Finding the Answers to Legal Questions, Second Edition
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Figures
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I. Foundation
FIFTY-ONE LEGAL SYSTEMS
Legislatures Enact Statutes
Courts Make Case Law
Trial Courts
Intermediate Appellate Courts
Final Appellate Courts
CONCLUSION
SECONDARY SOURCES GENERALLY
Legal Encyclopedias
Practice Materials and Forms
Loose-Leaf Services
Legal Periodicals
SECONDARY SOURCES:
PAY-FOR-VIEW DATABASES
CONCLUSION
American Law Reports—Federal
Practice and Procedure and Form Books
FREE WEB SOURCES FOR FEDERAL LAW
Educational Institutions’ Sites
General Sources
Current Statutes
PRIMARY LAW:
FEDERAL CASES
United States Supreme Court
United States Courts of Appeal (aka “Circuit Courts”)
United States District Courts
Other Federal Courts
Print
Websites
PRIMARY LAW:
FEDERAL COURT RULES
Websites
CONCLUSION
ALL-IN-ONE WEBSITES
STATE CONSTITUTIONS
Statutory Codes
Court Decisions Interpreting Statutes
State Regulatory Codes
Court Decisions Interpreting Administrative Law
Opinions from Trial Courts or Courts of Limited Jurisdiction
Finding State Appellate Court Decisions for Free Online
STATE COURT RULES
OTHER STATE-SPECIFIC RESOURCES
PRIMARY SOURCES:
LOCAL LAW
PRIMARY SOURCES:
TRIBAL LAW AND FEDERAL INDIAN LAW
Part II. Preparation
The Reference Interview for Legal Information Needs
Legal Information versus Legal Advice
Jurisdiction
Citations: Known Item Searching
Keyword and Subject Searching for Case Law
Keyword Subject Searching for Statutes and Regulations
Pay-for-View Services: LexisNexis and Westlaw
Updating
How Much Is Enough? Who Can Help Me Further?
REFERENCES
LAW LIBRARIES
FREE LEGAL HELP
About Mediation
CHOOSING A LAWYER
Knowing the Community
Part III. Information
FRAMEWORK FOR QUESTIONS IN THIS AREA OF LAW
GETTING STARTED
Process of a Lawsuit
Legal Procedures and Forms
Pretrial Stages of a Lawsuit
Trial Process
Appeals
8.
Family Law
A Checklist
Questions about Marriage
Questions When Unmarried and Living Together
Questions about Divorce
Questions about Parenting Plans
Questions about Child Support
FINDING ANSWERS TO FREQUENT QUESTIONS
ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
FINDING ANSWERS TO FREQUENT QUESTIONS
ABOUT ADOPTION
REFERENCES
FRAMEWORK FOR QUESTIONS IN THIS AREA OF LAW
GETTING STARTED
FINDING ANSWERS TO FREQUENT QUESTIONS
FROM TENANTS
FINDING ANSWERS TO FREQUENT QUESTIONS
FROM LANDLORDS
EPILOGUE
10. Wills, Estate Planning,
and Probate
GETTING STARTED
Understanding Key Terms
FINDING ANSWERS TO FREQUENT QUESTIONS
FRAMEWORK FOR QUESTIONS IN THIS AREA OF LAW
GETTING STARTED
Facing Foreclosure
FINDING ANSWERS TO FREQUENT QUESTIONS
DEBT COLLECTION
12.
Bankruptcy
Federal Law Governs
Currency: Be Sure You Have the Most Recent Information
FINDING ANSWERS TO FREQUENT QUESTIONS
REFERENCES
GETTING STARTED
FRAMEWORK FOR QUESTIONS:
EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION
Resources in Employment Discrimination
PRIMARY SOURCES:
Federal Law of Employment Discrimination
Do-It-Yourself Publications in Employment Discrimination
Finding Answers to Frequent Questions
about Unemployment Compensation
PRIMARY SOURCES:
State Statutes about Unemployment Compensation
Do-It-Yourself Publications in Unemployment Compensation
Finding Answers to Frequent Questions
about Workers’ Compensation
Resources in Workers’ Compensation
Do-It-Yourself Publications in Workers’ Compensation
Wrongful Discharge
Workplace Privacy
CONCLUSION
FRAMEWORK FOR QUESTIONS IN THIS AREA OF LAW
GETTING STARTED
Rights of the Accused
Crimes and Criminal Codes
Criminal Procedure
Criminal Defenses
Part IV. Collection
PRIMARY LAW
WHEN TO USE PRINT SOURCES
WHEN TO CHOOSE FREE OR
PAY-FOR-VIEW ONLINE DATABASES
CONCLUSION
16. Evaluating the Trustworthiness of Websites and Self-Help Law Books
Case Law
DOMAIN
.org
AUTHORSHIP
SELF-HELP LAW BOOKS
CONCLUSION
DECIDING WHAT YOUR LIBRARY NEEDS
Topical “Clusters” for Your Site
Shortcuts: Megaportals and Piggybacking
Linking to (and from) Your OPAC
Easy Tools for Website Creation
Secondhand Book Sources
FINAL WORDS
REFERENCE
Appendix A. Glossary
Appendix B. Recommended Legal Sources Online
About the Authors
Index