Legal Research: A Practitioner's Handbook

Subjects:

Wildy, Simmonds and Hill, Legal Skills and Method

Contents:

List of Figures

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Part A: Before Touching a Keyboard or Opening a Book

1. Where to Start Research

2. Which Sources to Use

3. How to Choose the Sources

Part B: Selecting the Right Source and Using It Effectively

4. General Law Encyclopedias

5. Legislation

6. Case Law

7. Procedural Law

8. Words and Phrases

9. Updating Known data

10. Commentary on the Law

11. Pre-legislative Proposals

12. Other Official Information

13. Where to Find Legal Information not Available within your Firm or Chambers

14. Business Information

15. Information about People and Personalities Connected with the Law

16. Lucky Dib!

Part C: Presenting the Results Effectively

17. Writing to Impress

Appendices

1. Lists of Abbreviations

2. What Does This Technical term Mean?

3. Court Directions Relating to Legal Research

4. Usinag Databases Better

5. Popular Names Index to UK Case and EU Legislation and Cases

6. Buying Legal Information

Index of Published Materials

Index to databases and Organisations

This comprehensive reference work is specifically aimed at busy practitioners (solicitors, barristers and professional support lawyers), particularly those who do not have the benefit of access to a law librarian or information officer.

Legal Research: A Practitioner’s Handbook provides practical advice on every aspect of effective legal research: problem analysis, selecting and finding the best sources, and presenting results effectively.

Part A covers problem identification and analysis, followed by advice on how to select the best sources and formats (paper or electronic) for research. Part B deals with the information most frequently sought by practitioners, listing sources with analytical comments and, for a selection of the most complex, ‘how to use’ instructions developed to a standard template.

Jurisdictional coverage includes England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the European Union, with the addition of information on key sources in European human rights and international law. Part C details sources on how to make the presentation of the results of legal research more effective.

These three parts are supplemented with other information, mainly in the extensive appendices providing:-

• guidance on where to find information not available within your firm or chambers
• Indexes to abbreviations for Acts, journals and law reports
• a glossary of technical terms used in legal research
• a summary of the practice directions, statements and decisions of the UK courts relating to legal research
• a table of guidance on how to devise more effective searches on the three most popular commercial databases
• a popular names index for legislation and cases relating to the UK and the EU and
• advice on purchasing legal information, whether print or online.