Lessons: Legal Research by State

This lesson introduces students to secondary resources for Arizona legal researchers.

This lesson will introduce you to all of the types of primary sources you will encounter when researching California law. Topics include the Constitution, Statutes and Codes, administrative law, court system, and researching cases in California. No prior knowledge of California legal materials is required.

This lesson is intended to familiarize the user with Colorado primary legal research materials. The lesson focuses on primary source material including: the Colorado Constitution, cases and digests, statutes, legislative history materials, executive department documents, and local legislation. No prior knowledge of Colorado legal research is necessary to follow this lesson. While this lesson is aimed primarily at first year law students who will be learning about these materials for the first time, each section may be used independently to brush up on Colorado-specific legal research skills.

This CALI lesson is intended to familiarize the reader with legal research materials in the District of Columbia. The lesson focuses on primary sources such as statutes, cases, agency regulations, and decisions.

This lesson introduces the various types of secondary sources available to research Florida law.

This lesson is intended to familiarize the reader with Georgia legal research materials. The lesson focuses on Georgia's primary source material including cases and digests, citators, statutes, administrative materials, court rules and ethics.

This lesson will help you master legal citations using the California Style Manual, Fourth Edition (hereinafter "Manual"). This exercise is to assist you to master the specific rules of citation for your briefs and legal memoranda. It does not deal with proper citation formats for law review footnotes. Throughout this lesson, you will be asked to read specific portions of the Manual and apply that knowledge to answer interactive exercises.

You may complete the entire lesson at one time or complete segments as you cover various parts of the Manual.

This lesson will introduce the reader to secondary research sources for Iowa legal research. The lesson will begin with a discussion of finding aids, and will then transition to a discussion of the following secondary resources: Treatises & Practice Materials, Legal Periodicals & Restatements, and sources for Iowa Legal Forms. The lesson is primarily intended as an introduction to these sources but can also be used as a refresher for the seasoned Iowa attorney.

This lesson provides a thorough overview of Louisiana Primary Legal Resources. It covers resources that will be familiar to legal researchers from other jurisdictions and examines resources that are unique to Louisiana.

This lesson provides an introduction to research using primary sources of Maryland law, including case reporters and digests, statutes, legislative history, agency regulations and decisions, and attorney general opinions.

This lesson is designed to provide students with both an overview of Michigan primary resources and a "how to" guide to researching various Michigan primary resources. These resources include the Constitution, public acts and statutes, legislative history, Michigan court structure and reporters, digests, citators, court rules, administrative law, and the unique Michigan Uniform System of Citation.

While the lesson aims to introduce the specifics of researching Michigan law to a researcher already familiar with the basics of legal research, it will also be helpful to first year law students trying to understand those basics through the process of Michigan-specific research.

This exercise introduces Nebraska primary legal materials, focusing on the Legislative and Judicial branches. Upon the completion of this exercise, users should have a working knowledge of the Legislative and Judicial processes in Nebraska. Users will be able to identify the resources available from each branch, what is found in each resource, and how to properly update the resources.

This lesson is intended to acquaint students with basic information regarding sources of primary law in New York state: case law, statutes and regulations. It can be used to supplement instruction in introductory Research and Writing courses or as a freestanding introduction to doing New York legal research.

This lesson is designed to give a basic overview of secondary sources used in North Carolina legal research. Secondary resources are commentary on the law written by legal professionals or legal publishers. They are useful for finding background information and citations to primary resources, but it is important to remember that secondary resources are not the law.

For more information on primary sources used in North Carolina legal research, please review the CALI lesson North Carolina Primary Resources.

This lesson gives a brief explanation of secondary sources and then examines the most frequently used sources in Ohio. Explanations of print and online sources are integrated and alternate approaches to finding material are also explored.

This lesson will provide an interactive overview of Pennsylvania Primary Resources. Follow Will Penn as he learns to research Pennsylvania's Constitution, Statutes, Legislative History, Administrative Regulations, Case Law, Citators, Court Rules & Briefs.

This CALI lesson will instruct students about issues associated with California ballot measures including locating documents, identifying legislative intent, and examining legal challenges.

This lesson is intended to familiarize the reader with Texas legal research and will focus on Texas' primary legal sources: constitution, statutes, legislative history, local legislation, court cases and administrative law. The major finding tools and their various types of updating methods are also explained.

This CALI lesson is designed to introduce students to Washington's primary law: cases, statutes and regulations. Although the lesson can be used as a standalone tool, it can also be used to supplement other forms of instruction such as classroom lectures or demonstrations. The questions provide students with ongoing feedback as they learn.