weathering the stormy economic climate: strategies for conducting online legal research using free...

Weathering the Stormy Economic Climate:

Strategies for Conducting Online

Legal Research Using Free and Low-Cost

Resources

Cornell Law School

Alumni Reunion June 10, 2011

2.0 NY CLE Skills Credits

By Amy Emerson

Before Conducting Internet Research

• Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask (Alexa)

• Example of a phony website• The “Deep Web”

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

http://www.alexa.com/

http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

http://www.deepwebresearch.info/

Initiating Your Online Research

• Research GuidesUCLA – Online Legal Research: Beyond LexisNexis & WestlawGeorgetown – Free and Low Cost Legal ResearchLaw Library of Congress – Guide to Law Online

• Search EnginesCornell Law Library – Legal Research EngineLexis WebGoogle

• Simple Name Search• Google Scholar – Legal Opinions & Journals• Google Book Search

http://libguides.law.ucla.edu/content.php?pid=34909&sid=256680

http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/guides/freelowcost.cfm

http://www.loc.gov/law/help/guide.php

http://library.lawschool.cornell.edu/WhatWeDo/ResearchGuides/CLL-Legal-Research-Engine.cfm

http://www.lexisweb.com/Default.aspx

http://www.google.com/

Free Online Legal Sources

– Justia – Public Library of Law– Open Jurist – FindLaw– Cornell’s Legal Information Institute– LexisNexis Communities

http://www.justia.com/

http://www.plol.org/

http://openjurist.org/

http://findlaw.com/

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

http://www.lexisnexis.com/community/portal/

Alternative, Low-Cost Subscription

Sources

• Loislaw• Fastcase• Casemaker• VersusLaw

http://www.loislaw.com/

http://www.fastcase.com/

http://www.lawriter.net/consortium.aspx

http://www.versuslaw.com/

Government Sources

– State websites, i.e. New York– GovEngine– State and Local Government on the Net– USA.gov– GPO Access (being replaced by FDsys)– Thomas

http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/MENUGETF.cgi?COMMONQUERY=LAWS+&TARGET=VIEW

http://www.statelocalgov.net/

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf/Laws.shtml

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/home.action

http://thomas.loc.gov/

Foreign & International

Sources

• Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations • Online Translators: Google, Linguee, Beolingus• Legal Systems in the World Today• Globalex• Official Government Websites, i.e. Legifrance• Library of Congress GLIN• Legal Information Institutes, i.e. WorldLII

http://www.legalabbrevs.cardiff.ac.uk/

http://translate.google.com/?hl=en&tab=wT

http://www.linguee.com/

http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/

http://www.juriglobe.ca/eng/index.php

http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/index.html

http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/

http://www.glin.gov/search.action

http://www.worldlii.org/

• American Society of International Law (ASIL) Guide

• American Society of International Law (ASIL) EISIL• Treaties: US Department of State, THOMAS, UN• The International Judiciary in Context • Supreme Court Decisions from Around the World • European Union - Eur-Lex • United Nations – Documentation Center; Symbols

http://www.asil.org/erghome.cfm

http://www.eisil.org/

http://www.state.gov/s/l/treaty/

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/treaties/treaties.html

http://treaties.un.org/Pages/DB.aspx?path=DB/MTDSG/page1_en.xml

http://www.pict-pcti.org/publications/synoptic_chart/synoptic_chart2.pdf

http://www.globalcourts.com/

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/

http://www.un.org/en/documents/index.shtml

http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/symbol.htm#symbols

Secondary Sources

• Most law reviews are now offering at least their most current issue online for free

• ABA Free Full-text Law Review Search Engine

• ABA Journal Blawg Directory• Justia Blawg Directory

http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/research/cornell-law-review/index.cfm

http://www.americanbar.org/groups/departments_offices/legal_technology_resources/resources/free_journal_search.html

http://www.abajournal.com/blawgs/

Ethics Materials

– Your Local Bar Association– LII - American Legal Ethics Library– ABA - Center for Professional

Responsibility – Freivogel on Conflicts– Legal Ethics in Technology– National Organization of Bar Counsel

Some Final Tips

• In New York, Supreme Court Libraries provide free Lexis and limited Westlaw

• Firefox add-on: Jureeka

• Firefox add-on: RECAP (PACER)

• The Wayback Machine

• LII - Basic Legal Citation

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