Secondary Sources
Known by the abbreviation ALR and found in both Westlaw and Lexis, this research tool is helpful for jurisdiction-specific research because at the beginning of each entry it has a table of cases it covers divided up by jurisdiction.
American Law Reports
When looking at a code section on Westlaw or Lexis, be sure to use this feature to be able to see the code section in context with the other sections around it.
What is the table of contents?
When looking for any federal agency rules on a topic that are CURRENTLY IN EFFECT, it is best to look in this publication.
What is the C.F.R.?
The highest authority for interpreting Virginia state law is this court.
What is the Virginia Supreme Court?
When stuck with a tough cite check or a difficult research question for your clinic or seminar, don't forget about this large cherry-wood veneer structure at the top of the library stairs that has super nice librarians sitting there awaiting your questions.
What is the Reference Desk?
This secondary source is often a multi-volume set of books in which a legal expert provides a detailed, comprehensive overview of a specific area of law.
What is a treatise?
When reading a state or federal code section, below the code section text, you should be able to find a "history" or "credits" section that lists these items.
What are the laws, public laws, acts or session laws that enacted or amended the code section?
When considering adding or changing a rule in the C.F.R., a federal agency usually must publish a notice in this publication.
What is the Federal Register?
You need to access litigation documents filed on the docket in a federal district court, but you do not want to have to set up a PACER account (the federal courts' electronic docketing system). That's ok, just use this database available to us at the law school instead.
What is Bloomberg Law or RECAP from CourtListener?
The UVA Law Library is the only law school library in the world that serves up this hot and gooey comfort food to students during exam time.
What is grilled cheese?
Michie's Jurisprudence (state-specific) or AmJur (national) are examples of this type of secondary source that covers all areas of law for a particular jurisdiction.
What is a legal encyclopedia?
For the U.S. Congress, these reports show how any differences between the House version and the Senate version of a bill were resolved to make a single, uniform bill, but often say little else about Congressional intent for the bill.
What are the conference reports?
Looking for a guidance or policy document from a particular state or federal agency? Your best bet is to look here. (not always the Federal Register, which has guidance or policy documents only sometimes)
What is the agency website?
You are researching a particular issue under Virginia state law for a document to be filed in a Virginia state court. You find no helpful Virginia court decisions, but several decisions on point from federal district courts and the 4th Circuit. These federal opinions are this type of authority.
What is persuasive?
In the coffee machines in MyLab in the library, Ben trusts the coffee (though maybe doesn't think it tastes great) but does not trust this add-in product also contained in those machines.
What is milk or dairy?
This is the current hot (and expensive and resource-demanding) tool for legal research, but, while it may be helpful for my research, I will always trust my own critical thinking more than its respones.
What is AI?
Lexis and Westlaw's versions of federal and state codes are helpful for several reasons, including because they have these short summaries of cases interpreting the code section in question.
What are annotations or notes of decisions?
Guidance documents are not legally binding, but sections of the C.F.R. generally are because they went through the process known informally as this kind of Rulemaking.
What is "Notice and Comment"?
Not getting the exact results you want for your case research? Try the Advanced Search screens in Westlaw or Lexis. Both of these Advanced Search screens give you cheat sheets listing the types of Boolean connectors you might use. A super useful type of connector allows you to search for one word or phrase nearby another word or phrase and is known by this technical term.
What is a proximity connector?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, this word is used to describe stealing fruit, especially apples, from an orchard or garden.
What is scrumping?
These secondary sources might be considered a "secondary source plus" because they are often relied on by courts for their general legal rules on different topics, produced by a committee of experts.
What are Restatements?
At the end of a two-year Congress, this happens to a bill that has not been passed by both houses.
What is "it dies"?
Your client would like to submit comments for a proposed federal regulation, so you direct them to this online federal portal that allows them to view comments already submitted and submit their own.
What is Regulations.gov?
When you cite to a specific page in a case on which the information you are discussing or the language you are quoting is found, that is known as this kind of citation.
What is a pinpoint or pin citation?
You graduate, start practicing law and get a really difficult research question. You think you have the right approach, but you're not sure, and you just do not want to bother your supervisor with it. Not to worry! You are always welcome to contact these folks at your alma mater law school.
What are the librarians?