For CALI presentation

1. Review: The Legal Research
Process
Where do you start?
What do you look for?
When do you stop?

2. Issue
Spotting:
Break
down the
client file
What
issues to
research
What
sources
will answer
your
questions?
Where
to
researc
h
Statutes
Regulation
s
Cases
Secondary
What
sources
to
researc
h
Currency
Up-to-Date
Recurring
When
to stop

3. Step 1: What do you need to
research?
• What issues in your
client’s case do you
need to research?
• Think also of
jurisdiction
Issue
Spotting

4. Step 2: Make a Plan
What types of
sources do you
need to
research?
• Primary
• Secondary
Where should
you look for
these sources?
• Print/Electronic
• Free/Low-Cost/
Subscription
What features of
these sources
and databases
will benefit your
research?
• Citators
• Annotated/
Unannotated Codes
• Headnotes/Key
Numbers

5. Step 3: Research
Secondar
y Sources
Analyze and
explain the law;
you may want
to start here for
explanation and
for citations to
leading primary
sources
Primary
Sources
Provide the text
of the law itself;
you may find
yourself going
to secondary
sources for
understanding
of primary
sources

6. Researching Statutes
Annotated
Codes
• Text of the law
• History
• Annotations to
related cases,
secondary
sources
Unannotated
Codes
• Text of the law
• History
When possible, look for an annotated code when researching statutes.

7. Researching Cases
Full-Text Searching
Headnotes to a
Case
Key Numbers/
Digests
Citators
Annotations in
Annotated Codes,
Secondary Sources
How to Find
Cases

8. Step 4: When to Stop?
Currency
Is your
law up to
date?
Citator
Is your
law still
good
law?
Iteration
Are the
same
cases
recurring
in every
search?

9. Issue
Spotting:
Break
down the
client file
What
issues to
research
What
sources
will answer
your
questions?
Where
to
researc
h
Statutes
Regulation
s
Cases
Secondary
What
sources
to
researc
h
Currency
Up-to-Date
Recurring
When
to stop
Questions?