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Legal Research

Legal Research. 11-11.50am Types of material – what each is good for What a case citation is telling you Where to find each type of material How to get the best out of the WWW 12-3pm (Economics & Business building) 1 Hour session (3 groups) Finding Australian & UK cases Full text

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Legal Research

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  1. Legal Research • 11-11.50am • Types of material – what each is good for • What a case citation is telling you • Where to find each type of material • How to get the best out of the WWW • 12-3pm (Economics & Business building) • 1 Hour session (3 groups) • Finding Australian & UK cases • Full text • Additional information about cases • Key databases for researching case law

  2. 1. Types of material

  3. 2. Interpreting a case citation • Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760 • Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61 • R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682 • Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6

  4. Case citations: the parties • Merritt v Merritt[1970] 2 All ER 760 • Grey v Pearson(1857) 6 HL Cas 61 • R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682 • Ayles v The Queen[2008] HCA 6

  5. Case citations: year of the judgment • Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760 • Grey v Pearson(1857) 6 HL Cas 61 • R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682 • Ayles v The Queen[2008] HCA 6

  6. Case citations: report details • Merritt v Merritt[1970] 2 All ER 760 • Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61 • R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682 • Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6

  7. Case citations: square and round brackets • Merritt v Merritt[1970] 2 All ER 760 • R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681

  8. Case citations: medium neutral citations • Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760 • Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61 • R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682 • Ayles v The Queen[2008] HCA 6

  9. 4. Starting point for legal research Law Library home page: http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/libraries/law/

  10. 3. Abbreviation Finders • Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations • Law report, Journal and Court abbreviations • Free web site: http://www.legalabbrevs.cardiff.ac.uk/ Try also • Laying Down the Law / Cooke et al. • Good list in Appendix 4 • CaseBase • Online database in the ‘Help’ section

  11. 5. Where to find cases • All via Law Library homepage • Practice in hands-on session this afternoon

  12. 6. Where to find legislation Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth) Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) • AustLII covers all Australian jurisdictions • Go to: http://www.austlii.edu.au/or: • Law Library homepage > Free web law > AustLII

  13. 6. Secondary sources • Best place to look for secondary sources: • Library catalogue: http://opac.library.usyd.edu.au/ • Try AGIS for journal articles on a topic

  14. Making the most of the Web • How big is the internet?

  15. Anyone can publish ‘facts’ on the Internet…

  16. Who controls the content on a website?

  17. Checklist for avoiding ‘dodgy’ information on the Web • Authority – Who runs the website? Are they a reliable source? • Objectivity – What motivation might the author have for putting up this information? • Purpose – Who/what is the intended audience/use for this information? • Currency – How up to date is it? • Accuracy – Can you verify the information in another source?

  18. Getting the best from the Web • Use Google Advanced Search

  19. Using Google Advanced Search

  20. Other useful websites • Google Scholar – ‘scholarly’ material and publisher websites • Free Web Law • Free web law by subject – directories • Legislation and Parliamentary Counsel websites • Law Reform Commission websites

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