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Mar 29, 2023 · Case law is the body of law developed from judicial opinions or decisions over time (whereas statutory law comes from legislative bodies and administrative law comes from executive bodies). This guide introduces beginner legal researchers to resources for finding judicial decisions in case law resources.
Apr 5, 2024 · Generally, there are two types of case law research: Determining the case law that is binding or persuasive regarding a particular issue. Gathering and analyzing the relevant case law.
- Genevieve Tung
- 2016
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What is legal research?
What are the different types of case law research?
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Why is legal research important?
- Step 1: Key Questions to Ask Yourself When Starting Legal Research
- What Are The Facts?
- What Is The Actual Legal Issue?
- What Is The Relevant Jurisdiction?
- Where to Start Legal Research: The Library, Online, Or Even AI?
Before you begin looking for laws and court opinions, you first need to define the scope of your legal research project. There are several key questions you can use to help do this.
Always gather the essential facts so you know the “who, what, why, when, where, and how” of your case. Take the time to write everything down, especially since you will likely need to include a statement of facts in an eventual filing or brief anyway. Even if you don't think a fact may be relevant now, write it down because it may be relevant later...
You will never know what to research if you don't know what your legal issue is. Does your client need help collecting money from an insurance company following a car accident involving a negligent driver? How about a criminal case involving excluding evidence found during an alleged illegal stop? No matter the legal research project, you must iden...
Don't cast your net too wide regarding legal research; you should focus on the relevant jurisdiction. For example, does your case deal with federal or state law? If it is state law, which state? You may find a case in California state court that is precisely on point, but it won't be beneficial if your legal project involves New York law.
In years past, future attorneys were trained in law school to perform research in the library. But now, you can find almost everything from the library — and more — online. While you can certainly still use the library if you want, you will probably be costing yourself valuable time if you do. When it comes to online research, some people start wit...
Sep 21, 2021 · Legal research is the process of uncovering and understanding all of the legal precedents, laws, regulations, and other legal authorities that apply in a case and inform an attorney’s course of action.
May 24, 2024 · Case Law Research Guide. This guide details how to read a case citation and sets out the print and online sources for finding cases. Introduction. Every law student and practicing attorney must be able to find, read, analyze, and interpret case law.
- Cattleya Concepcion
- 2015
Apr 5, 2024 · This guide provides links to resources useful for legal research including statutory law, case law, law reviews and more.
Apr 12, 2024 · This is a guide to researching "civil law" subjects at the Harvard Law School Library. For the purposes of this guide, "civil law" (which is also sometimes referred to as "private law") means areas of law that regulate legal relationships between individuals that are generally covered by the civil code in a civil law jurisdiction.
