US Legal Research

Introduction to researching United States federal and state law

Starting Legal Research

To get legal research off to a quick start, always start with secondary sources.  Law review articles, books or treatises, legal encyclopedias and law dictionaries give you analysis, context and explanation of your legal research topic.  Secondary sources provide footnotes full of citations to key primary laws (cases, statutes and regulations) and additional secondary sources on a topic. 

 

A search of law reviews is the key first step.

Legal jargon confusing?  Find definitions of legal terms.

How the US Government is Organized

US Federal Government

United States Federal Government

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