Transcript UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND THURGOOD MARSHALL LAW LIBRARY

Most summer positions involve
extensive research.
Assignments, techniques, and
the employer’s office culture
can be very different from a law
school research experience.
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Getting Started on a Research Project
Making the Most of Research Time
Reporting Research Results
More detailed
advice on
various types
of research is
available in the
TMLL
“Successful
Summer
Strategies”
Research
Guide
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If you know before starting work, or find out upon
arrival, that you will be doing a lot of research in a
particular area of law, get some background
knowledge or an overview of the subject by quickly
reviewing a Nutshell, hornbook, or treatise. Ask a
librarian to suggest an appropriate source.
 Ask for information as to your employer’s policies in regard
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to copying and borrowing materials, and billing research
services to clients. Find out whether your office has access to
Lexis and/or Westlaw, or to other research resources, and
clarify what, if any, restrictions are placed upon use of these
resources.
If you are lucky enough to have access to a law librarian,
make that person's acquaintance immediately! Ask for a
library orientation if one isn't automatically made available.
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Try to clarify your assignment as completely
as possible during the initial assignment
interview.
Try to get a strong sense of how to fill the
assignor’s expectations.
Make sure you are clear about the format in
which you are expected to report the results.
Use the “JUST Ask” formula…
J = Jurisdiction
U = Useful Tips
S = Scope of
Research
 T = Time frame
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A = Acronyms, terms
of art
 S = Sources
 K = Key cost
considerations
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*Adapted with permission from publications by Karen
Summerhill, Georgetown University Law Library and
Ellen Callinan, Crowell & Moring
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Get background knowledge or an overview of
the subject by quickly reviewing a Nutshell,
hornbook, or treatise. Ask a librarian to
suggest an appropriate source.
Find a topical research guide on the Internet –
or even an overview from Wikipedia.
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Think first, start later
Make nice with librarians, paralegals, and
secretaries
Keep costs in mind
Take stock of your progress and report as
you go along ; manage your time
Develop efficient systems for recording
your notes
Know when to stop
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Perform a preliminary knowledge
assessment
Plan your research strategy, including
electronic searches
If you can’t write a memo to yourself that
answers the threshold questions, you are
not ready to begin research
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Law librarians at your firm or organization, or
librarians at your law school;
Associates or paralegals at your workplace.
Support staff may also be a gold mine of
useful information;
Customer service at Lexis or Westlaw, or your
law school's or employer's Lexis or Westlaw
representatives
Exhaust local resources before spending
money to get your information. Find out
what’s available in hard copy, or on the
organization's intranet
 Find out what other databases (besides
Lexis and Westlaw) your employer provides
 Check the Internet, especially for statutes,
court rules, administrative decisions,
appellate court decisions, and
congressional documents
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Find out how your organization is billed for
Lexis and Westlaw. Pricing for Lexis and
Westlaw varies depending on the size and
nature of the organization, the volume of
research performed, and the pricing plan.
For a given research assignment, determine
whether you can use paid databases
Utilize “free days” and other training benefits
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Ask for clarification if you need it
The time to ask for an extension is not the
day the assignment is due
E-mail may be an effective means to report
progress or problems
The last thing you want is to “drop out of
sight for two weeks and show up with a dogeared pile of cases no one cares about.”
 James Windels, litigation partner, Davis, Polk & Wardwell
If you have a conflict
resulting from multiple
supervisors and multiple
projects, tell them, and
“make them decide what
you should work on.”
- Cynthia Arato, senior
litigation associate at
Parcher, Hayes & Snyder
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Design a system for taking notes during
the assigning interview.
Some firms have forms to record your
research progress; if not, design your own.
Keep track of the sources you have
consulted; chances are high you will be
interrupted before you finish.
Record full citations in Bluebook form.
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It is always possible to find one more
source or one more angle to explore.
What is the cost to the client? When is the
deadline?
End when you find diminishing returns or
the same answer in various sources.
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Have I responded to the question presented
to me?
Have I used good professional judgment and
logic in reaching an answer?
Have I been thorough in my research?
Have I plotted out the structure of my
presentation?
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Don’t forget that the librarians at TMLL are
available all summer to help with your
research questions. Find contact information
on the TMLL Web page at
http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/abo
utlibrary/contact.html