4. What is a treatise?
In-depth treatment
Specific subject
Explanation of the law
Folk on the Delaware General
Corporation Law
5. What is a practice guide?
Explanatory text – “How To”
Instructions, checklists, forms
Pennsylvania Transaction Guide (Lexis)
West’s Pennsylvania Practice Series (Westlaw)
6. What is a formbook?
Sample forms
Dunlap-Hanna Pennsylvania Forms (Lexis)
West’s Pennsylvania Forms (Westlaw)
7. Location, location, location
Commercial databases
Westlaw Next
Lexis Advance
Bloomberg Law
CCH Intelliconnect
RIA Checkpoint
Free sources
Practical Law Company
Print!
Primary source is the law, binding on courts. Examples include court cases, statutes, regulations. Secondary sources are persuasive. The provide summary, analysis and/or critique of the law. Usually include references to primary authority. Depending on the specific source, they can be very detailed (like a treatise) or provide a broad overview (like a legal encyclopedia). Secondary sources are usually not found for free on the Internet – you will find them through commercial databases or in print.
They also include legal encyclopedias and periodicals (journal and law review articles).
Provides detailed explanation of a discrete area of the law. Examples include Folk on DE General Corporation Law; Federal Taxation of Income, Estates & Gifts. Usually, once you are working within a particular practice area, you will know which treatise to go to. In print, they are multi-volume sets with comprehensive tables of contents and indexes.
Examples include PA Transaction Guide (Lexis) and West’s PA Practice Series.
Usually accompanied by explanatory text. Examples include West’s PA Forms and Dunlap-Hanna PA Forms (Lexis)
Other commercial databases including CCH Intelliconnect and RIA Checkpoint. Tons of free practitioner materials online, especially for business-related stuff (starting, running a business; taxes). Practical Law Company – free for law students.
