Lessons by Subject Outline - Legal Research and Writing

This Subject Outline allows you to search for terms of art that correspond to topics you are studying to find related CALI Lessons.
The Legal Research Index lists all CALI lessons covering Legal Research.
The Legal Research by State Index lists all CALI lessons covering Legal Research by State.
The Legal Writing Index lists all CALI lessons covering Legal Writing.

Subject Outline

Casebook: Sources of American Law: An Introduction to Legal Research, By Steenken & Brooks (2019)
Cases
- Where Does Law Come From? (LCS04)
- Anatomy of a case
  - Anatomy of a Case (LR47)
- Citation Format
  - ALWD
    - Effective Summer 2014, CALI no longer will be distributing its lessons covering ALWD. Extensive revisions to the ALWD Manual made the lessons obsolete. Read more here.
  - Citation Form For Briefs and Legal Memoranda
    - Citation Form for Briefs and Legal Memoranda (LWR01)
  - Vendor Neutral Citation Formats
- Finding Cases
  - How to Find Case Law Using Digests
    - How to Find Case Law Using the Digests (LWR29)
    - Overview of Reporters
    - Anatomy of Case – parts of a case
      - Anatomy of a Case (LR47)
    - Function of the Digest
    - West Key Number System
    - Finding the Most Recent Case Law
    - Evolution of Digest System
  - Using Citators to find cases
    - Using Citators as Finding Tools (LR104)
- Updating and Validating
  - Shepard's and KeyCite
    - Updating/Validating Case Law Using Citators (LWR36)
Statutes
- Where Does Law Come From? (LCS04)
- Researching Historical Sources of the Civil Law (LR144)
- Statutory Interpretation (LCS03)
- Introduction to State and Federal Statues
  - Introduction to State and Federal Statutes (LWR15)
  - Anatomy of a statute – parts of a statute
  - Slip law
  - Session law
  - Code/Annotated Code
  - Codification
- Forms of publications
  - Forms of Federal Statutory Publication (LWR30)
  - Federal only
  - Slip laws
  - Session laws
  - Advance Session Laws
  - Code/Annotated Codes
  - Official v. Unofficial
- Codification
  - Codification (LWR16)
  - Organization of codes
  - Positive law
  - Federal
  - State
  - Official and unofficial
  - Session Laws and code numbering
  - Conversion tables
- Finding Statutes
  - Finding Statutes (LR23)
  - Index options
  - Computer search strategies
  - Conversion tables
  - Popular name
- Updating Statutes
  - Updating Federal and State Statutes (LWR24)
  - Federal paper supplements & advance legislative services
  - Legislative websites and Lexis and Westlaw
  - Updating state statutes in print and online
  - Shepard’s & Keycite
- Constitutions - Federal and State
  - How to Research American Constitutional Law (LR113)
  - Text sources
  - Annotations and Interpretations
  - Drafting and ratification research
  - Researching Amendments
- Uniform Laws
  - Researching Uniform and Model Laws (LWR25)
  - Overview drafting organizations
  - Documents to research
  - Citing Uniform and Model Laws
Legislative History
- Federal Legislative History Research - Compiled Legislative History (LR41)
- Reading Legislative History (LR137)
- Anatomy of a legislative history – documents
  - How to Research Federal Legislative History (LWR14)
  - Define legislative history
  - Legislative process
  - Committee documents: Bills, Hearings, Committee Reports, Debates, Pres signings, Laws
  - Legislative websites
Administrative Law
- Introduction to Admin Law
  - Introduction and Sources of Authority for Administrative Law (LWR33)
  - Overview Federal Agencies’ Power
  - Directories – official and commercial
  - Procedure and Policy
- Quasi-legislative - regulations
  - Rulemaking: Federal Register and CFR (LWR19)
  - Researching Federal Administrative Regulations (LWR06)
  - Sources of Rulemaking Authority
  - Federal Register
  - Regulations
  - C.F.R.
  - LSA
    - Updating LSA
  - Updating with Shepard’s and e-CFR
- Quasi judicial
  - Decisions and Orders
    - Agency Decisions and Orders (LR57)
- Executive Orders
  - Researching Federal Executive Orders (LWR22)
  - Overview
  - Sources
  - Updating
- Internal agency materials
  - Internal Agency Materials (LR50)
  - Include agency websites
- Attorney General materials
  - Attorney General Materials (LR44)
Secondary Sources
- Introduction: the role of secondary sources in legal research
  - Introduction to Secondary Resources (LWR35)
  - Primary v. Secondary
  - Types of secondary resources
  - Choosing the best secondary resource
- A.L.R. (American Law Reports)
  - American Law Reports (LWR21)
  - Structure of A.L.R. Format
  - Updating
  - Use of A.L.R.
- Subject Specific Treatises
  - Subject Specific Treatises (LR105)
  - Nutshells
  - Hornbooks
- Encyclopedias
  - Legal Encyclopedias (LWR40)
- Trial Practice Materials
  - Civil Procedure
  - Trial Practices
    - Preparing for Trial (LR118)
    - Social Media Research Tools and Ethics (LCS09)
  - Discovery
  - Jury Instructions
    - Bringing it to the Jury and Beyond (LR123)
- Periodicals
  - Periodicals and Periodical Indexes (LWR34)
  - Locating secondary sources
  - Per Indexes - Print and online
  - Legal Trac, Wilson Web, Lexis and Westlaw
  - OPACS
  - Specific instructions for use
- Researching and Working with Forms
  - Procedural
    - Researching and Working with Procedural Forms (LR107)
  - Transactional
    - Researching and Working with Transactional Forms (LR103)
- Restatements
  - Using the Restatements of the Law (LWR38)
- Looseleaf Services (LR155)
  - Format
  - Contents: Primary materials and secondary
  - Interfiled and Newsletter
  - Citator and Finding Aids
  - Electronic
- Using Citators Beyond Case Verification
  - Using Citators to find secondary sources
Legal Research Strategies
- Research Methodology
  - Legal Research Methodology (LWR07)
  - Understanding the assignment (time issues, work product required).
  - Framing the Issue (Issue Statements, search terms)
  - Preparing Research Plan (identifying research sources)
  - Search Strategy
    - Introduction to Search Logic and Strategies (LR59)
  - Evaluation of Search Strategy
  - When to Stop Researching
- Choosing Appropriate Tools - Research Tools in General
  - Legal Research 101: The Tools of the Trade (LWR08)
  - Primary and Secondary Source Materials
  - Updating
  - Evaluation of Search Strategy
  - When to Stop Researching (See also, 6.4 "When to Stop Researching")
- Choosing Appropriate Tools: What Jurisdiction?
  - Decision Point: State or Federal? (LWR13)
  - Overview of state and federal jurisdiction
  - Steps for determining applicable jurisdiction
  - Research resources to help determine jurisdiction
- When to Stop Researching
  - Hold 'em, Fold 'em, Walk Away or Run: When to Stop the Search (LWR31)
  - Research resources including cost constraints
    - The Legal Research Game: Fee or Free Edition (LR58)
  - Forming research plan
  - Points for concluding research
- Costs of Legal Research
  - Cost of Legal Research (LR49)
  - Why cost efficient research is important
  - How to be a cost effective researcher
  - Alternative electronic resources to Westlaw and Lexis
  - Costs of Legal Research: print v. electronic resources
    - Why cost efficient research is important
    - How to be a cost effective researcher
    - Alternative electronic resources to Westlaw and Lexis
- Current Awareness and Alerting Services
- Current Awareness and Alerting Services (LR94)
  - Blogs
  - SSRN and other current awareness networks
  - Listservs
  - Newsletters, including email newsletters
Legal Research on the Internet
- Evaluation of Internet Resources
  - Evaluating Web Sites (LWR39)
  - Evaluation criteria
  - Criteria and web addresses
- Free Resources
  - Internet Legal Resources - Free Resources (LR18)
- Efficient Online Search Techniques
  - Search techniques – Boolean, etc.
Non-Legal Materials
- Directories/Finding People
  - Researching Judges (LCS12)
  - People and Association Directories
  - Print and online
- “Edgar/SEC” like materials
- Government Documents
  - Government Documents (LR96)
  - SuDoc Classification
  - Federal Depository Print and electronic
  - Government statistics
- Company Information
  - Company Research (LWR17)
  - Information Sought
  - Uses of company research
  - Types of companies
  - Company research sources
  - Industry research
- Medical Information
  - Medical Research For Attorneys (LR68)
  - Medicine for Lawyers
  - Medical Dictionaries
  - Diagnostic tools
  - Drug type
- News
  - Non Legal Resource: Online News Sources (LR45)
State Legal Research
- Alabama
  - Alabama Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR143)
  - Alabama Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR154)
- Alaska
  - Alaska Legal Research: Primary and Secondary Resources (LR151)
- Arizona
  - Arizona Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR48)
  - Arizona Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR74)
- Arkansas
  - Arkansas Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR98)
  - Secondary resources
- California
  - California Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR88)
  - California Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR82)
  - California Style Manual (LR75)
  - California Legal Research: Ballot Measures (LR99)
- Colorado
  - Colorado Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR81)
  - Colorado Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR92)
- Connecticut
  - Connecticut Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR146)
  - Secondary resources
- Delaware
  - Delaware Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR159)
  - Delaware Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR152)
- District of Columbia
  - District of Columbia Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR62)
  - District of Columbia Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR160)
- Florida
  - Florida Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR86)
  - Florida Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR85)
  - Florida Legal Research: Uniform Citation System (LWR65)
- Georgia
  - Georgia Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR42)
  - Georgia Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR64)
- Hawaii
  - Primary & Secondary Resources - in progress
- Idaho
  - Idaho Legal Research: Primary and Secondary Resources (LR150)
- Illinois
  - Primary resources - in progress
  - Illinois Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR119)
- Indiana
  - Indiana Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR91)
  - Indiana Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR140)
- Iowa
  - Iowa Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR108)
  - Iowa Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR109)
- Kansas
  - Primary & secondary resources - in progress
- Kentucky
  - Kentucky Legal Research: Primary and Secondary Resources (LR93)
- Louisiana
  - Louisiana Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR84)
  - Louisiana Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR95)
- Maine
  - Primary resources
  - In progress
  - Secondary resources
  - In Progress
- Maryland
  - Maryland Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR46)
  - Maryland Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR138)
- Massachusetts
  - Massachusetts Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR110)
  - Massachusetts Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR132)
- Michigan
  - Michigan Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR106)
  - Secondary resources - In progress
- Minnesota
  - Minnesota Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR114)
  - Minnesota Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR127)
- Mississippi
  - Mississippi Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR135)
  - Mississippi Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR133)
- Missouri
  - Missouri Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR131)
  - Secondary resources
- Montana
  - Primary & Secondary Resources - In progress
- Nebraska
  - Nebraska Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR69)
  - Nebraska Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR147)
- Nevada
  - Nevada Legal Research: Primary and Secondary Resources (LR61)
- New Hampshire
  - New Hampshire Legal Research: Primary and Secondary Resources (LR157)
- New Jersey
  - New Jersey Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR128)
  - Secondary resources - In progress
- New Mexico
  - Primary & Secondary resources - in progress
- New York
  - New York Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR67)
  - Secondary resources - In progress
- North Carolina
  - North Carolina Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR120)
  - North Carolina Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR122)
- North Dakota
  - North Dakota Legal Research: Primary and Secondary Resources (LR153)
- Ohio
  - Ohio Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR78)
  - Ohio Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR100)
  - Ohio Legal Research: Citation Manual (LWR64)
- Oklahoma
  - Oklahoma Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR139)
  - Oklahoma Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR121)
- Oregon
  - Oregon Legal Research: Primary and Secondary Resources (LR156)
- Pennsylvania
  - Pennsylvania Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR54)
  - Pennsylvania Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR70)
- Rhode Island
  - Primary & Secondary Resources - in progress
- South Carolina
  - South Carolina Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR97)
  - South Carolina Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR149)
- South Dakota
  - South Dakota Legal Research: Primary and Secondary Resources (LR158)
- Tennessee
  - Tennessee Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR126)
  - Tennessee Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR124)
- Texas
  - Texas Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR112)
  - Texas Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR142)
- Utah
  - Utah Legal Research: Primary and Secondary Resources (LR87)/li>
- Vermont
  - Primary resources
  - Secondary resources
- Virginia
  - Virginia Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR129)
  - Virginia Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR145)
- Washington
  - Washington State Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR71)
  - Washington State Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR117)
- Washington, D.C.
  - District of Columbia Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR62)
  - District of Columbia Legal Research: Secondary Resources (LR160)
- West Virginia
- In progress
  - Primary resources
  - Secondary resources
- Wisconsin
  - Wisconsin Legal Research: Primary Resources (LR130)
  - Secondary resources
- Wyoming
  - Wyoming Legal Research: Primary and Secondary Resources (LR73)
Substantive Specific Areas of Legal Research
- Administrative Law
  - Introduction and Sources of Authority for Administrative Law (LWR33)
- Copyright and Trademark
  - Copyright and Trademark Legal Research (LR51)
- Health Law
  - Healthcare Law Research: An Introduction (LR134)
- Legal Ethics
  - Researching Legal Ethics (LR43)
- Tax Law
  - Federal Tax Research (LR60)
- Labor and Employment Law
- Immigration Law
  - Researching U.S. Immigration Law (LR53)
- Environmental Law
- Telecommunications
- Energy
- Patent
  - How to Research U.S. Patent Law (LR141)
- Admiralty, maritime
- Securities Law
- Social Security Law
  - Researching Social Security Disability Law (LR136)
- Consumer Law
  - Consumer Law Research (LR111)
Canadian Law
- Statutes
  - Researching Canadian Law: Federal Statute Approach (LWR11)
- Administrative Law
- Cases
  - Researching Canadian Law: Case Approach (LWR12)
- Secondary Materials
International and Foreign Legal Research
- Introduction
  - Introduction to Foreign Legal Research (LWR32)
  - Basic Concepts
    - Defining public and private international law, foreign law, comparative law
    - Sources of law
  - Basic reference sources
    - Dictionaries
    - Encyclopedias
    - Periodical indexes
    - Research guides
    - Key sources (e.g., ILM, Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia, Reynolds & Flores)
  - Foreign Constitutions
    - How to Research Foreign Constitutions (LR116)
Public International Law
- Researching treaties and other international agreements
  - Finding treaties, reservations, and declarations
  - Treaty status
  - Travaux preparatoires (treaty history)
  - Researching treaties: US is a party
    - U.S. Treaty Research (LR55)
    - Indian (Native American) Treaties (LR115)
  - Researching treaties: US not a party
- Researching other PIL sources
  - Customary international law
    - Customary International Law (LR56)
  - General principles of int’l law
  - Judicial decisions
  - International tribunals
  - Teachings of publicists
- US and international law
  - Treaties
  - US Practice
- International Tribunals
- International and Foreign LegalResearch - Human Rights (LR76)
  - International Court of Justice
    - Finding International Court of Justice Opinions (LR66)
  - International Criminal Court & related tribunals
  - Other international tribunals
  - Tribunals and Truth Commissions (LR83)
Intergovernmental, Supranational, and Non-Governmental Organizations
Intergovenmental Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations (LR80)
- United Nations
  - United Nations Research (LR65)
- Regional organizations
  - Regional International Organizations (LR90)
- Other IGO's
- European Union
  - Supranational Organizations: The European Union (LR89)
- Non-governmental organizations
Private International Law
- Private International Law Research (LR77)
  - Transnational business transactions
  - Transnational dispute resolution (arbitration and litigation)
Foreign and Comparative Law
- Foreign Legal Systems
  - Common law systems
  - Civil law systems
    - Researching Historical Sources of the Civil Law (LR144)
  - Islamic law systems
  - Mixed systems
  - Customary law
    - Researching Foreign Customary Law (LR148)
- Introduction to Foreign Legal Research
  - Introduction to Foreign Legal Research (LWR32)
- Comparative Law
  - Finding law in translation
  - Comparative law generally
Topical International and Foreign Legal Research
- International Trade
- Human Rights
  - Introduction to Human Rights Research (LR76)
- Intellectual Property
- Environmental Law
  - Researching International Environmental Law (LR72)
- Tax Law
- Law of the sea, maritime law

Legal Writing & Analysis
- Grammar
  - Punctuation and Grammar basics
    - Punctuation and Grammar Basics for Law Students (LWR26)
  - Punctuation and Grammar advanced
    - Punctuation and Grammar: Advanced (LWR52)
- Writing
  - IRAC
    - Learning Legal Analysis Through Its Components: Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion—IRAC (LWR02)
  - Conclusion, Rule, Analysis, Application, Conclusion
  - Writing Memoranda
    - Issue Statements
      - Issue Statements for Memos and Briefs (LWR28)
    - Fact Statements
      - Stating Facts: Objective and Persuasive Approaches (LWR27)
    - Application of Facts to Rules
    - Ethical Issues
  - Writing a Brief
    - How to Brief a Case (LWR09)
  - Persuasive Writing
  - Writing Exams
  - Drafting Contracts
  - Notes, Comments, Seminar Papers and Articles
    - Preemption Checking (LR102)
  - Plagiarism (see also Ethical Issues)
    - Plagiarism - Keeping Out of Trouble (LWR63)