Legal Research in a Nutshell (Nutshells)

Finding and using legal resources effectively is an essential skill for lawyers. This comprehensive but succinct guide covers research procedures using major online services, free Internet resources, and library materials. Several hundred websites are discussed and placed in context for effective and productive use in research. Discussion includes coverage of legislative history, administrative law, specialized and interdisciplinary resources, and research in international and comparative law. Appendices list state research guides and treatises and services by subject, and a companion website has a regularly updated list of URLs and illustrations of online and print resources.For more information and additional teaching materials, visit the companion site. Preface v Chapter 1 The Research Process 1 § 1–1. Introduction 1 § 1–2. The Sources of the Law 2 § 1–3. The Forms of Legal Information 5 a. Primary and Secondary Sources 6 b. Subscription, Free, and Print Resources 7 c. Current and Historical Information 10 § 1–4. Legal Language 11 § 1–5. Legal Citations 12 § 1–6. Online Research Basics 15 § 1–7. Handling a Research Project 23 a. First Steps 24 b. In-Depth Research 27 c. Having Current Information 28 d. Completing a Project 29 Chapter 2 Background and Analysis 31 § 2–1. Introduction 31 § 2–2. Overviews 33 § 2–3. Legal Encyclopedias 34 a. American Jurisprudence 2d and Corpus Juris Secundum 34 b. Jurisdictional Encyclopedias 36 § 2–4. American Law Reports Annotations 37 § 2–5. Texts and Treatises 40 § 2–6. Restatements of the Law 48 § 2–7. Law Reviews 50 a. Westlaw and Lexis 52 b. HeinOnline 53 c. Periodical Indexes 54 d. Other Resources 55 Chapter 3 Case Law 59 § 3–1. Introduction 59 § 3–2. Federal Court Cases 65 a. Supreme Court of the United States 65 b. Lower Federal Courts 70 § 3–3. State Court Cases 74 § 3–4. Online Case Research 78 a. Westlaw and Lexis 79 b. Bloomberg Law and Other Resources 82 § 3–5. Key Number Research 83 a. Using Key Numbers on Westlaw 84 b. West Digests 86 § 3–6. Citators 87 Chapter 4 Statutes and Constitutions 93 § 4–1. Introduction 93 § 4–2. Publication of Statutes 95 § 4–3. Statutory Research 97 a. Online Codes 98 b. Citators 99 c. Indexes and Tables 101 § 4–4. Sources for Federal Statutes 104 a. Slip Laws and Session Laws 104 b. The United States Code 106 c. Annotated Codes 108 § 4–5. Sources for State Statutes 110 a. Slip Laws and Session Laws 110 b. Codes 111 c. Multistate Research Sources 112 d. Uniform Laws 114 e. Interstate Compacts 116 § 4–6. The U.S. Constitution 116 § 4–7. State Constitutions 120 Chapter 5 Legislative Information 123 § 5–1. Introduction 123 § 5–2. Federal Legislative History Sources 124 a. Bills 127 b. Committee Reports 129 c. Debates 130 d. Hearings 134 e. Other Congressional Publications 135 § 5–3. Congressional Research Resources 137 a. Compiled Legislative Histories 140 b. Congress.gov and Other Government Websites 142 c. ProQuest Congressional 143 d. USCCAN and Westlaw 144 e. CQ and Other Tracking Services 146 f. Status Tables 147 g. Directories 148 § 5–4. State Legislative Information 150 Chapter 6 Administrative Law 155 § 6–1. Introduction 155 § 6–2. Background Reference Sources 157 a. Agency Websites 157 b. Guides and Directories 158 § 6–3. Federal Regulations 160 a. Federal Register 161 b. Code of Federal Regulations 164 c. Regulatory Research 166 § 6–4. Guidance Documents 170 § 6–5. Administrative Decisions and Rulings 172 § 6–6. Presidential Lawmaking 175 a. Executive Orders and Proclamations 176 b. Other Presidential Documents 178 § 6–7. State Administrative Law 180 a. Websites and Directories 180 b. Regulations and Executive Orders 181 c. Decisions, Rulings, and Other Documents 182 § 6–8. Local Law 184 Chapter 7 Court Rules and Practice 187 § 7–1. Introduction 187 § 7–2. Court Rules 188 a. Federal Rules 188 b. State Rules 192 § 7–3. Legal Ethics 193 § 7–4. Briefs and Other Court Documents 195 § 7–5. Information About Courts and Judges 201 § 7–6. Forms and Jury Instructions 203 Chapter 8 Specialized and Nonlegal Resources 207 § 8–1. Introduction 207 § 8–2. Practice-Focused Resources 208 a. Looseleaf Services 209 b. Specialized Research Platforms 211 § 8–3. Current Awareness 213 a. Legal Newspapers and Newsletters 214 b. Current Scholarship 216 c. Blogs and Other Online Resources 217 § 8–4. Legal History Resources 218 § 8–5. Statistics 222 § 8–6. Legal Directories 224 § 8–7. General News and Business Information 227 § 8–8. Interdisciplinary Research 229 § 8–9. Specialized Research Guides 232 Chapter 9 International Law 235 § 9–1. Introduction 235 § 9–2. Preliminary Research 237 § 9–3. U.S. Practice in International Law 240 a. Treaties 240 b. Foreign Relations Documents 245 § 9–4. General Treaty Research 246 § 9–5. Cases and Arbitrations 250 a. International Court of Justice 250 b. Other Courts 251 c. Arbitrations 255 § 9–6. International Organizations 256 a. United Nations and Related Agencies 256 b. World Trade Organization 259 c. European Union and Other Regional Organizations 260 § 9–7. Sources for Further Information 262 Chapter 10 The Law of Other Countries 263 § 10–1. Introduction 263 § 10–2. Legal Systems of the World 264 § 10–3. Reference Resources 265 a. Encyclopedias and Legal System Guides 266 b. Research Guides and Indexes 267 c. Summaries and Translations of Laws 268 d. Dictionaries 271 § 10–4. Original Sources 272 a. Links to Country Websites 273 b. Common Law Jurisdictions 273 c. Civil Law Jurisdictions 279 Appendix A State Legal Research Guides 283 Appendix B Major Treatises and Services by Subject 295 Resource Index 313 Subject Index 337 Finding and using legal resources effectively is an essential skill for lawyers. This comprehensive but succinct guide covers research procedures using major online services, free Internet resources, and library materials. Several hundred websites are discussed and placed in context for effective and productive use in research. Discussion includes coverage of legislative history, administrative law, specialized and interdisciplinary resources, and research in international and comparative law. Appendices list state research guides and treatises and services by subject, and a companion website has a regularly updated list of URLs and illustrations of online and print resources. For more information and additional teaching materials, visit the companion site "Finding and using legal resources effectively is an essential skill for lawyers. This ... guide covers research procedures using major online services, free internet resources, and library materials. Several hundred websites are discussed and placed in context for effective and productive use in research. Discussion includes coverage of legislative history, administrative law, specialized and interdisciplinary resources, and research in international and comparative law. Appendices list state research guides and treatises and services by subject, and a companion website has a regularly updated list of URLs and illustrations of online and print resources"--Provided by the publisher The Research Process -- Background And Analysis -- Case Law -- Statutes And Constitutions -- Legislative Information -- Administrative Law -- Court Rules And Practice -- Specialized And Nonlegal Resources -- International Law -- The Law Of Other Countries -- Appendix A. State Legal Research -- Appendix B. Major Treatises And Services By Subject. Kent C. Olson. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 283-312) And Indexes.