what you always wanted to know about legal research * * but were afraid to ask

What You Always Wanted to Know

About Legal Research *

*But Were Afraid to Ask

Overarching Themes

• Update• Take

advantage of the work of others

• Use help services

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Acronyms & Words

• Bieber’s• Bluebook• Black’s &

general dictionaries

• Words & Phrases

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Leave It to Bieber’s

• Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations

• Dictionary of Legal Citations

The Bluebook• Blue pages• Tables &

abbreviations• Jurisdiction-

specific• Courts,

documents, states, periodicals, services

Words and Phrases

• Judicially defined• Nationwide• Annual pocket

parts• Westlaw: search

cases or statutes, field WP (term)

Unfamiliar Topic

• Find a research guide

• Consult a treatise

• Check ALR or Causes of Action

• Read a law review article

Treat-ises

ScholarlyComprehensiveAuthoritative• Corbin on

Contracts• Nimmer on

Copyright

Washington

• Wash. Practice• Wash. Lawyers

Practice Manual• WSBA deskbooks

(Loislaw)• Wash. Legal

Researcher’s Deskbook 3d

Fact Pattern

•American Law Reports

•Causes of Action (tort-based)

Law Reviews

• Index vs fulltext• Hein Online for

“historic” articles

• Shepard’s & Keycite

• Annotated codes

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Forms

• Formbook collections

• LexisNexis & Westlaw databases

• Office boilerplate

Facts

• Public libraries–Seattle Public

– Internet Public Library

• Almanacs

Constitutions

• Initial volumes of statutory codes

• Annotated codes cite to law review articles & cases

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Statutes

• Easier to read in print

• Easier to update online

• Popular names

• Tables

Effective Dates

Washington• 90 days after

adjournment• Laws of Wash.• RCWA tables &

pocket parts

United States• Presidential

signature OR as stated in the act

• Statutes at Large

• USC, USCA & USCS

Legislative History

Shortcuts• USCCAN• LexisNexis

Congressional• LexisNexis &

Westlaw• Bibliographies

50 State Surveys

• M-H Law Digest• National Survey of

State Laws• Subject

Compilations of State Laws

• Uniform Laws Annotated

Caselaw

•One good case

•Secondary sources

•Update online

Missile - any

• Admin. decisions• Court rules• Ethics opinions• Judicial

biographies• Jury instructions• Jury verdicts

Bag ‘O Tricks

• How to use a new source

• Smaller, targeted databases

• System as a citator

Paper Trail

•CALR searches

• Internet finds

•Citator checks

•Dead ends

Stop When . . .

• You have found the answer

• The cost exceeds the benefit

• Multiple sources cite the same authorities

Kindness of Strangers

what you always wanted to know about legal research * * but were afraid to ask

Documents

online slide

citator slide

copyright slide

usca uscs slide

action tort based slide

field wp term slide

law review articles

adjournment laws of