Class 1- Introduction, Overview, and a review of legal-research as a problem-solving skill

What types of legal information we will be working with

● Secondary sources
○ Commentary on law
● Citadors and Validators
○ Tools to check that the law you’re reading is current and valid
● Executive/administrative information
○ Agency materials
● Legislative information
○ Actual statutes, what comes out of the legislative branch
● Judicial information
○ Case law
Goal- information literacy
● The ability to recognize when information is needed and then locate, evaluate, and use
that information
Federal Register
● Daily activity of the executive branch
3-Step process
● Background and Context
● Search for Primary Sources
Delivering your research results
● Method for organizing research results:
● “BLUPT” (Bottom Line UP Top)
○ Articulate the question presented
○ Give a clear answer to the question; hedge if you have to-- but explain why you
are hedging
■ Address weaknesses
○ Provide the sources that support your answer
○ Cite everything clearly and correctly
○ Address counterarguments or uncertainties

Search Terms-
Things
Design, labels
Actions
Theft
Relief
Unknown
Persons
employer/employee
Other
Legal terms/ “terms of art
● Copyright Interest
Class 2- Increasing research efficiency

● Wexberg basics doc

● Library guides- user-friendly
● Terms and connectors
○ Presence- looking to see the existence of words in your search
■ And
■ Or
■ But not
■ At least
■ !*#
○ In westlaw search tips, has shortcuts
○ Proximity- nearness of words
■ /s - in the same sentence
■ /p - in the same paragraph
■ /number - number of words away
■ +
■ “”
● Secondary sources
● Can do searches on google scholar
● Treatises
○ Books on legal topics
○ Can be a single volume or a multi-volume set
● Bloomberg law
HYPO-
● Search on westlaw whether there’s any law indicating that stolen vehicles cannot be
covered by insurance?
○ “Stolen vehicle” AND “insurance”
● Search on westlaw whether she can file suit against the owner
○ Cases involving similar-
● Search State Farm’s insurance policy
○ State Farm insurance “collision” OR “theft”
○ Bona fide purchaser
○ Insurable interest

9/22

● Advanced Case finding

● Algorithm
○ A “set of step by step instructions, to be carried out mechanically so as to
achieve some desired result”

10/6
 ● Statutes, Statutory authority, legislative process
● Statute- law passed by legislative body
● Bill introduced → bill passed (Slip Law) → Bill Published (Session Law) → Bill Codified (US
Code)

Group 1

● 7 CFR § 205.102 - Use of term “organic g3.2

● 9 CFR §145.81 et seq. Definitions of chickens g2.3
● 10 CFR § 20.1001 et seq.- protection against radiation g4.1
● 14 CFR § 1221.102- nasa seal G2.2
● 16 CFR § 305.14- label content for fridges g1.2
● 16 CFR § 315.1 et seq.- contact lens G4.2
● 16 CFR § 1501.1 – § 1501.5- hazardous substances on toys g3.1
● 21 CFR § 101.9- nutrition labels g3.3
● 21 CFR § 155.201- canned vegetables G2.1
● 30 CFR § 62.100 et seq.- occupational noise exposure g4.3
● 31 CFR § 82.1 – § 82.4- 5 cent and 1-cent coin regulation g1.3
● 50 CFR § 17.11- threatened wildlife G1.1

10/27

● Final project due Nov 12 at 5 pm

● Where to start- google, secondary authorities, supervisor
● If you have a statute- look at statutory scheme, annotated code, decisions
● Practice Project