LEGAL RESEARCH BASICS
Prepared by Karen Kimber, Social Sciences and Humanities Team Leader
Paul Laurence Dunbar University, Wright State University
This guide consists of a series of webpages whose purpose is to help you find information on United States and Ohio law.
Some of the webpages give background about the legal system and how laws are made. Others tell you about sources for legal information, both on the Internet and in Dunbar Library.
If you are looking for a resource you already know about, try the list of frequently requested law titles.
Introduction to Legal Research
Researching a legal question often involves working with several types of law:
- Statutory law consists of laws, or statutes, passed by a legislature, for example, the United States Congress.
- Administrative law refers to the regulations made by administrative agencies which specify how legislation will be carried out.
An example of an administrative agency is the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Case law consists of court decisions.
Depending on the level of the court involved, a court decision may set precedent which becomes part of the law.
For example, decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court set precedent for all lower courts.
Legal research is complicated by the fact that all these types of law may function at various governmental levels.
For example, an activity may be subject to regulations from both federal and state administrative agencies.
This outline applies to federal and state law.
For law at the local level, go to Municipal and Local Law.
| Understanding Legal Information |
Finding Sources for Legal Research |
Interpreting Legal Citations |
|
| Statutory law
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Statutory law (i.e., Public Laws, Acts, bills. etc.)
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| Administrative law
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Administrative law (i.e., regulations)
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| Case law
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Case Law (i.e., court decisions)
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Finding Definitions of Legal Terminology
- Black's Law Dictionary. 7th ed. Ref KF156 .B53 1999
- Oxford Dictionary of Law, ed. by Elizabeth A. Martin. 6th ed. 2006.
- Real Life Dictionary of the Law : Taking the Mystery out of Legal Language , by Gerald N. Hill and Kathleen Thompson Hill. Ref KF156.H55 1995
Also available as Law.com Dictionary
- Fundamentals of Legal Research, by Roy M. Mersky and Donald J. Dunn. 8th ed. KF240.M469 2002
- Learning Legal Research: A How-to Manual, by Charles P. Nemeth and Hope I. Haywood. KF240.N458 2005 (Companion CD_ROM in Media)
- Legal Research, by William H. Putman. Ref KF240.P884 2006
Note: This guide was prepared for use by Wright State University students, faculty, and staff.
Print resources are titles held in Dunbar Library.
Subscription databases are available to all library users in the Dunbar and Fordham Health Sciences Libraries. Remote access from these pages is available to Wright State faculty, staff, and students.