Legal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law

369 Pages·2018·6.68 MB·English

by  Stephen Elias

“Getting around the law library can be easy—if you just know
where to look—and Legal Research is the place to begin.”
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Research
How to Find & Understand the Law
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18th Edition
Legal
Research
How to Find & Understand the Law
Editors of Nolo
LAW for ALL
EIGHTEENTH EDITION AUGUST 2018
Editor CARA O’NEILL
Cover Design SUSAN PUTNEY
Book Design TERRI HEARSH
Proofreading ROBERT WELLS
Index RICHARD GENOVA
Printing BANG PRINTING
ISSN: 1539-4115 (print)
ISSN: 2377-7214 (online)
ISBN: 978-1-4133-2564-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-4133-2565-2 (ebook)
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Acknowledgments
This book wouldn’t be possible without original author, Stephen R.
Elias. Until his death in late 2011, Stephen R. Elias was a practicing
attorney, president of the National Bankruptcy Law Project, and
the author or coauthor of many Nolo books, including Bankruptcy
for Small Business Owners, Special Needs Trusts: Protect Your Child’s
Financial Future, How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, and Chapter
13 Bankruptcy. Steve was also one of the original authors of Nolo’s
bestselling WillMaker software. He held a law degree from Hastings
College of the Law and practiced law in California, New York, and
Vermont before joining Nolo in 1980.
Over the years, other wonderful people have also contributed to
this book in different ways, particularly Susan Levinkind, an original
coauthor, Alayna Schroeder, a subsequent author, and many of the
researchers and editors of Nolo.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Your Legal Research Companion ......................................................................................1
1
Understanding the Basics of the Law ............................................................................3
What Is the Law? .........................................................................................................................4
Sources of Law .............................................................................................................................5
State Versus Federal Law ......................................................................................................11
The Court System ....................................................................................................................13
2
Finding Legal Resources ........................................................................................................19
Where Legal Information Is Located .............................................................................20
Primary Sources and Secondary Sources....................................................................22
Looking for Legal Resources Online ...............................................................................27
Legal Research Websites ......................................................................................................38
3
Identifying Your Legal Issue ...............................................................................................43
How to Approach Your Research ...................................................................................44
Step 1: Is the Issue Civil or Criminal? .............................................................................45
Step 2: Figuring Out the Area of Law You’re Researching ................................50
Step 3: What Resources Will Help You Find What You Need? ......................64
Step 4: Figure Out Your Legal Research Question ................................................65
4
Finding and Using Secondary Sources .......................................................................69
Online Resources .....................................................................................................................70
Self-Help Legal Books ............................................................................................................73
Legal Encyclopedias ................................................................................................................74
Form Books ................................................................................................................................79
Practice Manuals .....................................................................................................................80
Continuing Legal Education Publications ..................................................................83
Law Reviews and Other Legal Periodicals ..................................................................84
Specialized Loose-Leaf Materials .....................................................................................85
Treatises and Monographs .................................................................................................88
Restatements of the Law .....................................................................................................88
5
Finding and Using Constitutions, Statutes, Regulations,
and Ordinances ...........................................................................................................................89
Finding and Using Constitutions .....................................................................................91
Finding Federal Statutes .......................................................................................................93
Finding State Statutes .........................................................................................................100
Understanding and Using Federal and State Statutes.......................................106
Finding and Using Regulations .......................................................................................119
Finding and Using Procedural Statutes and Rules ...............................................125
Finding and Using Local Laws or Ordinances ........................................................127
6
Finding Cases ...............................................................................................................................131
Using Citations to Find Cases .........................................................................................132
Finding Cases Online ...........................................................................................................136
Finding Cases in the Law Library ..................................................................................137
The Next Step..........................................................................................................................149
7
Using Case Law ...........................................................................................................................151
What Is a Case? .......................................................................................................................152
How Cases Are Published .................................................................................................164
How Cases Affect Later Disputes .................................................................................171
8
Validating Your Research ...................................................................................................179
Making Sure It’s “Good Law” ..........................................................................................180
How to Shepardize a Case ................................................................................................182
Shepardizing Statutes .........................................................................................................198
Using Shepard’s for Research ..........................................................................................201
9
Organizing and Putting Your Legal Research to Use ..................................205
Organizing Your Research ................................................................................................206
How to Write a Legal Memorandum .........................................................................207
Going to Court .......................................................................................................................213
Finding and Working With a Lawyer ..........................................................................228
Glossary
Glossary...........................................................................................................................................231
Appendix
Topic-Specific Research Sites .........................................................................................339
Index
...............................................................................................................................................................343