Research Basics
Where do you look in an annotated statute to find relevant case law?
Notes of decisions (West), Notes to decisions (Lexis).
What is the name of the updating feature on LexisNexis?
Shepards—good to identify relevant subsequent history or to find related cases
Is secondary authority binding?
No-but excellent place to start research
What is the difference between an annotated and unannotated code?
Annotated code includes references to cases and secondary sources that have interpreted and or applied the statute in the code. A.R.S. is an annotated code
If you want to find a case in Arizona, in which regional reporter should you look?
Pacific Reporter—for Arizona. How would you know this? Look in BB Table 1.
When would you use the Arizona Digest?
Find case law on an issue in Arizona. Can be accessed online or in print.
True or False. You can use the topic and key number tools on Westlaw to find cases similar to using these tools in print.
True.
When should you use secondary authority?
Get background-find case law-find secondary sources
How would you find the statutory citation for the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act?
Popular Names Table
What type of codes are the U.S.C.A. and A.R.S.?
Annotated Codes
Cases are printed in what?
Reporters
Which electronic database will help you find information on business transactions, but may not be as helpful for searching cases and statutes?
Bloomberg Law—the cases and statutes lack in-depth editorial enhancements
The Code of Federal Regulations is an example of primary authority. True or False?
True
When should you cite an Arizona unpublished memorandum decision as precedential authority in an Arizona state court?
Never
How are Digests organized?
Categorically (subject/topic)
Legal encyclopedias are only available in print form. True or False?
False: The two most popular general legal encyclopedias are Corpus Juris Secundum (CJS), and American Jurisprudence, 2d (AmJur). They are arranged similar to a general encyclopedia with topical articles arranged in alphabetical order.
What is the name of the updating feature on Westlaw?
KEYCITE
Give three examples of secondary authority?
ALR, treatise, legal encyclopedia, dictionary, legal periodicals, CLE materials
How are statutory codes organized?
By Subject
What is the name of the Arizona regulatory code?
Arizona Administrative Code: where official regulations/rules of Arizona are published
How often is the Federal Register published?
Daily: publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.
What are headnotes?
A helpful synopsis of the case that may be used as a tool to evaluate the relevancy of a case, but should not be cited because they are not part of the judicial opinion.
What does an A.L.R. contain?
Annotations that reference case law from a variety of jurisdictions; summary of a case(s) relating to a particular area of the law; pocket parts that update the editions between publications
How do you know when you have done enough research?
Start seeing the same cases over and over again
Typically, what type of primary authority should you search for first when doing legal research?
Statutes