One of the things I love most about my job as a law librarian is trying to find ways to get students interested in legal research. I’m not going to lie–it’s not always easy! But, legal research is important to an aspiring lawyer’s career and I want students to be prepared. One of the things I’ve had the opportunity to do for the past few years is to write a legal research column for Student Lawyer magazine. It’s a great chance to try and make legal research accessible to students in a short and (hopefully) entertaining way. I don’t try to be too serious or cover everything–you can find that in a legal research textbook–but I do try to alert students to issues you may face in practice and what legal research resources are available to you. Hopefully, some of these will be of use to you:
Thorough Academic Legal Research Will Improve Your Papers
Smart Researchers Save Time by Starting with Legal Treatises
Citators: The Power Tools of Legal Research
Free and Low-Cost Research Resources for Any Budget
Legal Encyclopedias: Research ‘Well Begun’
WestlawNext: Westlaw’s Next Generation Research System
Legislative History: The Search for Legislative Intent