How to Conduct Effective Legal Research

Since it is impossible for any lawyer or law student to know every law and court case off the top of their head, conducting legal research is important. It can provide relevant information to help in taking a certain position or making judicial decision. A lawyer, judge, attorney and even law student must know how to conduct effective legal research.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Get on the internet. One of the growing resources for legal research is the internet. The amount of information available through websites and online legal publications continues to grow. Of course there will still be occasions when a trip to the library and books are still needed to conduct effective legal research. You can also access pay sites such as Westlaw or Lexis Nexis.

2. Visit a law library. While a library may have some of the information you need, a law library is really the place you need to go in order to conduct effective legal research. It contains nothing but information relevant to laws and court cases, thus it makes an excellent location to find all the information and resources needed.

3. Use current sources. One of the disadvantages to researching law is the fact that it can change very fast. New laws are passed each day while courts hand out rulings that affect laws and how they can be interpreted. Lawyers and judges must remain current with the law in the jurisdiction to ensure the people involved in the court process are being given fair trials and representation.

4. Consult a blend of primary and secondary legal resources. There are a number of different sources that can provide individuals involved with the judicial system the information they need. Primary sources are important as these consist of the actual legislation and case laws that are a result of legislative action and court rulings. Secondary sources can be used to supplement primary sources since these often provide different legal opinions and thoughts regarding laws and court cases. Examples of secondary sources that can be used include law journals, legal encyclopedias, textbooks and more.

5. Make sure you shepherdize your findings. This process will help you check for cases that may have overturned or remanded the cases you chose. If you have a Westlaw or Lexis account, you can electronically shepherdize your cases. If not, you will have to manually check the newer cases at the law library.