“Legal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law” by using Attorney Stephen Elias and the Editors of Nolo is another e-book in the huge felony library published through Nolo, a writer that prides itself on making the regulation available to anyone. I’m a legal professional, and I nevertheless just like the books placed out through Nolo, mainly those in areas I’m now not as acquainted with but want a touch knowledge. Nolo continually provides.
Not everyone can come up with the money for Lexis or Westlaw, the two largest subscriber-based totally online felony resources. In regulation school, we had access to both because each group desired to earn your loyalty for a while you got out and began practicing. Many firms have one or the opposite, and I suppose large corporations may join each. Even with get admission to such a, I discover that I can regularly find things quicker and less difficult with loose resources. Many states have statutes and such online these days. More and extra have become to be had all of the time.
That’s wherein the ebook “Legal Research” comes in. It provides easy to observe research strategies that will help you answer your legal questions. In addition, the book has sections for online research in addition to information concerning law libraries for the ones who have to get entry to one.
The e-book includes 386 pages divided amongst ten statistics-packed chapters. The chapters include:
One: Understanding the Basics of the Law. Brief descriptions of what the law is, assets of regulation, kingdom versus federal law, and the court gadget. Too fundamental for an attorney, however for the layperson, the e-book became written for, this is a great introduction.
Two: Finding Legal Resources. This chapter explains where criminal data is located, number one and secondary assets, internet sources for criminal subjects, and felony research websites. It includes Lexis and Westlaw, but additionally other free websites. I like the suggestions and warnings throughout the ebook as nicely. Good warning that no longer every opinion you locate is good regulation. Obvious to a person who had it drilled into them throughout regulation college, however likely no longer known to many laypeople.
Three: Identifying Your Legal Issue. Things to understand before you move searching, like civil or criminal, identify the area of regulation you need to investigate, what resources will assist you with what you want to discover, and identify your criminal research query. This is crucial; you need to recognize what you are actually searching out earlier than you search around.
Four: Finding and Using Secondary Sources. This chapter explores sources including online sources (together with a piece about deciding if reliable), self-assist prison books, legal encyclopedias, shape books, practice manuals, continuing legal education guides, law evaluations, and so forth. Many regulation companies will have quite a few of these kinds of resources, and you’ll discover even greater at a regulation library. This chapter gives a brief assessment of what these sources are.
Five: Finding and Using Constitutions, Statutes, Regulations, and Ordinances. These are the majority of legislatively or administratively created laws. This bankruptcy explains how to find these sources and the way to use them. It covers finding and using constitutions, finding federal statutes, locating kingdom statutes, know-how them, finding rules and other rules and ordinances. All of those are vital depending on your specific issue. This chapter is a superb advent to this international of “laws” for the ones which can be charting unusual territory.
Six: Finding Cases. However, some of our regulation is not located in statutes in the decisions of cases that have already been determined. These instances interpreted laws and, at the moment, are the guideline till legislature adjustments it, or some other case overrules it. Roe v. Wade is an example of a famous case. This is appealed to concerning abortion law. This chapter helps the reader learn how to use citations to find instances, discover cases on the internet, discover instances in the regulation library.
Seven: Using Case Law. This bankruptcy clearly explains what a case is, how it may be published, and how cases affect later disputes. If your matter is based on case regulation, this bankruptcy will assist you.
Eight: Validating Your Research. I mentioned the top in advance, and this chapter is going similarly to help you ensure you have “exact regulation.” It teaches you how to Shepardize a Case, a method we lawyers use to ensure the instances we are counting on are nonetheless correct. If you are trying to make a case yourself, you must make sure you are relying on “true regulation.” These are the sorts of things lawyers understand that many laypeople do not.
Nine: Organizing and Putting Your Legal Research to Use. One issue clerks, felony interns, and associates spend quite a little time doing is research. Once you find the records, you ought to place what you discover in written shape for those that asked you to discover it. This bankruptcy presents the basics for writing a legal memorandum. Not as thorough as the semester magnificence most first-year law college students take, however correct for the non-attorney. There is a short section about going to court and the court procedure and approximately a couple of pages on locating and running with a lawyer.
Ten: Research Hypothetical and Memorandum. Maybe it’s miles because legal professional analyzes by using case research and examples that this chapter gives a study trouble, the way to find out the statistics, and how to approach the question to investigate. On the other hand, it’s very brief, so it will give the non-legal professional a bit example of the way to examine the law and pass about locating your solution.
The e-book chapters prevent right here on web page 255. The next hundred plus pages is a thesaurus, which a person could no longer need if they have a legal dictionary. No truly has an easy felony dictionary that may not update “Black’s” however is a superb aid. Then there may be a short appendix on subjects and an index.
Overall, I assume this ebook could be valuable for the person who wants or wishes to do criminal research; however, it does not understand from which to start. If you are compelled to do it yourself, this manual can lead the way. It is a perfect description of the legal studies process for the ones without a law degree.