LPAB ‘All in One’ Legal Research Class – May 2012 Session Aims Access supplementary materials via the LEC Web Campus site Interpret all types of citations from your reading lists Find cases, legislation and journal articles Locate additional resources for legal research

Material TypeUse Cases Primary source: authoritative record of the law – decisions of the courts. Legislation Primary source: authoritative record of the law – law made by Parliament. Eg. Acts & Regulations Books, Reports Secondary sources. Can provide background, introductory or sometimes, comprehensive coverage of an area of the law. Textbooks can also explain the significance of some cases. Journal Articles, conference papers Secondary sources. Discussion of legal issues or background information - often in relation to specific cases. Legal Dictionaries & Encyclopaedias Secondary sources. Provide legal definitions and basic overviews of specific terms or areas of the law. Types of Material

Supplementary Materials via LEC Web Campus site or Law Library’s ‘LPAB Students’ link If source is available via a free web site you will be linked directly to that site If source is available via a subscription database you will need to enter your Unikey Select ‘Documents and Markups’ setting to maintain highlighting of extracts.

Interpreting a case citation Two main types of case citation -Law report citation -Medium neutral citation (court) Swain v Waverley Municipal Council (2005) 220 CLR 517 – law report [2005] HCA 4 – medium neutral

Steps for Finding cases: What is the abbreviation?? (see Law Library – Free Web Law – Legal Abbreviations) Australian or UK or other?? Law report or medium neutral citation

Steps for Finding cases (cont): Law Report: Law Databases – Cases – Law Reports A to Z Medium Neutral Citation Law Databases – Cases - AustLII UK case - Law Databases – J - Justis

Finding a reported UK Case on Justis: -Open database -Enter citation or case name into search box -Many but not all UK cases can be located on Justis – alternatives include Westlaw, Lexis.com, BAILII

CaseBase and FirstPoint To obtain extra information about a case To find cases by subject

Basic Boolean connectors:  AND – combining concepts Eg. murder and defences  OR – for similar concepts and synonyms Eg. murder OR manslaughter  NOT (sometimes AND NOT) – leaving out concepts Eg. Murder NOT provocation

Legislation Bills Statutes Delegated Legislation Related Parliamentary materials

Bills Bills are a draft of a proposed statute. Example: Civil Liability Bill 2002 (NSW) cl 16.

Acts / Statutes Terms are interchangeable – refer to enactments of Parliament Example: Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) s 5L(1)

Types of Acts Two main types: Principal Act: An Act that deals comprehensively with a given area of law. Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW)

Amending Act An Act that alters the operation of an earlier Act by: -substituting or inserting words -omitting or repealing provisions Civil Liability Amendment Act 2006 (NSW)

Delegated Legislation Examples include: regulations, rules, ordinances, by-laws Laws made by a person or body to whom Parliament has delegated law-making authority. Civil Liability Regulation 2009 (NSW)

Finding Acts and Delegated Legislation Commonwealth Legislation AustLII ComLaw NSW Legislation AustLII NSW Parliamentary Counsel’s Office

Books Different legal citation guides use different modes of citation…. Aitken & Orr (eds.), The Australian Constitution, 3rd ed. Australian Government Solicitor, 2002 Patrick Parkinson, Tradition and Change in Australian Law, (4 th ed, 2005)

Books: Dewey for Law An example: 340 Law (generally) Legal research Legal research in Australia

Finding a book on the shelf Remember to deal with each part of the number separately then move on to the next

Journal articles Different legal citation guides use different modes of citation…. P. W. Young, Dismissal of Judges (1993) 67 ALJ 83. Anita Stuhmcke, ‘Privatisation and cooperation : what now for the Commonwealth Ombudsman?’ (2004) 11(2) Australian Journal of Administrative Law 101.

Finding Journal Articles When you already have a citation - ‘Journal’ search on library catalogue. Search title of journal NOT title of article Searching for journal articles by subject -Law Databases – Journal databases and news Services – eg. AGIS Plus Text (Australia) and LegalTrac (innternational)

Basic Boolean connectors:  AND – combining concepts Eg. murder and defences  OR – for similar concepts and synonyms Eg. murder OR manslaughter  NOT (sometimes AND NOT) – leaving out concepts Eg. Murder NOT provocation

Legal Encyclopaedias Go to: Law Databases – Comprehensive Legal Research Two major legal encyclopaedias -Laws of Australia -Halsbury’s Laws of Australia

Interpreting a case citation Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760 Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61 R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682 Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6

Case citations: the parties Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760 Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61 R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682 Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6

Case citations: year of the judgment Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760 Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61 R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682 Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6

Case citations: year of publication - for law report citations with square brackets Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760 Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61 R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682 Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6

Case citations: report details Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760 Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61 R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682 Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6

Square and round brackets Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760 R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 All ER [1969] 2 All ER [1970] 1 All ER [1970] 2 All ER [1971] 1 All ER [1971] 2 All ER [1972] 1 NSWLR 44 NSWLR 45 NSWLR 46 NSWLR 47 NSWLR 48 NSWLR 49

Case citations: pinpoint citations Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760 Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61 R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682 Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6

Case citations: medium neutral citations Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760 Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61 R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682 Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6

Medium Neutral Citation Ugle v The Queen [2002] HCA 25 at [53] Parties Year Court Decision No.

More law report citations Waterhouse v Hickie (1995) Aust Torts Reports ¶

Criminal Cases R v Milat (1996) 87 A Crim R 446 OR: Milat (1996) 87 A Crim R 446

Popular Names Commonwealth v Tasmania (The Tasmanian Dam Case) (1983) 158 CLR 1