1. LPAB ‘All in One’ Legal Research Class – November 2013
Session Aims
Interpret all types of citations from your reading lists
Find cases, legislation and journal articles
Locate additional resources for legal research

2. Types of Material Material Type Use 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.

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

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

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

8. 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

9. Bills Statutes Delegated Legislation Related Parliamentary materials

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

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

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

14. 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)

15. 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)

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

17. 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, (4th ed, 2005)

18. Books: Dewey for Law An example: 340 Law (generally)
Legal research
Legal research in Australia 18

19. Finding a book on the shelf
342 1
342.01 2
342.02
342.1
342.12
Remember to deal with each part of the number separately then move on to the next 19

20. 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. 20

21. 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 (international) 21

22. 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

23. Legal Encyclopaedias Go to:
Law Databases – Comprehensive Legal Research
Two major legal encyclopaedias
Halsbury’s Laws of Australia
Laws of Australia 23

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

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

30. 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

31. 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

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

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

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

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