Chapter 7 Authority: Law Books

1. Chapter 7Authority: Law Books

2. §7.1 The Function of Law Books • Research Books • Help to find the law • Contain the law • Help to use the law • Act as a reference to other materials • Online Electronic Research Banks • Westlaw and Lexis • Also, VersusLaw and LoisLaw

3. ALR • American Law Reports (A.L.R.) • Annotated Reported • Reporter: reprints important cases • Annotated: discusses and comments on cases provides additional references Publisher: Lawyer’s Cooperative Publishing Company Uses Total Client Service Library

5. ALR Editions Editions: A.L.R. } A.L.R. 2d } Annotate state and federal cases A.L.R. 3d } A.L.R. 4th } 4th & 5th Annotate state cases A.L.R. 5th } A.L.R. Fed. } Annotates federal cases • Annotation = secondary authority • Provides commentary/discussion

6. Legal Encyclopedias • Legal Encyclopedias = secondary authority • Provide information about all areas of law • Gives references to Am.Jur.2d and C.J.S. Examples: • American Jurisprudence 2nd (Am. Jur. 2d) • Corpus Juris Secundum (C.J.S.) • California Jurisprudence (Cal. Jur.) • Texas Jurisprudence (Tex. Jur.)

7. American Jurisprudence, 2d Am. Jur. 2d • National Legal Encyclopedia • Secondary authority leading to primary authority • Comments with authority (cases, statutes) • Arranged by Topic (Doctors, Roads, Evidence) Publisher: Lawyer’s Cooperative Publishing Company Uses Total Client Service Library

8. American Jurisprudence 2d

9. Corpus Juris SecundumC.J.S. • National Legal Encyclopedia • Secondary authority leading to primary authority • Comments with authority (cases, statutes) • Arranged by Topic (Doctors, Roads, Evidence) Publisher: West Uses Key Number System

10. Corpus Juris Secundum

11. Blue Book (1) Uniform System of Citation Provides proper citation form (2) ALR Blue Book of Supplemental Decisions (updates first series of ALR) (3) National Reporter Blue Book (updates cases – most use Shepard’s instead)

12. Case Law • Cases = Court Opinions • Primary Authority • Citations = Case Address • Case Name, official citation, unofficial citation (year) • E.g., Smith v. Jones, 145 Mont. 789 (2000) • Published court opinions: • Reports = Official Reporter • E.g., Smith v. Jones, 145 Mont. 789 (2000) • Reporters = Unofficial Reporters • E.g., Smith v. Jones, 890 P.2d 678 (Mont. 2000)

13. Cases

14. Headnote • Headnotes • Numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) lead to relevant section of case • Topic and Key Numbers (184[3]) are research tools

15. Shepard’s • Updating Service • Validates Authority • (updates or shows invalid e.g., overruled) • Provides parallel citations • E.g., 879 Mont. 456, 123 P.2d 456 • Provides additional relevant cases • Lists cases that have discussed cited case

17. Cumulative/Supplement New and Updated Material • “Pocket Parts” • Updates volume • Newspaper-type pamphlet in pocket of at end of volume

18. Digests • Index to case law • Collection of case summaries by topic • Digest System: • Pacific Digest leads to Pacific Reporter Case • Federal Practice Digest leads to Federal Reporter Cases • Supreme Court Digest leads to Supreme Court Reporter • American Digest System • Century Digest cases from 1600’s to 1896 • Decennial Digest summaries from state/fed digests (10yrs) • General Digest updates Decennial Digest

20. Key Number System • Key Number System • Key Topics and Key Numbers

21. Formbooks • Sample Documents • Complaint, Answer • Trial Strategy • Exhibits, witness questions • Discovery Resource • Interrogatory Questions • R/Production Items • Deposition questions

22. Legal Dictionaries • Major Legal Dictionaries: • Ballentine’s • Blacks • Barron’s • Words & Phrases • Multi-volume dictionary • Court opinions define legal terms

23. Words and Phrases

24. Legal Treatise Authored by private individual/groups areas of law • Restatement of Law • by American Law Institute • “as close to the law without being the law” • Examples: Restatement of Torts Restatement of Property Law

25. Legal Periodical Index • Legal Periodicals: Law school journal Bar association journal Tort Reform Journal Patent & Trademark Journal Current Law Index CLI or Index to Legal Periodicals Index to legal journals and magazines Locate by: author, title of article OR subject matter

26. UpdatingResearch Materials • Advance Sheets (softbound pamphlet) • Softbound materials (e.g., cases) printed before hardbound comes out • Printed “in advance” of hardbound • Slip Opinion • First printing of case before hardbound comes out • E.g., United States Law Week = USSCt cases • Loose-leaf Service • 3-ring binder providing updates of materials

27. Computerized Legal Research • Lexis and Westlaw • Computerized legal research banks • Research based on query (words or phrases) • Teach! or educat! w/5 school or university

28. Martindale-Hubbell • Reference book for: • State-by-state listing of attorneys • Great for interviewing!! • Digested state laws • Digested foreign laws

29. Legislative Laws • Session Laws • Legislative acts/bills • = Statutes at Large • Laws adopted by legislature during a session • Will be incorporated into state/fed statutes by topic • Slip Laws • First printing of legislative statutes

30. Statutory Code • Codes State or federal statutes • State Codes • E..g., Montana Code Ann., N.C. General Statutes • United States Code • U.S.C. (official government) • U.S.C.A. (West annotated) • U.S.C.S. (Lawyer’s Coop. Annotated) • Note: always cite official U.S.C.

31. Statute

32. Federal AgencyRegulations • Federal Register • Daily summaries of administrative agencies • Includes proposed laws and actions by agencies • Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) • Softbound • Federal Agency Regulations

33. Rules of Court • Rules of Court • =Procedural rules of courts (e.g., 20 days to respond to complaint) • Federal Rules of Civil Procedure • State Rules of Civil Procedure

34. Primary v. Secondary Authority • Primary Authority • Cases (court opinions) • Statutory Authority • (including regulatory agencies) • Constitutions (state and federal) • Secondary Authority • Materials that lead to primary authority • Encyclopedias, dictionaries, treatises, etc.