1. Employment Law Research September 17, 2007 Laura L. Leavitt Human Resources & Labor Relations Librarian 50 Law College Building & 425 South Kedzie Hall 517-355-4647leavitt9@msu.edu Slides available online: http://www.lib.msu.edu/staff/leavitt9/EmploymentLaw.ppt http://www.lib.msu.edu/staff/leavitt9/EmploymentLaw.ppt

2. Today’s Agenda  Basic U.S. Court Structure  Legal Citations & Terminology  Secondary Sources  Employment Discrimination Cases (in BNA’s Labor & Employment Law Library online and LexisNexis Academic)

3. Section 1 Library “Basic Facts”

4. Library Basics Librarian – Laura L. Leavitt Librarian – Laura L. Leavitt Contact information: 517-355-4647 leavitt9@msu.edu AIM: lleavitt5968 Office hours in 425 S. Kedzie Hall: Tuesdays 9am – 6pmTuesdays 9am – 6pm I can usually be found in the Business Library. I am also available to meet with you on an individual basis…just contact me to schedule an appointment.

5. Library Basics Location of Materials:Location of Materials: –Business Library – Ground floor of the Law College Building Librarian’s office, reference collection (non- circulating), books, current print periodicals & bound journalsLibrarian’s office, reference collection (non- circulating), books, current print periodicals & bound journals –Main Library 3East (“the stacks”) Some books & bound journalsSome books & bound journals –Online

6. Library Basics Remote AccessRemote Access –24/7 access –Accessible from ANY computer –Login required (authentication) –For more details, see library’s Off Campus Access webpage Off Campus AccessOff Campus Access –HELP : 1-800-500-1554

7. The Business Library is on the ground floor of the Law College Building. Metered Parking is available in the lower levels of the ramp directly to the west of the building.

8. The Main Library is located here.

9. Section 2 Basic U.S. Court Structure

10. U.S. Court System Source: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/court.htmlhttp://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/court.html

11. U.S. Courts - links  Brief description of federal courts: http://public.findlaw.com/library/legal- system/fcourts-basics.html http://public.findlaw.com/library/legal- system/fcourts-basics.html  U.S. Circuit & District Courts maps: http://www.uscourts.gov/courtlinks/ http://www.law.emory.edu/index.php?id=2997/

12. Court Reporters & Case Citations  Reading Legal Citations http://www.cjed.com/citations.htm  Boston College Law School Guide on Legal Citations http://www.bc.edu/schools/law/library/meta- elements/pdf/researchguides/citations.pdf http://www.bc.edu/schools/law/library/meta- elements/pdf/researchguides/citations.pdf

13. Legal Terminology & Dictionaries  Common Terminology id or ibid – refers to the case or note immediately aboveid or ibid – refers to the case or note immediately above supra – refers to a case or note cited earlier in a court case, article or chaptersupra – refers to a case or note cited earlier in a court case, article or chapter infra – refers to a case or note cited later in a court case, article or chapterinfra – refers to a case or note cited later in a court case, article or chapter cert den – “certiorari denied” is used in citations when the case was appealed to the Supreme Court and they declined to hear it. The Court of Appeals decision stands. Example: 648 F.2d 1129, cert den 454 U.S. 969cert den – “certiorari denied” is used in citations when the case was appealed to the Supreme Court and they declined to hear it. The Court of Appeals decision stands. Example: 648 F.2d 1129, cert den 454 U.S. 969  Legal Dictionary online http://dictionary.law.com

14. Section 3 Employment Law Research

15. Secondary Sources Reading about a legal issue in a secondary source (such as a textbook or handbook) is a good starting point when doing your assignments. They give an overview, or big picture, of the issues. Besides background information, landmark court cases are identified. Most people find this easier than reading all court cases on a subject, without any previous knowledge or experience, and reaching their own conclusions on the legal significance. Reading about a legal issue in a secondary source (such as a textbook or handbook) is a good starting point when doing your assignments. They give an overview, or big picture, of the issues. Besides background information, landmark court cases are identified. Most people find this easier than reading all court cases on a subject, without any previous knowledge or experience, and reaching their own conclusions on the legal significance. These secondary sources are not the end of your research and will not be cited in your paper. You will use them to identify some of the federal court cases to be read in full. You will cite only the actual cases read and used. Lexis-Nexis Academic and the BNA employment law reporters are good sources of the text of the cases. You may also be using and citing such things as EEOC decisions, EEOC guidelines, and federal legislation and regulations that you have found in your research. These secondary sources are not the end of your research and will not be cited in your paper. You will use them to identify some of the federal court cases to be read in full. You will cite only the actual cases read and used. Lexis-Nexis Academic and the BNA employment law reporters are good sources of the text of the cases. You may also be using and citing such things as EEOC decisions, EEOC guidelines, and federal legislation and regulations that you have found in your research.

16. Secondary Sources Employment Discrimination by Lex K. Larson and Arthur Larson (loose leaf, 10 volumes + index) Location: LIR Reference Collection Employment Discrimination by Barbara Lindemann and Paul Grossman (2 volumes + supplement) Location: LIR Reference Collection Employment Coordinator (loose-leaf, 17 volumes, index in 17 th volume) Location: LIR Reference Collection This is an updated analytical encyclopedia on all aspects of labor and employment law. Significant court cases are cited along with the discussion of the current interpretation of the law. Background and developmental information is generally not included. Employment discrimination law is in volumes 5-8.

17. Finding Cases: BNA online   Start at http://www.bna.comhttp://www.bna.com   Select the Labor & Employment Law Library from the drop-down menu   Enter Username & Password   Concentrate on FEP cases…may also want to look at IER & AD cases later on   Another search tip: Don’t forget to search the Classification codes!!