1. Law 11 Legal Digest Systems

2. Digests 2

3. 3 o Published by commercial publishers – West o Organizes cases with similar points of law with brief descriptive abstracts o Helps find cases by subject o Has no legal authority o Should never be cited as legal authority o Use as a guide to find cases o Important to read the case opinions o West uses the Key Number System

4. Descriptive Word Index o Headnotes are assigned a Topic and a specific Key Number o When reading an opinion, the numbers in brackets [ ] indicate the corresponding headnote o The Topics and Key Numbers can be located by using the Descriptive Word Index 4

5. Descriptive Word Index con’t o Can search by analysis or by topic o Analysis is a topical outline that may give you additional issues that you may not have identified o Table of Cases o Lists parties to all cases by plaintiff and defendant name. o Arranged alphabetically o Includes citations, Topics, Key Numbers 5

6. Updating o Should consult advance sheets of the relevant reporter o Check under the same Topic and Key Number in the pocket part of that volume 6

7. Words and Phrases o Words and phrases defined by courts are reprinted in Words and Phrases, a set containing alphabetically arranged judicial definitions of legal and non-legal terms 7

8. Popular Name Tables o “Right to Die” cases o “Right to Counsel” cases 8