LibGuides: 1L Success Guide Legal Research: Legal Research

CALI Lessons

CALI (Computer Assisted Legal Instruction) has several good interactive lessons pertaining to Legal Research.

Legal Research & Writing Subject Outline
This Subject Outline allows you to search for terms of art that correspond to topics you are studying to find suggestions for related CALI Lessons.
Legal Research 101: The Tools of the Trade
This lesson is intended as an introduction to the basic resources for researching the law and does not cover research methods using either print or online sources. References to print or computer-based resources are added for illustration and not comprehensiveness. Using a lawyer-under-construction theme, we take the law student on as an apprentice and introduce him or her to the basic tools of legal research.
Legal Research Methodology
This exercise is designed to help law students develop their abilities to handle legal research assignments.
Where Does Law Come From?
This is an overview of the branches of the U.S. government and how they make law.

Audio Resources

Sum and Substance: Legal Research by Robert C. Berring
Call Number: KF 240.B6 L338 2001
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Sum and Substance Audio on Legal Research
In this 3.25 hour audio lecture, Professor Robert C. Berring will lead you step-by-step through every topic in legal research.

Bob Berring's Podcasts
Tips for searching primary and secondary sources.

Learn How to get Research Help

The librarians are here to help you with your research projects. Visit the Law Library Directory page for information on how to contact the librarians.

West Academic Study Aids

Legal Research in a Nutshell
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.
Principles of Legal Research
Winner of the American Association of Law Libraries' Joseph L. Andrews Legal Literature Award in 2010, Principles of Legal Research provides encyclopedic yet concise coverage of research methods and resources using both free and commercial websites as well as printed publications.
Gilbert Law Summary on Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis
This outline covers court systems, precedent, case reporting system (including regional and state reporters, headnotes and the West Key Number System®, citations, and case finding), statutes, constitutions, and legislative history, and secondary sources (including treatises, law reviews, digests, and restatements).

Books in Our Library

Legal Research in a Nutshell by Kent Olson; Morris Cohen
Call Number: KF 240 .C6 2016
ISBN: 9781634604628
Publication Date: 2016-02-24
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.
Finding the Law 2005 by Robert C. Berring; Elizabeth A. Edinger
Call Number: KF 240 .C5382 2005
ISBN: 0314145796
Publication Date: 2008-03-18
A marriage of the newest forms of legal research and the underlying principles of legal information, Finding the Law provides a comprehensive treatment of print and digital sources of legal information, concentrating on the basic elements of legal research covered by most law school courses.
Concise Legal Research by Robert Watt
Call Number: KU 47 .W37 2004
ISBN: 9781862875159
Publication Date: 2004-07-01
Concise Legal Research explains how to research law with confidence and in good time.
The Process of Legal Research by Christina L. Kunz; Deborah A. Schmedemann; Ann L. Bateson; Sarah Deer; Mehmet Konar-Steenberg; Anthony S. Winer
Call Number: KF 240 .K8 2012
ISBN: 9781454805526
Publication Date: 2012-06-13
A time-tested, proven introduction, The Process of Legal Research acquaints students with all of the sources and relevant vocabulary and shows how each source works, how to combine sources into a cohesive research process, and how to resolve legal problems through effective techniques.

Helpful Research Links

Cornell Legal Research Guide - guide with links to useful sources and is a great resource.

Arizona Legal Research Guide - guide that covers a multitude of different subjects.

Drake Legal Research Guide - selected materials for legal research.

Arizona State University - guide that contains information on legal writing, citations, and avoiding plagiarism.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania - holistic guide containing great legal research sources and tips.

Library Links

Subject Guide

Eliza Boles

Email Me

Contact:

865.974.0236

Register Your Passwords

You must register your passwords before you can use them. You will need them for your research instruction so...PLEASE REGISTER YOUR PASSWORDS ASAP.

Westlaw: Register you password at http://lawschool.westlaw.com/. You will create your own unique OnePass login and password.

Lexis: Register you Lexis activation code at http://www.lexis.com/lawschool using the "Students Register Here" button. During the registration process you will create a LexisNexis Custom ID and password.

Websites

Basic Legal Research on the Internet

LLRX article by Ken Strutin includes a short list of "go to" sites that most researchers will find useful.

Congress.gov

Library of Congress webiste makes federal legislative information freely available to the public. Includes bills, Congressional reports, hearings, votes, debates, and public laws.

Findlaw

Findlaw is a portal for legal resources, including primary sources of law, legal documents, and commentary.

Guide to Law Online

Law Library of Congress guide to sources of information on government and law available on the Internet. Includes links to reliable sites for legal information on U.S., international, and foreign law.

Legal Information Institute

Cornell Law School site, provides link to primary sources of federal and state law.

Lexis Law School website

Includes tutorials on using Lexis and Sheaprd's, along with an Interactive Citation Workshop on the Bluebook http://www.lexisnexis.com/icw/.

LLRX.com

Law and technology resources for legal professionals, includes guides to researching various areas of law.

Westlaw Law School website

Includes a variety of tutorial on researching on Westlaw, including a KeyCite tutorial.