Legal Research and Writing
with Legal Brief Samples and eBooks

 
   Corpus Juris Secundum - How to Use.
      
   Basic Legal Citation
       
By Peter W. Martin.  Look at the left menu to pull up citation examples.
        (http://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/)
    Codes and Legislation Law Topic
        (http://library.chattanoogastate.edu/east/topics/lawsites/code.htm)
    Legal Resources

        From the National Federation of Paralegal Associations provides useful links
        (http://www.paralegals.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1)
    Legal Resources on the Internet
       
From the Tennessee Bar Association
        (http://www.tba.org/Resources/net_main.html)
    Memo Format Requirements
        This is one professor's requirements at William Bowen School of Law.  See also
        Barger on Legal Writing.
        (http://ualr.edu/cmbarger/Memofrmt.htm)

  
 Microsoft Office
       
Scroll down to find items of interest to paralegals.
        (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/results.aspx?qu=paralegal)
    Syllabus of Supreme Court Decision
        Actual Syllabus of Clark v. Arizona to see example of Syllabus from Cornell
        (http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/05-5966.ZS.html)
    Tips on Legal Research
        Tips for using the library's LexisNexis Academic database
        (http://library.chattanoogastate.edu/east/topics/lawsites/tipslnacademic.htm)


   
Use Tennessee's legal encyclopedia: Tennessee Jurisprudence (Ref KFT 65. T46).
      Discussion can be lengthy. 
      Also check the Words and Phrases volume for definitions with law and court cases.

      Example: Find Civil remedies in contract law. 
          Scan of index and page about contract defenses

See also the Mega Law Website Topic for links to comprehensive legal sites
                   West's Key Number System Topic


Legal Brief Samples (always check with your teacher)

    Case Brief Form
        According to Mark Peacock
        (http://www.milligan.edu/profbusiness/mpeacock/casebrief.htm)
    Case Briefs Bank
        Links to how to write a brief and to briefs in different areas of law.  Briefs are written
        by law students.
        (http://www.4lawschool.com/casebrief.htm)
    Preview Cases - Scheduled with Briefs Available
        ABA provides latest cases with Merit briefs, like Petitioners', Respondent's and Petitioners' Reply.  You
        may need to scroll down.
        (http://www.abanet.org/publiced/preview/briefs/home.html)
    Supreme Court Case Briefs in LexisNexis Academic Database
        Select LexisNexis Academic.  Click Legal  Source drop down box,
        highlight Supreme Court Briefs.
    Checklist for Briefs
        From the U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
        (http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/internet/forms/briefs/checklistforbriefs.htm)
    How to Brief a Case (Federal)
        For federal cases, according to Dana Blatt at Washburn School of Law
        (http://lawschool.westlaw.com/highcourt/HowToBrief.doc)    
    How to Brief a Case from John Jay College of Criminal Justice
        Scroll down to Student Brief
        (http://www.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/research/brief.html)
    How to Brief a Case from the University of Virginia School of Law
        From the UVA School of Law
        (http://www.people.virginia.edu/~rjb3v/briefhow.html)
    Writing a Case Brief
        Site created by Philip Reichel
        (http://www.cjed.com/Write_Brief.pdf)
 
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Audiovisuals for Research

    Videos & Instruction on How to Do Legal Research.
       
See videos on how to use the Tennessee Digest and how to use LexisNexis
        Academic for legal research. 
   
Lexis.com video Video   Transcript  [Old but may still have some points]
       
For paralegal students.  Version of Lexis.com may have changed.

   
See also Tips for Legal Research in LexisNexis Academic.


EBooks


    The Independent Paralegal's Handbook: How to Provide Legal Services Without Becoming a Lawyer
        Ralph Warner (Berkeley: Nolo, 2004)
    Lawyers' Language: How and Why Legal Language Is Different
       
Alfred Phillips (New York: Taylor & Francis, 2003)
    Legal Analysis and Writing for Paralegals

        William H. Putman (Albany, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning, 1998)
    Legal Information: How to Find It, How to Use It
        Kent Olson (Phoenix, AZ: Oryx, 1999)
    Legal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law
        Stephen Elias (Berkeley, Nolo, 2004)
    Legal Research Using the Internet
        Judy Long (Albany, NY: Delmar Health Care Publishing, 2000)
    Oran's Dictionary of the Law
        Daniel Oran and Mark Tosti (Albany, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning, 2000)
    West's Encyclopedia of American Law
        (13 vols., Detroit: Gale, 2005)

Pointers about oral presentations?

    Giving an Oral Presentation (Points of View Reference Center)
    Video on how to use PowerPoint 2007 (PowerPoint is not required for the oral presentation)

See also the Legal Dictionaries and Directories Topic
See also the Shepardizing Topic

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By Laura Young, Last Updated October 08, 2009