This essential primer on legal research is written specifically for criminal justice and social sciences students. The book's basic, how-to approach makes it suitable not only as a guiding text for research courses, but also as a key supplementary text for courses in which legal research is a secondary requirement. Stripped of the cumbersome information found in similar texts for legal students, this slim essentials book gives criminal justice and social sciences students the tools they need for successful research.
Contents: State codes; Municipal & County Codes; Rules of Court; Reports of Cases; Official Court Records in Print; Accounts of Trials; Indexes, Digests, & Encyclopedias; Form Books; Law Treatises Printed Before 1950; Criminal Law Books; 19th-Century Law Journals; 20th-Century Legal Periodicals; Legal Education; Academic Law Libraries; William & Mary Law Library; Public Law Librarians; The Norfolk Law Library; Private Law Libraries Before 1776; Private Law Libraries After 1776; Public Printers; J.W. Randolph; The Michie Company; General Virginia Bibliography; Index of Authors & Editors; & Subject Index.
Featuring Deborah E. Bouchoux's highly regarded assignments, examples, and building-block approach, Concise Guide to Legal Research and Writing, Fifth Edition continues to provide timely coverage of the essential research and writing skills used by today's legal professionals. Designed to be accessible and practical, this is the ideal text for shorter legal research and writing courses. New to the Fifth Edition: Significant focus on newer technologies available to legal researchers such as Lexis+ Brief Analysis, Westlaw Edge's Quick Check, and more. Coverage of the use of analytics tools now used by legal professionals, such as Lexis+ Context. An entirely new section in Chapter 8 on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in legal research. Expanded section on techniques to achieve gender-inclusive language. A new section in Chapter 14 on using tech tools such as ProWritingAid, BriefCatch, WordRake, NoRedInk, and Cooley GO to improve writing. A new section on texting and confidentiality issues in Chapter 15. A completely revamped and expanded discussion on e-memos in Chapter 16. Revised throughout with new ethics alerts and updated figures. All new Research Questions and Internet Legal Research Assignments included in each chapter. Professors and students will benefit from: Concise, well-organized text, divided into six main sections: Section I discusses primary authorities Section II covers secondary sources Section III focuses on computer-assisted legal research using Lexis, Westlaw, and the Internet Section IV covers citation form and how to ensure that primary sources are still "good law" Section V provides an overview of the legal research process Section VI covers legal writing Pedagogy designed to enhance the accessibility of the material, including helpful charts and diagrams that synthesize complex topics, updated Practice Tips offering realistic and helpful suggestions for workplace success, and Ethics Alerts in every chapter. Targeted and ample exercises help students learn how to use a wide range of research sources. Tips on how to effectively use electronic resources are included throughout the text.
Concise Legal Research details the technical aspects of a huge number of legal sources and explains how to research law with confidence and in good time.This new edition focuses on the impact of online access and the need for the researcher to move seamlessly between traditional and electronic resources. All strategies that have been created to incorporate hard copy researching techniques have been updated with alternate electronic methods.Particular attention has been paid to the chapter on secondary sources, and with the maintenance of a structured approach to research, recognises that online research - with its many inherent pitfalls - must carefully fit within rules of research required by the discipline.
"Characteristics of American Law and Legal Resources; Court Reports; Shepard's Citations; Online Updating Tools; West Key-Number Digests; ALR Annotations; Federal Statutory Research; State Statutory Research; Local Law Sources; Constitutional Law; Legislative History; Administrative Regulations and Decisions; Court Rules; Practice Materials; Looseleaf Services; Legal Periodicals; Periodical Indexes; Legal Encyclopedias; Restatements; Texts; Legal Dictionaries; Directories; Formbooks; Nonlegal Research Sources; Treaties; International Law; International Organizations; English Legal Research; Canadian Legal Research; Foreign and Comparative Law; Research Strategies."-- Book description
