The U.S.

legal system is based on precedent -- that is, decided court cases -- in conjunction
with statutes and common law. Therefore, the function of legal research typically is to find
out how previous courts have decided cases with similar fact patterns. Most legal research is
now performed online. For example, FindLaw's sister company, Thomson Reuters Westlaw,
provides online legal research tools you can use to look up cases and verify current law.

Terms to Know

 Opinion: The formal written expression by a court or judge detailing the reasons and
principles of law upon which the case is decided.
 Parallel Citation: A citation reference to the same case printed in two or more
different case reporters.
 Stare Decisis: The doctrine under which courts adhere to precedent on questions of
law in order to insure certainty, consistency, and stability in the administration of
justice.
 Shepardize: To look up a cases citation in Shepard's Citations in order to check the
status of the case, whether it is still considered good law, parallel citations, or the use
of the case in other jurisdictions.
 KeyCite: This helpful case citation tool is provided by Thomson Reuters Westlaw.
You can view the history of a case, statute, administrative decision, or regulation to
help determine whether it is "good law" and to retrieve citing references.