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Legal Researchin the Real World
Mary Whisner
Helane Davis
Cheryl Nyberg
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On
• Managing research assignments
• Developing research strategies
• Learning tips to make legal research easier
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Project Log
• Date assigned• Supervisor• Project• Due• When you’ll work on it• Done!
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Calendar
• Due dates• Chunks of time for
working on projects (before their due dates!)
• Meetings• “Extras”
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Getting the Assignment
• School assignments– What topic– How long (pages,
margins, font size)– What sources to use– When due
• Work assignments– ????
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Asking Questions Is Good!
• Requester? – Contact info? – Others who know project?
• When is it due?• Format?• Time?• Billing?• Background? Suggestions?
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Notes
• Prepare to cite– Write down the
information you’ll need now rather than waiting until you’re ready to write.
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Notes
♪ What’s the question?
♪ Where’d you look?
♪ How’d you look?
♪ What’d you find?
♪ What’s the date?
♪ Why’d you copy that?
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Developing Research Strategies
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Think Framework
Rombauer• Preliminary analysis• Search for statutes• Mandatory precedent• Persuasive precedent• Refine, double-check
& update
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Preliminary Analysis
• Issue• Jurisdiction• Key facts• Relevant search
terms• Knowledge
assessment
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Search for Statutes
• If there’s an applicable statute, you want to see it first
• Don’t forget to look for applicable regulations
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Search for Cases - Mandatory
• Cases that matter for your issue and jurisdiction
• How to find:– Have an applicable
statute?– Digest– Secondary sources
are your friend
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Search for Cases - Persuasive
• When there’s no mandatory precedent
• Choose your jurisdiction
• Here, secondary sources can be your favorite finding tool
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Refine, Double-check & Update
• All along or at the end: just make sure you do it!
• Shepardize/Keycite cases and statutes
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So…Scenarios
The Wild Goose Chase
"We think our matter is a case of first impression."
source: Callinan, Ellen, How to Survive Summer Associate Research ... and Thrive!--Advice from the Law Firm, 7 Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing (Spring 1999) 113-115 (1999), reprinted in Best of Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research & Writing at 81-83.
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So…Scenarios
The Survey
"For a large national client, we need to know how all
50 states handle a particular legal issue.“
source: Callinan, Ellen, How to Survive Summer Associate Research ... and Thrive!--Advice from the
Law Firm, 7 Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing (Spring 1999) 113-115
(1999), reprinted in Best of Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research & Writing at 81-83.
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So…Scenarios
Update My...
“Course materials, seminars, articles or
books.”
source: Callinan, Ellen, How to Survive Summer Associate Research ... and Thrive!--Advice from the
Law Firm, 7 Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing (Spring 1999) 113-115
(1999), reprinted in Best of Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research & Writing at 81-83.
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When Do I Stop?
Lots of factors and no easy answers...but...
• When the costs outweigh the benefits
• When you keep finding the same sources
• When you find the answer
• When you run out of time
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Missile - any
Tips
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Effective Dates
• WA: 90 days after adjournment– Laws of Wash.– RCWA tables & pocket
parts
• US: Presidential signature OR as stated in the act– Statutes at Large
– USC, USCA & USCS
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50 State Surveys
• M-H Law Digest• National Survey of
State Laws• Subject Compilations
of State Laws• Uniform Laws
Annotated
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Fact Pattern
• American Law Reports
• Causes of Action (tort-based)
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Leave It to Bieber’s
• Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations
• Dictionary of Legal Citations
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The Bluebook
• Blue pages• Tables &
abbreviations• Jurisdiction-
specific• Courts,
documents, states, periodicals, services
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Words and Phrases
• Judicially defined• Nationwide• Annual pocket parts• Westlaw: search
cases or statutes, field WP (term)
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Unfamiliar Topic
• Find a research guide
• Consult a treatise
• Check ALR or Causes of Action
• Read a law review article
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Treat-ises
►Scholarly
► Comprehensive
► Authoritative
• Corbin on Contracts• Nimmer on Copyright• LaFave on Search &
Seizure
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Forms
• Formbook collections
• LexisNexis & Westlaw databases
• Office boilerplate
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Facts
• Public libraries–Seattle Public–Internet Public
Library• Almanacs
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Bag ‘O Tricks
• How to use a new source
• Smaller, targeted databases
• System as a citator
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Paper Trail
• CALR searches
• Internet finds• Citator checks• Dead ends
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Kindness of Strangers