a law exists in your jurisdiction – a case of “first impression” – you must look elsewhere for legal authority to support your argument.  Persuasive authority, cases decided by courts from other jurisdictions, can be just that – persuasive – but they are not cases your court must follow. The legislative intent is a stronger argument on which your court can rely to make its decision.

Because the Library of Congress and other online sources have digitalized the Statutes at Large and other online resources, it is much easier to research federal legislative intent. I encourage you to look to the Library of Congress and the law librarians at In Custodia Legis Blog to help you on that journey. -CCE

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Heads Up! Federal Civil Procedure Amendments Effective December 1, 2018.

30 Sunday Sep 2018

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Federal Law, Research

≈ Comments Off on Heads Up! Federal Civil Procedure Amendments Effective December 1, 2018.

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2018-2019 Amendments, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

2018-2019 Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Approved © 2014-2018 The National Court Rules Committee

https://bit.ly/2R9XNC5

The U.S. Supreme Court approved amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure on April 26, 2018. The new amendments go into effect on December 1, 2018, which is now only a few months away. As usual, new text is underlined; deleted text is struck through.

When you review the amendments, I recommend taking the time to read the notes that explain the reasons for the changes. As for the amendment to Rule 5. I suggest that, if you serve a complaint by e-mail, use the email option to show delivery to and/or read receipt by the recipient.

This link will take you to the revised rules, but it is also a free resource that provides access to all the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. For both reasons, worth a bookmark. – CCE

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Historical Supreme Court Cases Now Free Online.

27 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Appellate Law, Case Law, Federal Law, Library of Congress, Research, United States Supreme Court

≈ Comments Off on Historical Supreme Court Cases Now Free Online.

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Hein & Co., Joe Hodnicki, Law Librarian Blog, U.S. Supreme Court

Historical Supreme Court cases now online thanks to Library of Congress (and Hein & Co.), by Joe Hodnicki, Law Librarian Blog

https://bit.ly/2GeSxLG

According to the press release, ‘More than 225 years of Supreme Court decisions acquired by the Library of Congress are now publicly available online – free to access in a page image format for the first time. The Library has made available more than 35,000 cases that were published in the printed bound editions of United States Reports. … The digital versions of the U.S. Reports in the new collection were acquired by the Law Library of Congress through a purchase agreement with William S. Hein & Co. Inc. The acquisition is part of the Law Library’s transition to a digital future and in support of its efforts to make historical U.S. public domain legal materials freely and easily available to Congress and the world.’ You can access the collection here.”

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Federal Research Honey Pot.

14 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Federal Law, Legal Analysis, Legal Writing, Research, SSRN, Statutory Interpretation

≈ Comments Off on Federal Research Honey Pot.

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Aaron-Andrew P. Bruhl, Federal Courts, Joe Hodnicki, Law Librarian Blog, Legal Research, Statutory Interpretation

Comparing Methods of Statutory Interpretation Used By The Lower Federal Courts and The Supreme Court, by Joe Hodnicki, Law Librarian Blog

http://bit.ly/2pd4k2t

Joe Hodnicki calls this article “recommended,” which means we just found a honey pot for those who research federal case law and statutory interpretation. -CCE

“Here’s the abstract for Aaron-Andrew P. Bruhl’s very interesting Statutory Interpretation and the Rest of the Iceberg: Divergences between the Lower Federal Courts and the Supreme Court, Duke Law Journal, Forthcoming:

‘This Article examines the methods of statutory interpretation used by the lower federal courts, especially the federal district courts, and compares those methods to the practices of the U.S. Supreme Court. This novel research reveals both similarities across courts and some striking differences. The research shows that some interpretive tools are highly overrepresented in the Supreme Court’s decisions while other tools are much more prevalent in the lower courts. Another finding, based on a study of forty years of cases, is that all federal courts have shifted toward more textualist tools in recent decades but that the shift was less pronounced as one moves down the judicial hierarchy.

The divergence between the interpretive practices of different federal courts has implications for both descriptive and normative accounts of statutory interpretation.’ . . .” Continue reading →

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Update to Historical Statutes At Large Online.

19 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Appellate Law, Federal Law, Library of Congress, Research

≈ Comments Off on Update to Historical Statutes At Large Online.

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In Custodia Legis, Jennifer Gonzalez, Law Librarians of Congress, Statutes at Large

More Historical Statutes at Large Available Online, by Jennifer González, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress

http://bit.ly/2Fdv49P

The individual statutes for congresses 68 through 81 are now available on the Law Library of Congress website. This addition closes the gap for the years for which the Statutes at Large were not available on the Internet. As with the volumes for previous congresses, each of these statutes is tagged with tailored, descriptive metadata to help users search and browse by facets.

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Historical Versions to the U.S. Code Now Free Online.

27 Wednesday Dec 2017

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Federal Law, Research, Statutes

≈ Comments Off on Historical Versions to the U.S. Code Now Free Online.

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beSpacific Blog., Library of Congress, Office of the Law Revision Counsel, Sabrina I. Pacifici, U.S. Code

Historical Versions of the United States Code Now Online, by Sabrina I. Pacifici, beSpacific Blog

https://www.bespacific.com/historical-versions-of-the-united-states-code-now-online/

The Library of Congress has bought over 60 years of the U.S. Code from Hein Online. The historical research you will find here has not been available for free online before this publication by the Library of Congress. Because of the depth of the research at this site, you should definitely take a look.

This link will take you directly to the website, which will also give you a complete description of the information you will find there: https://www.loc.gov/collections/united-states-code. I also suggest taking the time to check out this link for the United States Code prepared by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives: http://uscode.house.gov/browse.xhtml.

There will be times when you will find no case law to support a state or federal statute. To make a convincing argument to the court, you may need to rely upon the legislative intent – the reason why the legislature made the law. To do that, you will need to read committee reports and other information to fully understand the legislature’s rationalization for writing the law as it did. These websites should enhance your ability to perform that research for federal statutes. -CCE

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2016 Federal Sentencing Guidelines

23 Thursday Nov 2017

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Criminal Law, Federal Law, Federal Sentencing, Research

≈ Comments Off on 2016 Federal Sentencing Guidelines

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Sentencing Guidelines, United States Sentencing Commission

2016 Sentencing Guidelines, United States Sentencing Commission

https://www.ussc.gov/guidelines

This Sentencing Guideline became effective November 1, 2016. Because there have been no new amendments to the Guidelines, these guidelines are still effective as of November 1, 2017.

This website provides more than just the federal sentencing guidelines. There are also sections on Research, Policymaking, Education, and “By Topic.” If you wish, you can subscribe to receive updates from the website by email. -CCE

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2017 United States Sentencing Commission Website.

01 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Criminal Law, Federal Law, Federal Sentencing, Research, Sentencing Guidelines

≈ Comments Off on 2017 United States Sentencing Commission Website.

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2016 Guidelines Manual, Sentencing Guidelines, Sentencing Table, United States Sentencing Commission

United States Sentencing Commission

http://www.ussc.gov/

This federal government website has a honey pot of information. It has six categories. Here are some highlights you will find under each category:

1. About (includes Mission Statement and online seminar titled ‘An Insider Look at the United States Sentencing Commission’);

2. Guidelines (the 2016 Guidelines Manual, Sentencing Table, and Organizational Guidelines, including the most recent primers on various areas of criminal law);

3. Policymaking (Rules of Practice and Procedure);

4. Education (Guideline Training Materials);

5. By Topic; and

6. Research (Public Access to Commission Data and Documents List Of all Publications, 2016 Sourcebook, Quick Facts, and Data Reports).

The information you will find here is current and up to date. You can be sure that you are researching the most recent and updated guidelines, primers, sentencing table, policy, and laws. -CCE

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Legal Aid Federal Practice Manual.

15 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Federal Law, Research

≈ Comments Off on Legal Aid Federal Practice Manual.

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Federal Litigation, Legal Aid, Sergeant Shriver National Center on Poverty Law

Federal Practice Manual for Legal Aid Attorneys, Sergeant Shriver National Center on Poverty Law © 2016

http://federalpracticemanual.org/

Well written by qualified contributors. Please note that each section is updated, but not more recently than 2015. Anytime you use a secondary research source with dated information, research the data and law to determine whether it is current. Always check the law in your case’s jurisdiction as part of your ethical duty of due diligence, as well as all relevant court rules. -CCE

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Free Online 2017 Edition of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

12 Sunday Feb 2017

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Federal Law, Recent Links and Articles, Research

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Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 2017 Edition, The National Court Rules Committee©2014-2017

https://www.federalrulesofcivilprocedure.org/frcp/

Like many firms, we do not keep a hardback or soft back set of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure because we can access them for free online. I usually go to the Cornell Law Library Institute for federal statutes and court rules for statutes and court rules. After finding this website, I’ve changed my mind. It is amended through December 1, 2016. It also includes links to the Federal Rules of Evidence, Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. So far, I haven’t seen anything not to like. -CCE

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“How To” Research Administrative Law.

30 Monday May 2016

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Administrative Law, Federal Law, Law Libraries, Library of Congress, Research

≈ Comments Off on “How To” Research Administrative Law.

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Administrative Law, Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, Legal Reseearch, U.S. Government Manual

How many people like to research the Code of Federal Regulations? Hands? I thought so. You are not alone. Actually, it’s not as hard as it looks.

Here is a tutorial and some great posts by law librarians that de-mystify researching this area of law. -CCE

Administrative Law Research Tutorial, Georgetown Law Library

https://www.law.georgetown.edu/library/research/tutorials/admin/
Administrative Law Research Guide, Georgetown Law Library

http://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/adminlaw

Administrative and Regulatory Law Research Guide, Harvard Law School Library (last updated by Claire DeMarco)

http://guides.library.harvard.edu/administrative

Administrative Law, Library School of Law, Loyola University of Chicago

http://lawlibguides.luc.edu/content.php?pid=128348&sid=1101470

Administrative Law Guide: Introduction, C|M|LAW Library

http://guides.law.csuohio.edu/adminlaw

Federal Administrative Law, Duke Law, Goodson Law Library

https://law.duke.edu/lib/researchguides/fedadminlaw/

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Beginner’s Guides on Researching Federal Legislative Intent.

13 Sunday Mar 2016

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Federal Law, Legislative History, Library of Congress, Research, U.S. Government

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Barbara Bavis, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress, Legal Research, Legislative Intent, Research Guide, Robert Brammer

Presidential Communications: A Beginner’s Guide, co-authored by Robert Brammer and Barbara Bavis, Research Guide, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress

http://blogs.loc.gov/law/category/research-guide-2/

Please keep going after clicking on this link. The following posts are beginner’s guides to locating: (1) congressional documents; (2) a congressional committee print, (3) compiled federal legislative history; and (4) unpublished congressional hearing. Keep going – there is more. If you are interested in honing your research skills, learn how to research legislative intent at the state and federal level. -CCE

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Research Honey Pot at Chickasaw Nation Law Library.

03 Thursday Sep 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Case Law, Court Rules, Federal Law, Internet, Law Libraries, Legal Databases, Legal Directory, References, Research

≈ Comments Off on Research Honey Pot at Chickasaw Nation Law Library.

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Chickasaw Nation Law Library, Oklahoma City School of Law, Practice Resources

Practice Resources: Getting Started, Chickasaw Nation Law Library, Oklahoma City School of Law

http://libguides.okcu.edu/c.php?g=225279

Research Guides, Forms, State Law, Federal Law, Court Rules, State and Federal Jury Instructions, Oklahoma Court Rules, State and Federal Jury Verdicts, Computer Assisted Legal Research – well, I think you get the idea. This is only a taste of the goodies at this website. -CCE

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Congress.gov – With New Features and Improvements.

01 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Federal Law, Library of Congress, Research, U.S. Government

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Congress.gov, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress, Robert Brammer

New Features Added to Congress.gov Based On Your Feedback, by Robert Brammer, Law Librarians of Congress, In Custodia Legis

http://blogs.loc.gov/law/2015/07/new-features-added-to-congress-gov-based-on-your-feedback/

The website describes the enhancements, such as email alerts, in detail with instructions on how to use them. The website requests your continued feedback for future ways to improve the website. -CCE

Since the unveiling of Congress.gov in September of 2012, we have been constantly adding new features with each release, and many of the features in this release are based directly on your feedback. . . .

Continue reading →

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Beginner’s Research Guide to Lemon Laws and Consumer Protection Law.

10 Friday Apr 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Case Law, Consumer Law, Federal Law, Internet, Legal Directories, Lemon Laws, Library of Congress, Mandatory Law, Primary Law, Research, State Law, Statutes, Westlaw

≈ Comments Off on Beginner’s Research Guide to Lemon Laws and Consumer Protection Law.

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Barbara Bavis, Consumer Protection Laws, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress, Legal Research, Lemon Laws, Robert Brammer

Lemon Laws: A Beginner’s Guide, Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress

http://blogs.loc.gov/law/2015/04/lemon-laws-a-beginners-guide/?loclr=eaiclb

You are really getting two for one (and more) with this post. Please note the hyperlink to consumer protection law in the first sentence. Both posts provide guides on how to research both subjects. Click on “Legal Research” to the left once you are at the website, and you will find the link to all posts at this website on how to research other laws. -CCE

In response to our last post on consumer protection law, we determined there was additional interest in ‘lemon laws.’  Lemon laws are defined by Black’s Law Dictionary as statutes ‘designed to protect a consumer who buys a substandard automobile, usu[ally] by requiring the manufacturer or dealer either to replace the vehicle or to refund the full purchase price.’ So, if you find that the new car of your dreams is actually a waking nightmare, you can use this guide to determine what recourse you might have. Lemon laws vary by state, but this guide should help get you started with your research. . . .

Continue reading →

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A Compilation of Military Law Resources.

10 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Federal Law, Law Libraries, Library of Congress, Military Law, References, Research

≈ Comments Off on A Compilation of Military Law Resources.

Tags

Military Law, Uniform Code of Military Justice

Military Law – An Overview, Cornell University Law Library, Legal Institution Institute

http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/military

Military Index to the Internet, Air University

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/awc-ndex.htm

Uniform Code of Military Justice

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ucmj.htm

Military Justice Fact Sheets

http://www.hqmc.marines.mil/Portals/135/MJFACTSHTS%5B1%5D.html

Military Legal Resources, The Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/military-legal-resources-home.html

“The U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center & School Library External Link in Charlottesville, VA, holds extensive collections of primary source materials and publications in the field of military law. Selections from these collections are now being made accessible in full text PDF versions via the Library of Congress Federal Research Division (FRD) Web site. As more materials are converted to digital formats, they will be added to this page. . . .”

 Military Law Overview. Military.com

http://www.military.com/benefits/military-legal-matters/military-law-overview.html

“The backbone of the military legal system is the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), which applies to all branches. Most of the issues covered in this document include the bringing of cases to military courts, the different types of court-martial, treatment and apprehension of prisoners, and the trial process. In addition, rules govern military jurisdiction, legal investigations, discharges, the release and revision of military records, post-trial review procedures, and appeals. For more details about court-martials, a commanding officer’s legal authority and pre-trial confinement, see the topics list on the right.

The UCMJ applies to all active-duty, reserve & Guard, and retired military personnel. Violation of any of the articles of the UCMJ can bring punishments ranging from loss of privileges to confinement and discharge. . . .”

 

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Justice Scalia’s Interpretation of Criminal Statutes And “Rule of Lenity.”

22 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Appellate Law, Civil Rights, Constitutions, Criminal Law, Federal Law, Federal Sentencing, Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure, Law Enforcement, Research, Statutes, United States Supreme Court, White Collar Crime

≈ Comments Off on Justice Scalia’s Interpretation of Criminal Statutes And “Rule of Lenity.”

Tags

Above the Law (blog), Civil Rights, Criminal Law, Federal Criminal Statutes, Fourth Amendment, Justice Scalia, Matt Kaiser, Rule of Lenity, White Collar Crime

Scalia Weighs In On One of the Most Important Questions in the World of White-Collar Criminal Defense, by Matt Kaiser, Above The Law Blog

http://tinyurl.com/kahbnvm

Justice Scalia is not a man known for mild opinions. I hear the other Justices have voted him ‘least likely to say ‘this is a question on which reasonable minds could disagree.’

While a conservative, Scalia has done good work for those charged in criminal cases in recent years. He’s been good on Fourth Amendment issues, the Confrontation Clause, and federal sentencing.

And, at oral argument recently, on what is perhaps the most significant criminal justice issue of the day — how broadly we should interpret criminal statutes — Scalia has turned his considerable intellect again in a defense-friendly way.

How, you ask?

Whether to interpret a criminal statute broadly or narrowly is an intricate question. The ‘Rule of Lenity says that criminal statutes should be interpreted narrowly. Yet courts often read in a meta-‘Rule of Lenity’ that says that the Rule of Lenity itself should be interpreted narrowly.

Moreover, judicial review of the scope of a criminal statute is tricky. There are thousands of federal criminal statutes on the books and Congress makes more every year. About 95% of the time, people charged with federal crimes plead guilty. Courts are highly resistant to litigate the meaning and breadth of a federal criminal statute before trial, which means that challenges to the interpretation of a statute are possible in a very small number of cases.

What that means is that prosecutors’ interpretations of federal statutes are highly unlikely to be meaningfully challenged. And, when they are, generally they are interpreted broadly. . . .

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Free Access to Federal Law and Resources.

21 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Constitutions, Federal Law, Law Libraries, Legislation, Legislative History, Primary Law, References, Regulations, Research, Secondary Resources, State Law, Statutes, U.S. Government

≈ Comments Off on Free Access to Federal Law and Resources.

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beSpacific Blog., Code of Federal Regulations, Emily Carr, Federal Register, HeinOnline, Law Library of Congress, Sabrina I. Pacifici, US Reports

Free Public Access to Federal Materials On Guide To Law Online, by Sabrina I. Pacifici, BeSpacific Blog

http://www.bespacific.com/free-public-access-federal-materials-guide-law-online/

There’s more here than you think. Executive, judicial, federal, legislative, state, legal guides, and general sources. Definitely worth a look. -CCE

[Via Emily Carr, Senior Legal Research Specialist, Library of Congress] – this posting by Ann Hemmens, legal reference librarian at the Law Library of Congress: Through an agreement with the Library of Congress, the publisher William S. Hein & Co., Inc. has generously allowed the Law Library of Congress to offer free online access to historical U.S. legal materials from HeinOnline.  These titles are available through the Library’s web portal, Guide to Law Online: U.S. Federal, and include:

  • United States Code 1925-1988 (includes content up to 1993)

  • From Guide to Law Online: United States Law

  • United States Reports v. 1-542 (1754-2004)

  • From Guide to Law Online: United States Judiciary

  • Code of Federal Regulations (1938-1995)

    • From Guide to Law Online: Executive

    • Federal Register v. 1-58 (1936-1993)\

    • From Guide to Law Online: Executive

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Law Guru – Free Internet Legal Research.

25 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Case Law, Federal Law, Internet, Law Libraries, Legal Dictionaries, Legal Directories, Legal Directory, Mandatory Law, Primary Law, References, Research, State Law, Statutes

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Case Law, Codes, Free Legal Research, Internet Law Library, Law Guru, Legal Dictionaries, Legal Research, Statutes

Law Guru

http://www.lawguru.com/research.html

Another free Internet legal research tool. Law Guru have over 535 search engines. You can search state and federal case law, statutes and codes, and more.

It has some other nice features, too. It has a database of over 500,000 legal questions and answers. I know that sounds tempting and it may point you in the right direction. But if you are not an experienced legal researcher, please do not rely on these answers as you sole source of legal information. These questions and answers are generic – the facts of your situation may mean that the answer you get here is not the right one for your problem.

Law Guru also has a legal dictionary, links to legal articles, the Internet Law Library, and legal forms (there is a charge for these forms). -CCE

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Basics of Legal Research – And More.

02 Friday May 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Case Law, Federal Law, Law Libraries, Legal Encyclopedia, Mandatory Law, Primary Law, Regulations, Research, State Law, Statutes

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Cornell Law Library, Cornell Legal Information Institute, Cornell LII, Law library, Legal Research

Basics of Legal Research, Cornell University Law Library

http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/library/whatwedo/researchguides/basics.cfm

If you are not familiar with the Cornell Law Library and the Cornell Legal Information Institute, you are missing a fantastic, free legal research honey pot.  This link will take you to Cornell’s basic legal research guide. If you know nothing about legal research, this is a great introduction. If your legal research is rusty, this is an excellent refresher.

But we are just getting started. The Legal Information Institute (LLI) (http://www.law.cornell.edu/) is one of the top online law libraries – and it’s free. Even though it’s free, I encourage you to make a donation. To understand why, please go to http://www.law.cornell.edu/lii/about-lii. There is no question that you definitely get a big bang for your buck. -CCE

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E-Discovery Federal Rule Amendments and More.

06 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Bankruptcy Law, Case Law, Court Rules, Discovery, E-Discovery, Federal District Court Rules, Federal Law, Litigation, Mandatory Law, Metadata, Preservation, Primary Law, Regulations, Research, Sanctions, State Law, Statutes, Technology, The Sedona Conference, Trial Tips and Techniques

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Bankruptcy Law, Case Summaries, E-Discovery, K&L Gates, Legal Research, Local Rules, Sedona Conference, State Court E-Discovery Rules

Category Archives: FEDERAL RULES AMENDMENTS, by Electronic Discovery, K&L Gates

http://www.ediscoverylaw.com/articles/federal-rules-amendments/

 Notice and analysis of electronic discovery federal rule amendments. You can count on this website to be updated promptly and the information and analysis is accurate. Free subscription by RSS feed.

While you are there, it is worth your time to browse the variety of information published by K&L Gates. They are experts on e-discovery. You will find, among other things:

  • E-Discovery Case Database <http://www.ediscoverylaw.com/e-discovery-case-database/>;
  • State Court Rules on E-Discovery <http://www.ediscoverylaw.com/state-district-court-rules/>; and
  • Case Summaries <http://www.ediscoverylaw.com/articles/case-summaries/>; and
  • Resources <http://www.ediscoverylaw.com/articles/resources/>.

Just poke around. I do not think you will be disappointed. -CCE

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Looking For An Excellent Legal Research Source?

09 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Case Law, Federal Law, Legal Encyclopedia, LexisNexis, Regulations, Research, State Law, Statutes

≈ Comments Off on Looking For An Excellent Legal Research Source?

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Andrew Zimmerman, Legal Encyclopedia, Legal Research, LexisNexis, Zimmerman's Research Guide

Zimmerman’s Research Guide – An Online Encyclopedia for Legal Researchers, by Andrew Zimmerman, LexisNexis®.

http://law.lexisnexis.com/infopro/zimmermans/default.aspx

If you have not already discovered Mr. Zimmerman’s Research Guide, please give yourself a treat. Mr. Zimmerman is a skilled and experienced research expert. He has been collecting and publishing research links and tips for many years.

If this is not already one of your Favorites, it should be. -CCE

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Free App to Access PACER on iPhones and iPads.

30 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Appellate Law, Apps, Bankruptcy Law, Cell Phones, Dockets, E-Filing, Federal District Court Rules, Federal Law, iPad, iPhones, Legal Technology, PACER, Trial Tips and Techniques, U.S. Courts of Appeal

≈ Comments Off on Free App to Access PACER on iPhones and iPads.

Tags

Bankruptcy Court, Docket, Federal Court, iPads, iPhone J.D. Blog, iPhones, Jeff Richardson, Matthew Zorn, PACER

Review: DkT — access PACER on the iPad and iPhone, by Jeff Richardson, iPhone J.D. Blog

http://www.iphonejd.com/iphone_jd/2014/01/review-dkt-pacer.html

Jeff reviews a free app created by Matthew Zorn called “DkT.” In this post, Jeff leads you through the various steps to use this app. Because this is the first version, no doubt Matthew will tweak it as time goes by. Regardless of its minor flaws, if you practice in federal court, this is an incredibly useful tool for your iPad or iPhone. -CCE

If you ever practice in federal court, then using PACER is a part of your job.  PACER websites typically let you select a mobile option so that you can access PACER on an iPad or an iPhone, but the experience isn’t ideal.  You cannot save your username or password, it is difficult to manually enter case numbers, and every time you access a docket sheet or a document you have to pay to do so.  Matthew Zorn, an attorney at a large New York law firm, decided to do something about that, so he spent nine months writing a useful and beautifully designed app that he calls DkT.  The DkT app is free and can access PACER for federal appellate, district and bankruptcy courts.

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