LOCATING STATUTES


FEDERAL CODE in print at the Evelyn Field Library


NEW JERSEY CODE in print at the Evelyn Field Library


FEDERAL CODE in online databases at the Evelyn Field Library


NEW JERSEY CODE in online databases at the Evelyn Field Library


FEDERAL CODE available on the Internet


NEW JERSEY CODE available on the Internet


LOCATING CASE LAW

CASE LAW -– or common law1, is law derived from the written decree of a judge (opinion)2 , giving the verdict and reasoning behind the decision, including citations3 and precedents4
1http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=define%3A+common+law
2http://usinfo.state.gov/dhr/democracy/u.s._legal_system/legal_glossary.html
3http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=define%3Alegal+citation
4http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=define%3Aprecedent+


Reporters

REPORTERS -- The sets of books where cases/opinions are published are called reporters. Reporters print cases in the order they are received from the courts, and provide the names of the parties involved, volume number, name of the reporter, number of the first page of the case, and the year when the case was decided. Reporters may generally be grouped into four kinds:

  1. Federal reporters (report federal cases)
  2. Regional reporters (report cases from the state appellate courts - several states are reported in each set)
  3. State reporters (report cases from a specific state)
  4. Subject oriented reporters (report cases from various jurisdictions which deal a certain area of law, e.g., environment or patents

REPORTERS in print at the Evelyn Field Library


NEW JERSEY REPORTERS in print at the Evelyn Field Library


REPORTERS in online databases at the Evelyn Field Library


REPORTERS available on the Internet


Digests

DIGESTS – A digest is a topical arrangement of very brief summaries of the points of law found in a case. They are beneficial in that they are arranged alphabetically by broad subject areas rather than chronologically like reporters. The digests organize summaries of cases by topic and key number rather than page number.

DIGESTS in print at the Evelyn Field Library


DIGESTS in online databases at the Evelyn Field Library

(Please note: Several digests offer an alphabetical list of cases by name, often termed “Table of Cases,’ that provide citations to the case law. LexisNexis Academic offers the “Get a Case” feature that essentially does the same thing.)


FEDERAL CASE LAW available on the Internet


NEW JERSEY CASE LAW available on the Internet


CITATORS

(Shepardizing is available on Lexis/Nexis; can be done for the Supreme Court in Lexis/ Nexis Academic Universe)


LOCATING ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCIES REGULATIONS

Federal Regulations1 -- are issued by executive departments and administrative agencies of the U.S. Government, like the Department of Transportation or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, once the legislature passes general law and policy in the statutes. It is the administrative agencies task to implement the law and policy through legal notices and regulations. Federal Regulations are published in the daily newspaper, the Federal Register (F.R.), and then codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R) by subjects or “titles.
1http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&oi=definer&q=define:code+of+federal+regulations&defl=en


FEDERAL REGULATIONS in print at the Evelyn Field Library


FEDERAL REGULATIONS in online databases at the Evelyn Field Library


FEDERAL REGULATIONS available on the Internet


Executive Agencies


Independent Agencies and Government Corporations


NJ REGULATIONS in online databases at the Evelyn Field Library


NJ REGULATIONS available on the Internet


LEGAL RESEARCH TOOLS

LEGAL DICTIONARIES at the Evelyn Field Library


LEGAL DICTIONARIES available on the Internet


LEGAL ENCYCLOPEDIAS at the Evelyn Field Library


BASIC LEGAL TEXTS at the Evelyn Field Library


NJ LEGAL RESEARCH TOOLS at the Evelyn Field Library


NJ LEGAL RESEARCH available on the Internet


PARALEGAL/ LEGAL ASSISTANT MATERIALS at the Evelyn Field Library


LEGAL CITATION FORMAT in print at the Evelyn Field Library


LEGAL CITATION FORMAT available on the Internet


ONLINE LEGAL DATABASES at the Evelyn Field Library


USEFUL LEGAL INTERNET RESOURCES


Government Sites


New Jersey Sites


RVCC Paralegal Site


Legal Journals /Magazines/News


Professional Organizations


Last Updated - September, 2006