Introduction to Legal Research: Other Stuff

• General
  • Anatomy of a Case
  • Citation Form for Briefs and Memoranda
  • Cost of Legal Research
  • Decision Point: State or Federal
  • Evaluating Web Sites
  • Hold 'em, Fold 'em, Walk Away or Run: When to Stop the Search
  • Introduction to Search Logic and Strategies
  • Issue Statements for Memos and Briefs
  • Legal Research 101: The Tools of the Trade
  • The Legal Research Game: Fee or Free Edition
  • Legal Research Methodology
  • Stating Facts: Objective and Persuasive Approaches
  • Where Does Law Come From?
• Statutes
  • Codification
  • Finding Statutes
  • Forms of Federal Statutory Publication
  • Introduction to State and Federal Statutes
  • Updating Federal and State Statutes
• Cases
  • How to Find Case Law Using the Digests
  • Updating/Validating Case Law Using Citators
  • Using Citators as Finding Tools
• Secondary
  • American Law Reports (ALR)
  • Introduction to Secondary Resources
  • Legal Encyclopedias
  • Periodicals and Periodical Indexes
  • Secondary Sources: Practice Centers - The Evolution from Print Looseleaf to Practice Center
  • Subject Specific Treatises
  • Using the Restatements of the Law
• Administrative
  • Agency Decisions and Orders
  • Internal Agency Materials
  • Introduction and Sources of Authority for Administrative Law
  • Researching Federal Administrative Regulations
  • Rulemaking: Federal Register and CFR
• Legislative History
  • Federal Legislative History Research - Compiled Legislative History
  • How to Research Federal Legislative History
  • Reading Legislative History

Go Ahead and Google, Then Do a Subject-Based Search Advice from the inside, Annalee Hickman Moser

Tech Tools to Simplify Legal Research and Writing, Alison Monahan

Legal Research with No down Payment: 7 Cost-Effective Research Tools, Erin McClarty

Use Terms and Connectors for Precise Search Results, Catherine M. Dunn

Let's Hit the Links - Keep Your Eye on the Ball When Researching Online, Mark Cooney

Why, as a Legal Writer, You Must Research in Two Realms, Bryan A. Garner

Taming Legal Information Overload, Shawn G. Nevers (research plan)

Treatises: Let the Experts Serve You, Mark Cooney

Conducting Effective Legal Research on the Cheap, Catherine M. Dunn

Smart Researchers Save Time by Starting with Legal Treatises, Shawn G. Nevers

Restatements: An Influential Secondary Source, Shawn G. Nevers

Legislative History: the Search for Legislative Intent, Shawn G. Nevers

Getting to Know Administrative Decisions, Shawn G. Nevers

Readings

Guides & Websites

• Georgetown Law Guides and Handouts
• How Laws Are Made (UGA)
  • The Legislature
  • The Courts
  • The Administrative Agencies
• Legal Research Strategy (Harvard)
  • A good overview
• Secondary Sources
  • Georgetown Treatise Finders
  • UVA Treatises and Services by Subject
• Bluebook 21st ed. updates

Zero-L Program - I personally have worked thorough the following modules and thought they were excellent

• Introduction to Law and the Court Systems
  • Thinking Like a Lawyer
  • Kinds of Law: Some Major Categories and Sources of Law
  • What is Law? Distinguishing Legal from Other Kinds of Rules
  • Federal vs. State Law and Order of Authorities
  • The Federal Court System
  • The State Court Systems
• How to Read a Case and Understand Precedent
  • How to Read a Case
  • Kinds of Common Law Arguments
  • Precedent: What does the Decision Mean for Future Cases?
• Working with Statutes
  • How a Bill Becomes a Law
  • How to Read a Statute: Introduction
  • How to Read a Statute: Tools of Interpretation

• Legal Information Institute (Cornell)
  • State statutes by topic
• National Association of Secretaries of State
  • Resources tab
• National Conference of State Legislatures
  • Research tab
• Special interest groups