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Retrieval and Application of Legal Material
Lexis.com
:
Advanced Legal Research
Mar. 2005, Taiwan By Jensen Wang For educational purposes only All products and brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Looney Tunes characters and all related slogans and indica are trademarks of Warner Bros. Inc. The use of such material falls under
Fair use provisions.
AGENDA OF PRESENTATION 1. Objective of Legal Research 2. Definition of Scope of Research 3. Skills on Search and other Functionalities 4. Exact Search 5. Conceptual Search 6. Questions & Answers
Objective of Legal Research
• • • • • Step One: Identification of objective Finding authorities Searching filing information Analysis of legal issues Updating and monitoring Specific Research e.g. Arbitration, Discrimination, Freedom of Expression
Finding Authorities Finding Authorities
Authorities includes primary and secondary legal sources: Primary sources – legislation, cases, treaties, rules and releases Secondary sources – journals, commentaries, text-books and news.
Lexsee
– Citation Search
Analysis of Legal Issues Legal Analysis 1. Case Analysis / Shepard’s
2. Topical Search –
Search Advisor
3. Academic Discussion on some new legal problems (
Journals
) 4. Keyword Search on a specific issues –
Terms & Connectors
Updating & Monitoring Eclipse – the technology of automatic regular search
1. Eclipse on law – all the laws enacted against international terrorism 2. Eclipse on cases – cases involving Inter-American Convention on International Commercial Arbitration 3. Eclipse on wire news – statements of President Chen Shui-bian 4. Eclipse on journals – article of Prof. Elena Kagan 5. Eclipse on legal topic –enforcement of arbitral awards
Specific Research Specific Research: (examples)
1. Whether choice-of-law clauses in an international commercial contract is enforceable by the Court ?
( Reference: Batchelder v. Nobuhiko Kawamoto, 147 F.3d 915 ) 2. Whether the President of U.S. has the authority to detain a suspected terrorist by military order? Can the suspect file a habeas petition to the Court to challenge the order?
(Reference: Rumsfeld v. Padilla, 124 S. Ct. 2711 )
Definition of Scope
Step Two: How to define the scope of research?
Width – Jurisdictions e.g. Comparative study on legal principles between New York and California Depth – coverage (time and contents) e.g. Search all federal case law and state regulations for 10 years
Search Techniques
Step 3 – Find the search templates and be trained with appropriate skills to conduct the research effectively.
Basic Skills: 1.
Access 2.
3.
4.
5.
Find the path to the relevant databases
Exact Search
- Use Citation to find the document
Conceptual Search
– Use Terms & Connectors Expansion of Search to other jurisdictions – More Like this
Lexis.com
www.lexis.com
Lexis.com
www.lexis.com
Lexis.com
Natural Language Terms & Connectors Segment Search Search Terms www.lexis.com
Date Restriction
Search Techniques
The Techniques Required and be illustrated on online demo: 1. Navigation method 2. Customization 3. Database Selection and Combination 4. Exact Search by Get A Document 5. Conceptual Search by Keywords 6. Natural Language / Terms & Connectors 7. Focus and Expanded Search 8. Eclipse
Exact Search Techniques
Segment Search by defining the nature of information: Title (Illusion and Reality in the Compensation of Victims of International Terrorism) Name (Alejandre v. Republic of Cuba) Author (Myres S. McDougal) Cite (112 Yale L.J. 1625) Court (Supreme Court of the United States) Judge (Marshall) *The above can be improved by Terms & Connectors
Exact Search Techniques
Exact Search Techniques
Exact Search Techniques
Conceptual Search Techniques
Natural Language: Free-style Search by relevance Like searching in Yahoo! Terms & Connectors: Exhaustive Search – giving definite results AND OR W/S W/N W/P ATLEAST
Keyword Search Techniques
Problem of English keyword search: 1. Difference Forms e.g. negligent, negligence, negligently Using “!” - negligen! 2. Plurals & Singulars e.g. damages or damage Using “Plural” – Plural(damage) Using “Singular” – Singular(damage) 3.Short Forms e.g. ERA Using “Allcaps” – Allcaps(ERA)
Land Trust
and
Ohio
Terms & Connectors
Terms & Connectors
Takeover
or
Take Over
Terms & Connectors
Rule 11
/p
sanction Circumstances
/s
mitigat
!
e.g. mitigation, mitigating, mitigated, mitigate
Terms & Connectors
“Equal Right Amendment” not the English word era
Allcaps
(ERA)
Atleast10
(liquidated damages)
Terms & Connectors
Fair
/5 plural
(toys) Must be “Damage” not “Damages”
Singular
(damage)
Exact Search Techniques
Improvement on Segment Search: Title (Compens! w/s Victims and (Terrorism or Terrorist attack)) Name (Alejandre and Republic of Cuba) Author (Myres w/3 McDougal) Cite ((112 or 113) w/2 Yale w/2 1**5) Court (Supreme Court or Court of Appeal) Judge (Marshall or White or Wilkins!)
Search Techniques - Steps
Whether the principle of res judicata is modified in criminal cases in U.S. especially in the first degree murders?
• • • • • • Keywords extraction:
Principle
or rule or common law
Res judicata Modified Criminal Murder
or Modification or Modify or Crime
First Degree
or 1 st Degree
Search Techniques - Steps
Whether the principle of res judicata is modified in criminal cases in U.S. especially in the first degree murders?
Formulation Method:
(Principle
or rule or common law) w/s
Res judicata and Modif!
w/p Core-terms (
Criminal
or Crime
) w/s (First Degree
or 1 st Degree) and
Murder
Verification
Step 4 – Verification There are several methods to verify the results before making conclusion: 1. Shepard’s (for US cases) 2. Case Analysis (for commonwealth cases) 3. Eclipse 4. Cross-checking with secondary sources 5. Appropriate consultation
Start of Online Demonstration
1. Whether choice-of-law clauses in an international commercial contract is enforceable by the Court ?
( Reference: Batchelder v. Nobuhiko Kawamoto, 147 F.3d 915 ) 2. Whether the President of U.S. has the authority to detain a suspected terrorist by military order? Can the suspect file a habeas petition to the Court to challenge the order?
(Reference: Rumsfeld v. Padilla, 124 S. Ct. 2711 )
Q&As
Any Questions?
Retrieval and Application of Legal Material