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West Digests in Legal Research

Learn how West Digests by commercial publishers help organize cases, find them by subject, and serve as a guide. Never cite as legal authority; use for case search. Familiarize with Key Number System and Descriptive Word Index.

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West Digests in Legal Research

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  1. Law 11 Legal Digest Systems

  2. Digests

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

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

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

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

  7. Words and Phrases • 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

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

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