| |
| |
| Introduction: Your Legal Research Companion | |
| |
| |
| |
| Understanding the Basics of the Law | |
| |
| |
| What Is the Law? | |
| |
| |
| Sources of Law | |
| |
| |
| State Versus Federal Law | |
| |
| |
| The Court System | |
| |
| |
| |
| Finding Legal Resources | |
| |
| |
| Where Legal Information Is Located | |
| |
| |
| Primary Sources and Secondary Sources | |
| |
| |
| Looking for Legal Resources on the Internet | |
| |
| |
| Legal Research Websites | |
| |
| |
| |
| Identifying Your Legal Issue | |
| |
| |
| How to Approach Your Research | |
| |
| |
| |
| Is the Issue Civil or Criminal? | |
| |
| |
| |
| Figuring Out the Area of Law You're Researching | |
| |
| |
| |
| What Are the Resources That Will Help You Find What You Need? | |
| |
| |
| |
| Figure Out Your Legal Research Question | |
| |
| |
| |
| Finding and Using Secondary Sources | |
| |
| |
| Online Resources | |
| |
| |
| Self-Help Legal Books | |
| |
| |
| Legal Encyclopedias | |
| |
| |
| Form Books | |
| |
| |
| Practice Manuals | |
| |
| |
| Continuing Legal Education Publications | |
| |
| |
| Law Reviews and Other Legal Periodicals | |
| |
| |
| Specialized Loose-Leaf Materials | |
| |
| |
| Treatises and Monographs | |
| |
| |
| Restatements of the Law | |
| |
| |
| |
| Finding and Using Constitutions, Statutes, Regulations, and Ordinances | |
| |
| |
| Finding and Using Constitutions | |
| |
| |
| Finding Federal Statutes | |
| |
| |
| Finding State Statutes | |
| |
| |
| Understanding and Using Federal and State Statutes | |
| |
| |
| Finding and Using Regulations | |
| |
| |
| Finding and Using Procedural Statutes and Rules | |
| |
| |
| Finding and Using Local Laws or Ordinances | |
| |
| |
| |
| Finding Cases | |
| |
| |
| Using Citations to Find Cases | |
| |
| |
| Finding Cases on the Internet | |
| |
| |
| Finding Cases in the Law Library | |
| |
| |
| The Next Step | |
| |
| |
| |
| Using Case Law | |
| |
| |
| What Is a Case? | |
| |
| |
| How Cases Are Published | |
| |
| |
| How Cases Affect Later Disputes | |
| |
| |
| |
| Validating Your Research | |
| |
| |
| Making Sure It's "Good Law" | |
| |
| |
| How to Shepardize a Case | |
| |
| |
| Shepardizing Statutes | |
| |
| |
| Using Shepard's for Research | |
| |
| |
| |
| Organizing and Putting Your Legal Research to Use | |
| |
| |
| Organizing Your Research | |
| |
| |
| How to Write a Legal Memorandum | |
| |
| |
| Going to Court | |
| |
| |
| Finding and Working With a Lawyer | |
| |
| |
| |
| Research Hypothetical and Memorandum | |
| |
| |
| Research Problem: Alimony Hypothetical (West Virginia) | |
| |
| |
| Facts | |
| |
| |
| How to Approach This Question | |
| |
| |
| Glossary | |
| |
| |
| Appendix: Topic-Specific Research Sites | |
| |
| |
| Index | |