|
How-Do-I
Do Legal Research
This "How-Do-I" tutorial
addresses resources of Ablah Library available for Federal and State
of Kansas legal research. Note that the
LexisNexis Academic "one stop"
electronic database
is perhaps one of the most efficient
research tools in our law collection. The library's license
allows WSU students, faculty, and staff to have remote, as well as
in-library, access to
LexisNexis Academic. Users who are not WSU
students, faculty, or staff must travel to the library to use that
database.
This guide is not
exhaustive concerning all available legal resources. It
identifies most of the best ones, recognizing that some users will
wish to use only print resources of the library and some users, even
without LexisNexis Academic access, will wish to work from their
home computer and not travel to the library.
Whatever their preferred approach, most users following this guide should be able to make substantial
progress on their legal research question. But complete
legal research usually requires combined use of electronic and print
resources. Please feel
free to ask a
librarian for research advice and assistance.
Find Stuff
Basic Legal Reference Works,
with Citation Guides
Law dictionaries, legal encyclopedias
and other legal reference works are collected here.
Help on Law Citations is addressed
separately in this section. This help includes works that
show how law sources are cited -- that is, referenced or credited --
in official or professional legal writing. Works here help
make sense of the of numbers and abbreviations used in such writing.
Find Stuff
"Self-Help" Books on Common Legal
Problems
These books are written for non-lawyers. There
are many others in addition to those listed under this heading. To find other titles in the
online catalog include the keywords "law" and "popular works" in
your query. This is also a good strategy for searching the
Wichita Public Library
catalog, which has many more legal self-help books than WSU Libraries.
We happen to be strong in popular works that support our
Patent and
Trademark Depository Library.
Find
Stuff
Starting the
"Research Process" for Law
Look at a
"how-to-do-legal-research" guide. The standard
guides are listed here, along with a few sources that might be
especially helpful to WSU students Included is the standard
guide for Kansas Legal Research.
Also note the guide for Tax Legal
Research.
Find Stuff
Online Comprehensive Collections
WSU students, faculty and staff have
access to
LexisNexis Academic, with which it is possible to do
extensive legal research. Other comprehensive collections of
primary and other legal resources are also listed. They are
free to everyone.
Find Stuff
Statutes, Acts, and Legislative History
Federal and Kansas statutes and related
sources are collected here. Strategies are suggested when you
seek provisions of Federal statutes or Kansas statutes, or seek a
bill still being considered by Congress, etc.
Find Stuff
Administrative Agency Regulations
Federal and Kansas administrative
regulations and related sources are collected here.
Find Stuff
Judicial Case Law
Sources of Federal and Kansas court
opinions are collected here.
Find Stuff
Additional Current Legal Resources
Highlighted here are miscellaneous law
practice materials available in our collection.
Find Stuff
Other Libraries' Guides
These guides provide additional help for finding
Federal and Kansas sources of law and legal information.
Basic Legal Reference Works,
with Citation Guides
Law Dictionaries
General
Legal Encyclopedias
Help on Law Citations
-
The
Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (17th ed.)
Ablah Reference Stacks (KF245 .B58)
TIP: This system of citation
guides official and professional legal writing; for citations in
term papers, consult citation/style manual (for example, The
Chicago Manual of Style) prescribed by your teacher.
Guidance for citation/style manuals generally is found on
Virtual Reference Shelf.
-
Bieber's
Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations: Reference Guide for
Attorneys, Legal Secretaries, Paralegals and Law Students
(4th ed.)
Ablah Reference Stacks (KF246 .B46)
-
Bieber's
Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations Reversed: A Dictionary of
Terms and Titles with their Abbreviations
General Stacks (K89 .K37 1994)
Other
Reference Works
"Self-Help" Books on
Common Legal Problems
General
Business
Planning
Criminal
Law
Education
Employment
Immigration
Patent/Trademark/Copyright
-
Entrepreneur's Guide: To Patents, Copyrights, Trade Secrets &
Licensing
General Stacks (KF2980
.G55 2004)
-
Literary Law
Guide for Authors: Copyright, Trademark, and Contracts in Plain
Language
General Stacks (KF1390
.A96 E93 2005)
-
Patent,
Copyright & Trademark
General Stacks (KF2977.5
.E45 2002)
-
Trademark:
Legal Care for your Business & Product Name
Ablah Government Documents Office (KF3180 .Z9 E42 2005)
top
Starting the "Research Process" for
Law
General Guides, Some Especially for Undergraduates
-
Encyclopedia of
Legal Information Sources: A Bibliographic Guide to Approximately
29,000 Citations for Publications, Organizations, and Other Sources
of Information on 480 Law-Related Subjects (2nd ed.)
Ablah Quick Reference (KF1 .E53 1992)
TIP: This is a good work to start
with if you are absolutely at "square one" on a legal research
project.
-
Finding the Law
(10th ed.)
Ablah Reference Stacks (KF240
.B45 1995)
-
Foundations of
Legal Research and Writing (2nd ed.)
General Stacks (KF240 .B27 2002)
-
Fundamentals of
Legal Research (7th ed.)
General Stacks (KF240 .J32 1998)
TIP: This is acknowledged as a
major source for general legal bibliography and serves as a
principal text book for teaching legal research.
-
Legal Information: How to Find it, How to Use it (electronic
book)
Also in Ablah Reference Stacks (KF240 .O365 1999)
-
Legal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law
(2003 electronic book)
Also earlier edition in Ablah Reference Stacks (KF240
.E35 1995)
This is from major publisher of
legal self-help books; more above
-
Political
Science: Illustrated Search Strategy and Sources, with Introduction
to Legal Research for Undergraduates
General Stacks (JA86 .L69
1993)
Kansas Legal Research
Tax Legal Research
top
Online Comprehensive Collections
-
LexisNexis Academic (electronic database)
Click on "Legal Research" to reach Basic Legal Research page for
Federal and state case law, codes and regulations, etc., as well
as publications about law
Free
Resources
Statutes, Acts, and
Legislative History
FEDERAL
Federal
Code (compiled statutes)
-
LexisNexis Academic
(electronic database)
Click on "Legal Resources," then "Federal Code"
-
United States
Code Annotated
General Stacks (KF62 1927
.W45)
-
United States Code
Searchable compilation from U.S. House of Representatives
-
United States
Code
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (GP 3.22/2:197/ )
Official version published by government; unofficial United States
Code Annotated (above) is easier to use
Federal
Acts (session laws)
-
Thomas (Public Laws
feature)
-
United
States Code Congressional and Administrative News
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (KF48)
Includes Statutes at Large
-
United
States Statutes at Large
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (AE 2.111: )
Official publication of Congress' session laws
-
Shepard's
Acts and Cases by Popular Names, Federal and State
Ablah Reference Stacks (KF90 .S538)
Use to find citation to resource knowing only its popular
name
Status of Federal
Bills and Legislative History
-
Thomas
Gives status of bills
before Congress; current and earlier Congress' legislative
materials
-
Congressional Index
Ablah Gov Doc Reference
(KF49 .C6)
Index for each Congress to materials in legislative process
-
United
States Code Congressional and Administrative News
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (KF48)
Includes congressional
committee reports, etc.
-
CIS Index to
Publications of the United States Congress
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (KF49 .C62)
This is especially helpful to identify hearings
KANSAS
Kansas
Statutes
Kansas
Acts (session laws)
Status of
Kansas Bills and Legislative History
-
Kansas Legislature, Bills
With links to various legislative
materials
-
Kansas
Senate Bills
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (no call number)
Current session only
-
Kansas House
Bills
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (no call number)
Current session only
-
Senate and
House Actions Report and Subject Index Report
Ablah Gov Doc Reference
(no call number)
Weekly publication gives status of bills before Kansas
Legislature
-
Kansas Legislature, Journals
-
[Senate
Journal] Journal of the Senate of the State of Kansas
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (KFK18 .K365)
-
House
Journal
Ablah Gov Doc Reference
(KFK18 .K36)
-
Summary of
Legislation
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (KFK15 .L4)
Short summaries of bills enacted
top
Administrative Agency Regulations
FEDERAL
-
LexisNexis Academic
(electronic database)
Click on
"Legal Resources," then "Federal Regulations"
Search current Code of Federal Regulations or Federal Register
-
Code of
Federal Regulations
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (AE
2.106/ )
-
Federal
Register
-
Federal
Register
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (AE 2.106: )
Includes proposed, temporary, amended and final agency
regulations, as well as Presidential proclamations and executive
orders
-
Weekly
Compilation of Presidential Documents
-
United
States Code Congressional and Administrative News
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (KF48)
Includes Presidential proclamations and executive orders
KANSAS
-
Kansas Administrative Regulations
-
Kansas
Administrative Regulations
Ablah Gov Doc Reference
(KFK35 1983 .A22)
-
Kansas
Register
Ablah Gov Doc Reference (JK6830
.K35)
Includes proposed, temporary and permanent regulations, as well
as Governor's executive orders and proclamations
top
Judicial Case Law
FEDERAL
-
LexisNexis Academic
(electronic database)
Click on
"Legal Resources," then "Federal Case Law"
Note that U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and
U.S. District Court,
District of Kansas have jurisdiction in Kansas
-
West's
Supreme Court Reporter
General Stacks (KF101 .A3x)
-
United
States Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers' Edition
General Stacks (KF101 .A22x)
-
U.S. Supreme Court, Opinions
Official site provides extensive
guidance on locating alternative sources for Supreme Court
opinions; library has additional sources that do not have
current subscriptions
-
U.S.
Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, Opinions
From
FindLaw portal
-
U.S. Court of Appeals,
Tenth Circuit, Opinions
Site maintained by Washburn University Law School
TIP:
Library has substantial holdings (runs of volumes in
sets) of the first, second, and third series of the Federal Reporter (KF105
.F4x) and the first and second series of the
Federal Supplement (KF120 .F4). Library
recently discontinued its subscriptions to those print
publications in light of extensive content and electronic
search capabilities of
LexisNexis Academic.
Judicial opinions published prior to the end of 2003 can be viewed or photocopied from those discontinued sets.
-
Digest of
United States Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers' Edition
General Stacks (KF101.1 .D53x)
Serves as keyword index to case law and organizes cases
according to classification scheme
TIP:
Library has substantial holdings of
standard print digests to help users find case
law relevant to their topic. These include the first,
second, third and fourth series of the Federal Practice Digest
(KF127 .W4), which identifies judicial opinions by topic within
West's "Key Number System" (classification scheme).
Library
recently discontinued its subscription to that digest in light of electronic
search capabilities of
LexisNexis Academic.
-
Decennial
Digests (currently in eleventh series, part II ) &
General Digest (eleventh series)
General Stacks (KF141 1996 & KF141 2004, respectively)
Latest Decennial Digest is updated with General Digest; entire
American Digest System set is "master index to all of the case
law of our country"; covers all Federal and state court cases
published in West reporters and is organized according to West's
"Key Number System" (classification scheme)
TIP: Because Decennial Digests are comprehensive indexes
to case law of all jurisdictions, with some patience they can be
used in place of any digest focusing on a particular court
system or jurisdiction. In other words, the Decennial
Digests could be used instead of Federal Practice Digest, noted
above.
-
Shepard'sŪ
for U.S. Supreme Court in
LexisNexis Academic
(electronic database)
Click on
"Legal Resources," then "Shepard'sŪ for U.S.
Supreme Court"
Starting with citation for relevant judicial opinion ("cited
case"), use Shepard'sŪ citator to identify later judicial opinions
that have cited your "cited case"; this updates "cited case" and
shows later treatment.
-
Shepard's
Federal Citations
General Stacks (KF105.2 .S42)
Shepard's citator for judicial opinions published in Federal Reporter and Federal
Supplement
KANSAS
-
LexisNexis Academic
(electronic database)
Click on
"Legal Resources," then "State Case Law"
-
Kansas Supreme Court
/ Kansas Court of Appeals Opinions
Site maintained by Washburn University Law School
-
Kansas
Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Opinions
From
FindLaw portal
-
Kansas
Reports
General Stacks (KF45 .A2x)
Official reporter for Kansas Supreme Court, now in second series
-
Kansas Court
of Appeals Reports
General Stacks (KFK48 .A22)
Official reporter for Kansas Court of Appeals
TIP: Library
has substantial holdings (runs of volumes in sets) of the first
and second series of the Pacific Reporter (KF135 .P22x), a West
regional reporter that includes opinions of the Kansas Supreme
Court and Court of Appeals, as well as courts of Colorado,
Oklahoma and several other states. Holdings also include
West's Kansas Cases (KFK45 .K3x), which separately publishes
Kansas judicial opinions reported in the Pacific Reporter.
Library
recently discontinued its subscriptions to those print
publications in light of extensive content and electronic
search capabilities of
LexisNexis Academic.
Judicial opinions published prior to the end of 2003 or so can be viewed or photocopied from those discontinued sets.
-
Kansas
Digest 2d
General Stacks (KfK47.1 .K31)
Serves as keyword index to case law and organizes cases
according to West's "Key Number System" (classification scheme);
covers cases in state and Federal courts of Kansas
-
Decennial
Digests (currently in eleventh series, part II ) &
General Digest (eleventh series)
General Stacks (KF141 1996 & KF141 2004, respectively)
Latest Decennial Digest is updated with General Digest; entire
American Digest System set is "master index to all of the case
law of our country"; covers all Federal and state court cases
published in West reporters and is organized according to West's
"Key Number System" (classification scheme)
TIP: Because Decennial Digests are comprehensive indexes
to case law of all jurisdictions, with some patience they can be
used in place of any digest focusing on particular court system
or jurisdiction. In other words, the Decennial Digests
could be used instead of Kansas Digest 2d or its earlier
edition.
-
Shepard's
Pacific Reporter Citations
General Stacks (KF135.P22 S54)
For judicial opinions published in the Pacific Reporter, use
""P.2d" / "P.3d" citation (or, if very early case reported in
first series, "P." citation) to "Shepardize" case,
identifying later
judicial opinions that have cited case; this helps you
update case law and
learn how it was applied in subsequent decisions
top
Additional
Current Legal Resources
Commercial Law
Criminal
Law
Education
Law
Practice
and Procedure
Taxation
-
Federal
Estate and Gift Tax Reporter: Organized by Code Sections and
Annotated, Indexed
Reference Index Table 5 (KF6571.A8 C6x 1983)
-
RIA Checkpoint
(electronic database)
Contains RIA Federal Tax Coordinator,
current and archival tax research
materials; special password is required (please bring your WSU
ID to the Reference Desk for logon information)
-
Tax
Management Portfolios
Reference Index Table 4 (KF6289 .A1 T391)
Start with separate looseleaf containing Tax Management
Portfolios Index
top
Other Libraries' Guides
Developed by:
Richard J. Matthews
Dated: March 13, 2006
SOURCE MATERIAL AND
ATTRIBUTIONS:
In addition to websites linked to in this guide, the author
consulted Fundamentals of Legal Research (7th ed.) and Kansas Legal
Research and Reference Guide (2nd ed) in preparing this guide.
All sites visited: March 13, 2006.
|
Contact: