First session of legal research session for ILRLR 2010.

1. ILRLR 2010
LEGAL RESEARCH
WORKSHOP
meets here
http://guides.library.cornell.edu/ilrlr2010lieberwitz
lexisnexis.com/lawschool/
Aliqae Geraci, Catherwood Library

2. Legal research sequence
1. Today’s session
• Relax! Research is a muscle memory!
• How to determine what you’re looking for
• Get started with BNA and Lexis Advance
2. November 6 session
• More BNA and Lexis Advance 
• Using the hypothetical to develop research strategy
3. Beyond the sessions
• Take the research quiz (linked in guide)
• Watch videos on locating and evaluating decisions
• Review hypothetical and identify issues
• Refresher sessions week of November 12 (linked in guide)
• Ask librarians for help! Email ilrref for appt.

3. Legal research essentials
1. Know what you’re looking for
• Primary law
• Statutory law
• Case law
• Administrative law
• Secondary sources
2. Identify issues by assessing
facts
• Facts + issues = search terms and alternatives

4. Before you search, ask
1. What statute(s) apply?
2. What type of decisions are you
looking for?
 Determines where you search
3. What facts and issues can be
identified?
 Determines what terms (keywords) you use & alternatives

5. Research assignment
Instructions: Research and write a legal memorandum discussing
the legal issues raised by the following hypothetical situation. Your
research and discussion should be limited to issues underTitleVII
of the Civil Rights Act.This means that you should not do
research under other federal or state statutes.
In this legal memorandum, you should: (1) identify the legal issues;
(2) discuss the relevant decisions by the United States Supreme
Court and the lower federal courts; (3) apply these cases to the facts
provided below; and (4) state your conclusions on the merits of the
legal issues. In your discussion, you should include the arguments on
both sides of the issues.

6. Research assignment
Important notes on the legal issues and your research:
1.The first legal issue you will address is whether Haley Hastings is an
“employee” underTitleVII of the Civil RightsAct. Based on your research of
federal court cases and application of these cases to the facts provided
below, you may conclude either way – that Hastings is an employee or is not
an employee underTitleVII. Even if you conclude that Hastings is not an
employee, you should continue on to discuss all issues that would be
addressed underTitleVII if Hastings were an employee.
2. Note that the facts below take place in Boston, Massachusetts. This
means that your legal research should focus most closely on the following
federal courts: (a) the United States SupremeCourt; (b) the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the First Circuit; and (c) the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts.

7. Before you search, ask
1. What statute(s) apply?
2. What type of decisions are you
looking for?
 Determines where you search
3. What facts and issues can be
identified?
 Determines what terms (keywords) you use & alternatives

8. NOWYOU’RE READYTO
SEARCH!

9. FOR QUESTIONS &
APPOINTMENTS
ilrref@cornell.edu