Research Review For Grimes Moot Court

1. Research ReviewFor Grimes Moot Court February 4, 2010 Joan Shear, Legal Information Librarian and Lecturer in Law

2. Where to Start • Figure out what you’re looking for

3. What is legal research? • The search for authority: • to predict a likely outcome • to advise a client • or • to advocate for a client

4. Building a Foundation • Understand the facts - read your record. • Understand legal terms - legal dictionaries, words and phrases. • Understand general legal principles and what general areas of law are involved - general secondary sources.

5. Treatises (Books) • Used for: • general overview • citations to primary sources • persuasive authority

6. Suggested Title: • American Constitutional Law, 3rd ed. Vol. 1, by Laurence H. Tribe. Foundation Press 2000). use 2nd ed. for Chapters 9 - 18

7. Suggested Title: • Constitutional Law, 7th ed. by John E. Nowak and Ronald D. Rotunda (Thomson-West 2004). • Hornbook Series Constitutional Law Hornbook Series

8. Suggested Title: • Constitutional Law: Principles and Policies, 3rd ed., by Erwin Chemerinsky (Aspen 2006). • [On Course Reserve]

9. Suggested Title: • Treatise on Constitutional Law: Substance and Procedure, 4th. ed. by Ronald D. Rotunda & John E. Nowak • [6 volumes] • (Thomson-West 2007).

10. Suggested Title: • Understanding Constitutional Law, 3rd ed. by Norman Redlich, John Attanasio, Joel K. Goldstein (LexisNexis 2005).

11. Types of Authority Primary (Can be binding) Secondary (Can only be persuasive) Sources Constitutions Cases Statutes Regulations Commentaries e.g. Law Reviews Background Materials e.g., Records and Briefs Thorough Research

12. Citation Theory • Why we cite • To provide authority for our pronouncements • What cites do • Identify source of authority • Tell where to find source of authority • Provide limited information on weight of authority such asdate, jurisdiction, or relevant subsequent history

13. Statutes and Constitutions • Annotated codes to find interpretive cases.

21. Case Finding Tool Provides: historical background; citations to primary sources; structure/ organization Available on Westlaw and LexisNexis American Law Reports (ALR)

22. Case Finding - Digests • Digest Searches • Useful for finding cases under legal concepts and principles. • Brings together cases with a variety of fact situations.

23. Digest Searching on Westlaw • Digest topic: Constitutional Law • (Designated as topic # 92) • Key Number: 580 • Write as 92Hk580 in Westlaw searches

24. Natural Language Search words Weighted according to algorithms To find “most” relevant based on ranking criteria Terms and Connectors Search words Combined with Boolean connectors To find all exact matches Full Text Searching

25. When you need everything using particular terms When terms are unique When you want to include a field search When you need to know how many cases use these terms Connectors Alternatives “or” Conjunctions Joining: “and” “&” Proximity: w/# /# Ordered Proximity: pre/# +# Grammatical: /s /p Exclusions “but not” Terms and Connectors

26. When you don’t know much about a subject When you don’t want just a casual mention When you are willing to take a close match When you need an extensive discussion Is really Relevancy Ranking Natural Language

27. Topical Services • United States Law Week (BNA) • (latest two years at Law Permanent Reserves) • Available through Alphabetical List of Databases.

33. Law Reviews • Uses • recent developments • citations to primary sources • persuasive authority

34. Indexes lead you to articles about a particular topic. Full text searching leads you to any use of a term. Start with Indexes

35. Law Review Indexes - ILP • Index to Legal Periodicals & Books • (back to 1980) through • Westlaw - ILP • Lexis - Index to Legal Periodicals • ILP and ILP Retrospective can be accessed through Alphabetical Databases Link

36. Law Review Indexes - CLI • Current Law Index • Westlaw – LRI • Lexis – Legal Resource Index • Alphabetical List of Databases – LegalTrak

37. Law Review Indexes - CILP • Current Index to Legal Periodicals • Westlaw – CILP • Alphabetical List of Databases– Current Index to Legal Periodicals

38. WESTLAW TP-ALL contains: law reviews, texts, American Law Reports (ALR), legal encyclopedias (American Jurisprudence 2d and Corpus Juris Secundum), CLE course materials, bar journals, and legal practice-oriented periodicals. LEXISNexis Legal Publications Group File contains: law reviews, bar journals, ABA journals, legal newspapers, legal newsletters, specialty legal publications, and CLE materials Law Reviews – Full Text

42. Supreme Court Rules • In Print: • Federal Rules of Civil Procedure • (West 2009-2010 Educational Ed.) • Law Course Reserve KF 8816 .A2 F42 • Supreme Court Rules page 510 • [Does not include latest amendments] 2008 Revised Edition Federal CIVIL JUDICIAL PROCEDURE and RULES

43. Records & Briefs • Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court of the United States. • Records and Briefs of the United States Supreme Courtin Microfiche.

46. Oral Arguments • May It Please the Court: Landmark Cases Argued Before the Supreme Court, Transcripts and Cassettes • Oral Arguments of the Supreme Court of theUnited States in Microfiche.

50. Find Books in QUEST