Legal Research Guide: Patterns and Practice

This book provides simple step-by-step instructions in manual research processes using print resources. Students are also introduced to the alternative methods of electronic research through numerous "Computer Notes," making this a pedagogically sound as well as a practical research book. Numerous checklists underscore the common patterns in manual legal research, as well as help to simplify each research process. The checklists' separate indices allow instant access to particular procedures. Specific problems also illustrate each process. Because legal issues are rarely so straightforward as to involve only one research process, some sample problems recur in more than one chapter to demonstrate the interrelationships between research procedures. An Appendix provides additional practice problems, accompanied by a brief outline of the research sources.

Summary Table of Contents:

Chapter 1:   Case Law Research

Chapter 2:   United States Constitutional Law Research

Chapter 3:   Federal Legislative Research

Chapter 4:   Federal Administrative Research

Chapter 5:   State Constitutional Law Research

Chapter 6:   State Legislative Research

Chapter 7:   State Administrative Research

Chapter 8:   Secondary Source Research