Concise Legal Research

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.

Featuring Deborah E. Bouchoux’s highly regarded assignments, examples, and building-block approach, Concise Guide to Legal Research and Writing, Fourth Edition continues to provide timely coverage of the essential research and writing skills used by today’s paralegals. Designed specifically for paralegal students, this is the ideal text for shorter legal research and writing courses. New to the Fourth Edition: New “Sidebar” feature in all research chapters provides quick tips showing how the material in that chapter applies to computer-assisted legal research systems, such as Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law. Discussion of GovInfo, which provides free public access to official and authenticated publications from all three branches of the federal government. Coverage of new tools used for cite-checking, including EVA and Bestlaw. Discussion of Westlaw Edge, Westlaw’s new research platform. Extensive new coverage of the increasing use of artificial intelligence in legal research and writing. Discussion of new sources that provide free public access to the law, including Harvard’s Caselaw Access Project, CourtListener, and RECAP Project. New sections on preparing email letters and email memoranda, including assignments. All new Research Questions and Internet Legal Research Assignments have been included for 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 Advance, Westlaw, and the Internet Section IV covers citation form and how to ensure that these 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. Conscientious revision ensures that the book has the most up-to-date material, presented in a readable and accessible format.

Revised 4th edition of a textbook on legal research first published 1993. Provides many of the ground rules of legal research while allowing an insight into the methodology of research. Covers citation, primary and secondary source material, delegated legislation, law reports, international law and the legal materials of the European Union. Separately explains finding the law in New Zealand, Canada, India and the USA. Includes non-commercial internet addresses for legal research and index.

Principles of Legal Research provides comprehensive yet concise coverage of research methods in both online and printed resources. It has been thoroughly updated to explain the latest features of the major legal research platforms as well as dozens of other free and subscription websites. In this expanded and reorganized edition, an introductory survey of research strategies is followed by discussion of major secondary sources, treatment of the sources of U.S. law created by each branch of government, chapters on specialized resources for litigation and transactional practice, and an overview of international and foreign law. Other new features include a deeper look at search algorithms and executive branch lawmaking. Sample illustrations are included throughout, and an appendix lists hundreds of major treatises and topical services by subject.

"Legal Research and Writing, Third Edition" seeks to explain the practical skills needed for print and online legal research and for legal writing. It provides a current and comprehensive look at the topic, consolidating information on legal research and writing into one handy, easy-to-use resource. The book is written for both seasoned practitioners, seeking to add the latest sources and techniques to their research arsenals, and for beginning law students who face a bewildering array of information. It includes chapters on legal research malpractice, the acquisition of research resources, and knowledge management. In addition, it covers searching the new platforms of the major proprietary online legal databases, the increasing digitization of legal materials, and the Web 2.0. "Legal Research and Writing" is the most up-to-date book of its kind available in Canada today.

Winner of the American Association of Law Libraries' Joseph L. Andrews Legal Literature Award in 2010, Principles of Legal Research provides encyclopedic yet concise coverage of research methods and resources using both free and commercial websites as well as printed publications. It has been thoroughly updated to provide coverage of WestlawNext, Lexis Advance, Bloomberg Law, and other new resources. An introductory survey of research strategies is followed by chapters on the sources of U.S. law created by each branch of government, discussion of major secondary sources, and an overview of international and comparative law. Sample illustrations are included, and an appendix lists more than 500 major treatises and looseleaf services by subject.