Legal
Research on the Web
|
You're probably familiar with Lexis
and Westlaw, the major commercial database systems, which are accessed through
the Worldwide Web. But there are many other excellent sources for legal research
on the Web, and most of them are free. This tutorial will introduce you to some
of the most useful ones. First, we'll start with a few tips on what you can
and can't find on the web.
What are free websites good for?
- primary materials: federal or
state codes or recent court opinions
- current items: cases or issues
in the news
- government publications: state
and federal, foreign and international
- background information from
sources such as government agencies think tanks, or lobbying groups
What are free websites not good
for?
- a complete, concise overview
of the law
- for this, use books or encyclopedias
in print
- sophisticated full-text searching
- for this, use Lexis or Westlaw
- complex case-finding tools such
as annotated codes or citation databases
- for this, use Lexis or Westlaw
- historical materials
- for this, use print sources
(or Westlaw or Lexis for cases)
That's about it. To get started
with the tutorial, click HERE
Library
Home