LibGuides: Paralegal Studies 110: Legal Research and Writing 1: Law Basics

Reference Books

Black’s Law Dictionary by Garner, Brian A.
Call Number: REF KF 156 .B53 2009
ISBN: 0314199500
For more than a century Black's has been the gold standard for the language of law. Today it is the most widely cited law book in the world. It contains more than 45,000 terms and includes the date when selected terms were first used in English-language contexts, especially in judicial opinions. West Key Numbers.
Corpus Juris Secundum
Call Number: KF 154.C67 1985 Z1994
ISBN: 1158377754
Another Law Reference Series.
Pacific Digest
Call Number: KF 135.P21.W43 1990
Another series of law reporters.
Pacific Reporter by West Publishing Company
ISBN: 0217884253
One of many volumes of legal reports for the law profession.
West's Utah Code Annotated by Bender, Matthew
Call Number: KFU 30 1953 .A43 2010
ISBN: 0327041684
West's Utah Code Unannotated by Bender, Matthew
Call Number: KFU 30 .A354
West's Pacific digest, beginning 585 P.2d. by West Publishing Company
Call Number: KF 135 .P21 W43 1990 vol.
Publication Date: 1998
The Bluebook by Harvard Law Review (Compiled by); Columbia Law Review (Compiled by); University of Pennsylvania Law Review (Compiled by); Yale Law Review (Compiled by)
Call Number: KF 245 .B58 2015
ISBN: 9780692400197
Publication Date: 2015-06-25
Provides authoritative guidance to legal citation for American students, professionals, and scholars. ***AVAILABLE AT CIRCULATION DESK***

Publications

Duke Law Journal
A collection of outstanding scholarship from established legal writers, up-and-coming authors, and our own student editors.
Federal Courts Law Review
The Federal Courts Law Review (FCLR) is an electronic law review dedicated to legal scholarship relating to federal courts. It is a publication of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association (FMJA).
Utah Law Review
Organ of the Utah Law Review Society.

Government Documents

National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks
Directory of appellate court websites.
Regulations.gov
Your source for information on the development of Federal regulations and other related documents issued by the U.S. government.
Avalon Project--Yale Law School
Documents in law, history, and diplomacy available through the Lillian Goldman Law Library at Yale.
Catalog of US Government Publications (CGP)
Supported by the Government Publications Office (GPO)
United States Executive Orders
Executive Orders of the President.
Utah Appellate Court Opinions
US Court Locator

General Law Websites

Legal Information Institute--Legal Encyclopedia
Free legal dictionary and encyclopedia sponsored and hosted by the Legal Information Institute at the Cornell Law School.
Federal Judicial Center
The educational and research agency for the federal courts. This site contains research on federal court operations, procedures, court history, and selected educational materials.
Judicial Facts and Figures
Statistical tables show the historical caseload of the U.S. courts. Data come from published and unpublished sources. Significant data fluctuations and changes in data collection are explained in footnotes.
History of the Federal Judiciary
Information about historic courthouses, biographies of past judges, and general information about the courts.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
The global forum for intellectual property services, policy, information and cooperation.

Books

West's Encyclopedia of American Law by Jeffrey Lehman; Shirelle Phelps
ISBN: 9780787663674
Publication Date: 2004-08-27
Provides current information on more than 5,000 legal topics. Covers such high-profile topics as the Americans with Disabilities Act, capital punishment, domestic violence, gay and lesbian rights, and physician-assisted suicide.
The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions by Kermit Hall (Editor); James W. Ely (Editor)
ISBN: 9780195379396
Publication Date: 2009-03-11
Offers lively and insightful accounts of the most important cases ever argued before the Supreme Court.
Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law by Gale Editors (Editor)
ISBN: 9781414403533
Publication Date: 2006-07-28
Includes brief descriptions of the historical background of various issues, covering important statutes and cases; profiles of various U.S. laws and regulations; and details of how laws and regulations vary from state to state.
The Oxford Companion to American Law by Kermit L. Hall (Editor); Joel B. Grossman (Editor); James W. Ely (Editor); N. E. H. Hull (Editor); David S. Clark (Editor)
ISBN: 9780195088786
Publication Date: 2002-05-02
Intended for the working lawyer or judge, the high school student working on a term paper, or the general adult reader interested in the topic, the Companion is the authoritative reference work on the subject of American law.
The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States by Kermit L. Hall (Editor); James W. Ely; Joel B. Grossman
ISBN: 9780195176612
Publication Date: 2005-05-19
This edition has been fully updated and includes new entries on key cases and full treatment of crucial areas of constitutional law, such as abortion, freedom of religion, school desegregation, freedom of speech, voting rights, military tribunals, and the rights of the accused.
U. S. Court Cases by Thomas Tandy Lewis; Salem Press Staff
ISBN: 9781587656729
Publication Date: 2010-08-13
Provides a comprehensive collection of essays covering more than 650 rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal and state courts.

Court Systems

Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER)
an electronic public access service that allows users to obtain case and docket information online from federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts, and the PACER Case Locator.
CM/ECF
The Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system is the Federal Judiciary's comprehensive case management system for all bankruptcy, district, and appellate courts.
Xchange
XChange is a repository of district court and justice court case information.

CALI Tutorials

CALI Tutorials
A library of over 950 interactive legal tutorials written by law professors.

Watch Live Court Cases

Courtroom View Network
Access audio case files and view live court cases as they happen. A great resource for all paralegal students and those interested in the law.

Supreme Court Decisions DVDs

Supreme Court Decisions that Changed the Nation: Roe V. Wade by Guidance Associates
Call Number: DVD KF 3771.S8 SUP
DVD lecture containing an overview and questions regarding this important legal case.
Supreme Court Decisions that Changed the Nation: Brown V. Board of Education by Guidance Associates
Call Number: DVD KF 4155.S8 SUP
Lecture containing an overview and questions regarding this important legal case.
Supreme Court Decisions that Changed the Nation: Marbury v. Madison by Guidance Associates
Call Number: DVD KF 8742.S8 SUP
Lecture and questions regarding this important legal case.

Databases for Articles

Hein Online
Image based legal database
Legal Collection from EBSCO
Legal Collection offers information centered on the discipline of law and legal topics including criminal justice, ethics, federal law, international law, labor and human resource law, medical law, organized crime, the environment and more.
Lexis Full Version
Additional resources beyond those in LexisNexis Academic. This database requires a password and enrollment in the paralegal program to access it.
Lexis Nexis Academic
The number one resource for articles on the law and paralegal materials for paralegal students, it also has articles on business and news topics.