1. Legal Research
The Basics

2. Sources of Law
Primary Sources of Law Secondary Sources of Law

3. Legal Encyclopedia Provide a general description of the law
Steps to finding information
Index
Main volume
Update with pocket part in back

4. Treatises Books or set of books written by an authority on the subject
Steps to finding information
Subject Guide or Catalog
Index
Main volume
Update (if any)

5. Other Secondary Sources
Legal Periodicals
Find articles through various indexes:
Index to Legal Periodicals, Legaltrac, Hein Online
American Law Reports
Provide in-depth discussion of a specific issue
Restatements of the Law

6. Statutes
Primary source of law
Enactments of the legislature

7. Statutes
How are statutes created and published?
Bill Statute

8. Official/Unofficial Statutes

9. Finding/Updating in Print
Use Index or Popular Name Table
Go to Statute section
Update with Pocket Part
Update with advanced code service
Update with advanced legislative service

10. Cases
Compilations of judicial decisions are printed in case reports or reporters
Decisions are published chronologically, as received by the publisher

11. Finding Cases: Digests
Arranged by Jurisdiction or Level of Court
Finding Aids in Digest
Descriptive Word Index
Table of Cases
Topic Outlines
List of Topics
Words & Phrases

12. Digests How to begin Descriptive Word Index
Outline of Law/ Topic Outline
Use topics and Key Numbers from other cases

13. Updating Digests
Main Volume

14. Headnotes

15. Updating Digests Main Volume
Pocket part or pamphlet next to main volume
Supplementary pamphlet at the end of the set
Mini-Digest in the REPORTER volumes