Thurgood Marshall Law Library Guide to Legal Research, 2007 - 2008
Prepared 2007 by the Thurgood Marshall Law Library Instructional
Group. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint any part
of this work, contact the administration of the Thurgood Marshall
Law Library.
TABLE OF CONTENTS (PDF)
CHAPTER 1 (Full Chapter - PDF)
INTRODUCTION TO LEGAL AUTHORITIES AND LEGAL RESEARCH
Introduction
How does legal research differ from research in other
contexts?
Types of legal
authorities
Relationship
between statutory law and case law
The universe of choices
for legal research
The legal research
process
Understanding citations to basic primary
sources
CHAPTER 2 (Full Chapter - PDF)
ELECTRONIC RESEARCH TECHNIQUES
Electronic
research basics
Boolean searching
Field and segment searching
Lexis and Westlaw
basics
Westlaw: organization
of materials
Lexis: organization
of materials
Selecting
databases/sources
Composing Lexis
and Westlaw searches
Quick tips for
composing online searches
Internet research
Strategies
for Internet research
CHAPTER 3 (Full Chapter - PDF)
BACKGROUND RESEARCH USING SECONDARY SOURCES
Secondary
sources: background
Using legal periodicals
Using legal encyclopedias
Using treatises, hornbooks, and nutshells
Using Restatements
Using American Law Reports
Tips for using secondary sources
Practice materials and form books
Using litigation sources
Preparing for trial: selected
environmental sources
Highlights of Bluebook form
for secondary sources
CHAPTER 4 (Full Chapter - PDF)
STATUTORY LAW RESEARCH
Statutory law: background
Terminology used
in statutory research
Sources for statutory research
Locating periodical articles by statute
citations
Highlights
of Bluebook form for statutes
CHAPTER 5 (Full Chapter - PDF)
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY RESEARCH
Getting started
Researching federal legislative
history
Rsearching Maryland legislative
history
CHAPTER 6 (Full Chapter - PDF)
ADMINISTRATIVE LAW RESEARCH
Strategies for researching
administrative materials
Using looseleaf services:
basic pointers
CHAPTER 7 (Full Chapter - PDF)
CASE LAW RESEARCH
Case law: background
Court hierarchies and the appellate
process
Print sources for case law
research
Electronic sources for case law
research
Locating periodical articles
by case name
Citators: function and formats
Print citators
Electronic citators
Citation format for cases
Highlights of Bluebook
form for cases
CHAPTER 8 (Full Chapter - PDF)
RESEARCHING A STATE LAW PROBLEM
The legal research process:
state law sources
Identifying state court
structure and reporters
Using secondary sources
for state law problems
Using state annotated codes
in print
State and regional case
law resources
Using West digests to locate state
court cases
Using American Law Reports to locate
state court cases
Tips for selecting state
law databases
Strategies for researching
a state law problem
Highlights of Bluebook
form for state law sources
CHAPTER 9 (Full Chapter - PDF)
RESEARCHING A MARYLAND LAW PROBLEM
Maryland code
Maryland session laws
Maryland local law
Retrospective Maryland statute
searching
Baltimore city materials
Maryland administrative materials
Maryland case law
Maryland practice materials
CHAPTER 10 (Full Chapter - PDF)
RESEARCHING A FEDERAL LAW PROBLEM
The legal research process:
federal law sources
Federal court system
Using secondary sources
for federal law problems
Federal codes
Using federal annotated
codes
Federal session laws
Locating and updating federal
administrative materials
Using the Federal Practice Digest
Using American Law Reports Federal
Sources for federal case law research
Federal court rules and practice
materials
Strategies for researching
a federal law problem
Highlights of Bluebook form
for federal administrative sources
Highlights of Bluebook form
for federal cases
Highlights of Bluebook
form for federal statutes
CHAPTER 11 (Full Chapter - PDF)
FOREIGN AND INTERNATIONAL LAW RESEARCH
Terminology used
in researching international law
Selected sources for researching United
States Treaties
Locating implementing laws
and regulations and judicial interpretations
Selected sources for researching
world treaties
Strategies for researching international
law
Basic foreign law research
Selected sources for researching European
Community law
CHAPTER 12 (Full Chapter - PDF)
ORGANIZING RESEARCH PROJECTS & PRESENTING RESULTS
Comments on the research process
Strategies for organizing
research projects
Presenting research results
to a supervisor
Considerations when writing
informal opinion letters to clients
