Transcript Cost Effective Legal Research - NYCLA

Cost Effective Legal
Research
Myth or Reality?
Hype or Help?
Copyright 2008, Daniel Jordan
Legal Research Overview
Types of Legal Literature
Primary Source Material
Secondary Source Material
Finding Tools
Types of Legal Literature
Primary
Secondary
Finding Tools
The Law
Commentary on the Law
Assists in finding
Primary and
Secondary Source
materials
Types of Legal Literature
Primary
• Constitutions
• Statutes
• Treaties
• Cases
• Administrative
Regulations
• Administrative
Decisions
• Municipal
Rules, Regulations
& Decisions
Secondary
• Text books
• Treatises
• Legal
Encyclopedias
• ALRs
• Law Reviews
• Headnotes
• Notes of Decisions
• Practice
Commentaries
• Non-legal Materials
Finding Tools
• Shepards
• Keycite
• Bibliographies
• Index to Legal
Periodicals
• Legal Resources Index
• Other Indexes
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Subject
Table of Cases
Table of statutes
Conv. Tables
Formats for legal
Information
Formats of Legal information have
changed through time. Some
continue to have vibrancy, while
some are now disused.
A now disused format
Cuneiform
Hammurabi’s Code
For example, the 8th law of the Code reads:
“If any one steal cattle or sheep, or an ass, or
a pig or a goat, if it belonged to a god or to
the court, the thief shall pay thirty fold; if
they belonged to a freed man of the king he
shall pay tenfold; if the thief has nothing with
which to pay he shall be put to death.”
Formats for legal Information
Formats for legal Information
Formats for legal Information
The Oral tradition:
Formats for legal Information
The Oral Tradition continues:
Formats for legal Information
Hand written 13 Century Law, Iceland
Formats for legal Information
Books
Formats for legal Information
Microforms / Microcards
Formats for legal Information
Modern alternate formats:
CDs
Formats for legal Information
Online sources: costly
Formats for legal Information
Online sources - Not costly:
NYCLA Resources
New York State Library P-card
Public Library Resources
Free Legal Sites on the Internet
New York County Lawyers’ Association
Resources:
Westlaw
Lexis
Cost: Your dues to the Association
Training: Every month
Limitations: Onsite only
NYSL ‘P’ – Borrower’s Card
• Applying for a NYSL Borrower's Card
• Individuals can request a New York State Library Borrower's
card application or a New York State Resident Borrower's
card application at the Circulation Desk located on the 7th
floor of the New York State Library or over the phone by
calling (518) 473-7895 or by sending an email to
[email protected].
• Please specify the type of NYSL Borrower's card that you are
applying for:
New York State Library ‘P’ (Privileged) Borrower’s Card
NYSL ‘P’ – Borrower’s Card
• Attorneys
• Attorneys who are residents of New York State and are
admitted to the New York bar are eligible to receive a NYS
Library Borrower card. Applicants must complete a NYSL
Attorney Borrower's application and present personal
identification that includes their home address such as a
current NYS Driver's license or a current photo-identification
card issued by the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles AND
one of the following:
• Letterhead from the individual's firm with his/her name on it,
business card or NYS bar card, or
• A listing in a current legal directory.
NYSL ‘P’ – Borrower’s Card
• Loislaw - Loislaw contains federal law, federal
regulations, state law, state regulations, court rules
and court cases for all 50 states and the District of
Columbia. Also available are selected treatises,
forms, manuals and journals from Aspen publishers
on topics such as elder law, general litigation and
securities. A citation research service is a part of the
database as well. Type: Full text.
• Remote Access for NYSL P Card
Public Library Resources
New Yorkers can access information 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week by logging on to
NOVELny—the New York Online Virtual
Electronic Library. A wide variety of resources
− books, magazines, newspapers, research and
reference sources and more are available with
NO FEES 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Public Library Resources
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NOVELNY — a pilot project for the Statewide Internet Library — is an online
library of literally hundreds of magazines, newspapers, maps, charts, research and
reference books that are available to every New Yorker, free of charge. All you
need is your public library card, New York driver license, or non-driver ID. Students
may also access the NOVELny databases through their school or academic library.
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NOVELny saves time on endless, frustrating searches. Providing comprehensive
information, NOVELny is organized and has been judged to be accurate and fair.
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Across New York State, NOVELny gives communities online access to the full text of
hundreds of journals, newspapers, and other references.
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Access information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from your desktop by logging
on to NOVELny—the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library.
Public Library Resources
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NOVELNY Resources by Subject:
Art and Literature
Business & Finance
For Kids and Teens
Health & Medicine
History/Law/Social Studies
Multi-Subject
Newspapers
Science
Free sites on the Internet I use often
Findlaw for Legal Professionals
http://lp.findlaw.com/
Cornell Law School
Legal Information Institute
http://www.law.cornell.edu/
WashLaw-- one of the nation's leading Internet legal research portals,
http://www.washlaw.edu/
Google Scholar
http://Scholar.Google.com
http://www.courts.state.ny.us/reporter/Decisions.htm
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The New York Slip Opinion Service provides access to recently released
decisions prior to publication in the Official Reports, together with an
electronic citation for each decision. Opinions selected for on-line
publication only are also available. (There is no access charge.)
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The New York Official Reports Service provides access to the text of all
decisions published or abstracted in the Official Reports from January 1,
1993 through the latest Advance Sheet. The Official Reports Service
Archive provides the text of landmark and other notable decisions
published in the Official Reports prior to January 1, 1993. (There is no
access charge.)
A Local site
The Center for New York City Law
at New York Law School
A library of decisions decided by New York City
agencies.
Total decisions available: over 75,000.
http://www.nyls.edu/cityadmin/
The Center for New York City Law
at New York Law School
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GENERAL CITY AGENCIES
CHR (Comm. on Human Rights)
COIB (Conflicts of Interest Board)
DCA (Department of Consumer Affairs)
DOI (Department of Investigation)
ECB (Environmental Control Board)
LAW DEPT. (Opinions of the Corporation
Counsel)
MAYOR (Mayor's Executive Orders)
MOCS (Mayor's Office of Contract
Services)
OATH (Office of Admin. Trials & Hearings)
OCB (Office of Collective Bargaining)
Board of Collective Bargaining
Board of Certification
TAT (Tax Appeals Tribunal)
TLC (Taxi and Limo Commission)
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LAND USE AGENCIES
BSA (Board of Standards & Appeals)
BORO PRESIDENTS (ULURP
Recommendations )
COUNCIL (City Council Land Use)
CPC (City Planning Comm.)
DOB (Department of Buildings)
LANDMARKS (Landmarks Preservation
Comm.)
LOFT (Loft Board)
http://www.nyls.edu/cityadmin/
Hammurabi’s Code
See:
http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/hammurabi.htm