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~ Articles and Research for Legal Professionals

The Researching Paralegal

Category Archives: Statutes

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.

Tags

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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State-by-State Recording Laws from the Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press.

04 Wednesday Apr 2018

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Admissibility, Authentication, Discovery, Evidence, Recordings, Research, State Law, Statutes

≈ Comments Off on State-by-State Recording Laws from the Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press.

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Recordings, Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press, State Statutes

State-by-State Reporter’s Guide – Tape Recording Laws At a Glance, Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press

https://www.rcfp.org/reporters-recording-guide/state-state-guide

Do you ever record a telephone conversation without telling the person at the other end of the line? It happens quite frequently. But, is it legal? Do you need the other person’s consent? Can it be used as evidence in court? Could you get arrested if you let someone else listen to it? What about hidden cameras?

These statutes were last updated in 2012. When you find your state and the relevant statute, verify that the law has not been changed since 2012. I would take it one more step, and check to see whether there is any pending legislation that might change the law. -CCE

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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.

Tags

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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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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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.”

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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.

Tags

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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North American Indigenous Law Portal – A Collection of Primary Sources and Websites.

03 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in American Indian, Constitutions, Law Libraries, Primary Law, Research, Statutes, Tribal Law

≈ Comments Off on North American Indigenous Law Portal – A Collection of Primary Sources and Websites.

Tags

American Indian, In Custodia Legis, Indigenous People, Library of Congress, Tina Gheen, Tribal Law

Introducing the Indigenous Law Portal, by Tina Gheen, In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress

 http://blogs.loc.gov/law/2014/07/introducing-the-indigenous-law-portal/

At the recent American Association of Law Libraries Conference, Jennifer Gonzalez, Jolande Goldberg and I had an opportunity to unveil a new Indigenous Law Portal. The Indigenous Law Portal brings together collection materials from the Law Library of Congress as well as links to tribal websites and primary source materials found on the Web. The portal is based on the structure of the Library of Congress Classification schedule for Law (Class K), specifically the Law of the Indigenous Peoples in the Americas (Classes KIA-KIP: North America).

Indigenous law materials can be difficult to locate for a variety of reasons. Tribal laws are usually maintained by individual tribes or groups of tribal peoples who may or may not have the resources to make them available in electronic format, or they may only be passed on through oral tradition. In some cases tribal legal materials are available electronically, but they may not be available freely on the Web, or the tribe may want to restrict outside access to the materials. However, through our research, we have found many tribes compile their laws and ordinances into a code, and they often provide a digital version of their most recent code and constitution online. In the Law Library, we already have digitized copies of historic American Indian constitutions from our collection and other legal materials available on our website. It makes sense to bring all these materials together in one place.

But how to organize such a collection of digital resources? Especially when the complexity and availability of resources varies from tribe to tribe. We wanted a structure that would allow us the flexibility to organize and expand as needed. Something that would provide a basic backbone for organizing the materials and also detailed information about the tribes individually and as a whole. The answer to our dilemma came from an unexpected place: a new classification schedule developed by Jolande Goldberg of the Library of Congress Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorate: the Law of the Indigenous Peoples in the Americas. . . .

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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

≈ Comments Off on Law Guru – Free Internet Legal Research.

Tags

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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The Public Library of Law.

25 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Case Law, Constitutions, Court Rules, FastCase, Internet, Law Libraries, Mandatory Law, Primary Law, References, Regulations, Research, State Law, Statutes

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Case Law, Civil Appeal State Profiles, Fastcase®, Legal Research, Regulations, Statutes, The Public Library of Law, U.S. Code, U.S. Courts of Circuit Appeals, U.S. Supreme Court

The Public Library of Law

http://www.plol.org/Pages/Search.aspx

The Public Library of Law is free. Actually, it’s one of the largest free law libraries on the Internet. It gives you access to case law from the U.S. Supreme Court, all U.S. Circuit Courts, case law for all states (from 1997 to date), the United States Federal Code (federal statutes), states for all 50 states, regulations, court rules, state and federal constitution, and more.

One of the more interesting things about PLoL is that it provides free links to paid content on Fastcase®. If you are not familiar with Fastcase®, check it out at http://www.fastcase.com. If you need help learning how to use it, you will find free tutorials at http://www.fastcase.com/support/. -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

≈ Comments Off on Basics of Legal Research – And More.

Tags

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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Legal Research Tutorials.

05 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Administrative Law, Case Law, Legal Directories, Legal Encyclopedia, Legislation, Legislative History, Mandatory Law, Primary Law, Regulations, Research, Secondary Resources, State Law, Statutes

≈ Comments Off on Legal Research Tutorials.

Tags

Administrative Law, Bloomberg Law, Case Law, Georgetown Law Library, Legal Research, Legislative History, Secondary Resources, Statutory Law, Tutorials

Legal Research and Writing Tutorials, Georgetown Law Library

http://www.law.georgetown.edu/library/research/tutorials/lrw.cfm

This link will lead you to these tutorials. -CCE

  • Administrative Law Research Tutorial
  • Bloomberg Law Tutorials
  • Case Law Research Tutorial
  • Legislative History Research Tutorial
  • Secondary Sources Tutorial
  • Statutory Research Tutorial

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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

≈ Comments Off on E-Discovery Federal Rule Amendments and More.

Tags

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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Judge Scheindlin and the Second Circuit to date.

12 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, Case Law, Court Rules, Federal District Court Rules, Judges, Recent Links and Articles, Research, Statutes, Trial Tips and Techniques

≈ Comments Off on Judge Scheindlin and the Second Circuit to date.

Tags

Hercules and the Umpire, Hon. George Richard Kopf, Judge Scheindlin, Removal of federal judge, Stop-and-frisk, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

I have been following the updates about Judge Scheindlin on Judge Kopf’s blog, Hercules and the umpire. If you recall, this series began with Judge Scheindlin’s ruling on the current stop-and-frisk law in her jurisdiction, and her subsequent, hasty, and unprecedented (to my knowledge) removal by the Second Circuit of the Court of Appeals.  All related posts are below, and start with the first post by Judge Kopf. The Comments are equally interesting. CCE

What do you think about the Second Circuit’s removal of Judge Shira Scheindlin? – http://bit.ly/1cyvhiH (Posted here on November 2, 2013)

 A Cheat Shot – http://herculesandtheumpire.com/2013/11/03/a-cheap-shot/

More on “relatedness,” Judge Scheindlin and the Second Circuit — http://bit.ly/1cTmax4

In answer to Scott H. Greenfield regarding the Second Circuit’s treatment of Judge Scheindlin — http://bit.ly/17EEqZ9

“Do not go gentle into that good night . . . ” Dylan Thomas and Judge Scheindlin – http://bit.ly/1a39Re3

The filing by counsel for Judge Scheindlin — http://bit.ly/1c1GXcL

Kopf’s questions about the continuing but utterly depressing cage match at the Second Circuit? — http://bit.ly/1blVy2F

End it quickly – http://herculesandtheumpire.com/2013/11/11/end-it-quickly/ (Posted here on November 12, 2013)

A must read essay on Judge Scheindlin and the Second Circuit — http://bit.ly/19XlseL  (Posted here on November 12, 2013)

Judge Scheindlin was wrong to enter the fray at the Second Circuit — http://bit.ly/1eJ21tw

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Some of the Best, Free Legal Research Guides on the Internet – no, Wikipedia does not count.

23 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Case Law, Federal Law, Law Journals, Law Libraries, Law Reviews, Legal Directories, Research, State Law, Statutes

≈ Comments Off on Some of the Best, Free Legal Research Guides on the Internet – no, Wikipedia does not count.

Tags

Case Law, Cornell LII, Federal Law, Google Scholar, International Law, Legal Directories, Legal Research, Legal Research Guides, Statutes

Even when you or your firm have access to Westlaw or Lexis, you may still want or need access to free resources to do your legal research. 

Most, if not all, states provide a free website for state law (e.g., statutes, case law, state constitution, attorney general opinions, etc.). Perhaps the easiest route is to go to that state’s official government website. The state court’s websites use their own search engines – do not expect each to work the same as the others.

Here is another resource that will also lead you to state law: 50 States (http://www.50states.com/). (Click on the state, and scroll down to “Courts” and click on “Judicial System.” 

Below is a selection of websites that provide comprehensive links to state, federal and, in some instances, international law. 

Competitive Intelligence – A Selective Resource Guide – Completely Updated – September 2013, by Sabrina I. Pacifici, LLRX.com  http://www.llrx.com/features/ciguide.htm

How to Use Google Scholar for Legal Research, LawyerTechReview.com 
http://lawyertechreview.com/2011/how-to-use-google-scholar-for-legal-research/

Google Scholar – Guide Review of Google Scholar as a Legal Research Tool, by William Pfeiffer, About.com Law Practice Management
http://abt.cm/aZHa4s

HG.org – Legal Resources – http://www.hg.org/

Cornell University Law School – Legal Information Institute (LII) 
http://www.law.cornell.edu/

Duke Law – Legal Databases & Links –  http://law.duke.edu/lib/lresources

The Public Library of Law – http://www.plol.org/Pages/Search.aspx

George Mason University School of Law – Free Legal Research Sites 
http://www.law.gmu.edu/library/research

Washburn University School of Law
Washlaw – Legal Links and Directories  
http://www.washlaw.edu/directories/index.html

Georgetown Law Library – Free and Low Cost Legal Research Guide –
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/library/research/guides/freelowcost.cfm

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