Chapter 2 - The Foundations of Legal Research



Where You Have Been


TIME MANAGEMENT ASSIST


The average student spends
0
minutes on this page


This page scores
0
out of 100
in importance for exam preparation

2.7

Layouts: Going on a Scavenger Hunt

  • Segment ProgressBar
    • Image sample of law library floorplan

    INTRODUCTION

    This exercise is primarily designed to help you become familiar with the layout of the online legal research sources and your local law library. Don't feel like you need to take notes from the cases or research within them at this time. Just find them, look through a few pages, and move on. Altogether, this exercise should take 15 or 20 minutes for each. Don't forget to keep track of your Billable Hours!

    Note: This image is just a sample of a law library layout and not specific to the one you will visit.



    The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Time Sheets




    You are required to keep track of your billable hours when working on legal research and writing assignments and to turn them in with your written assignments. Click on the examples of Time Sheets below to zoom in and compare. Yours should look like the Good example.

    The Good

    Notice the accurate hours and the detailed descriptions.

    The Bad

    Not a very accurate time sheet. Very little attention to detail.

    The Ugly

    Obviously created after-the-fact. Don't let your time sheet look like this!

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A TIME SHEET that automatically adds up your billable hours. You should keep track of any research or writing you perform on behalf of your client, including training exercises and assignments in this program.



    Finding a Law Library . . .

    Need help locating a law library? Select the link below. These Facebook pages provide information about dozens of law libraries, including hours, location, availability to the public, and links to the library's Website . Simply click on the Info link on the left column of the Facebook page when it opens.


    CLICK HERE FOR LINKS TO LAW LIBRARIES ON FACEBOOK



    Lecture Notes . . .

    YOUR FIRST LAW BOOKS The books you will be researching in depth later in this chapter are Am. Jur. 2d, C.J.S., and American Law Reports. Click on the links below to get a preview. As you view them, though, notice the structure of the pages.

    Can you tell which of the two are encyclopedias just from their structure? (The two that have almost identical layouts are the encyclopedias.)

    In legal research, form follows function. If you understand the form, you will soon understand the function.

       

    Law Book Examples




    Commonly Asked Questions . . .

    (CLICK HERE if this tool does not work properly - Open in new window)