Cost Effective Legal Research Myth or Reality Hype

Cost Effective Legal Research Myth or Reality? Hype or Help? Copyright 2008, Daniel Jordan

Legal Research Overview Types of Legal Literature Primary Source Material Secondary Source Material Finding Tools

Types of Legal Literature Primary Secondary Finding Tools The Law Commentary on the Law Assists in finding Primary and Secondary Source materials

Types of Legal Literature Primary • Constitutions • Statutes • Treaties • Cases • Administrative Regulations • Administrative Decisions • Municipal Rules, Regulations & Decisions Secondary • Text books • Treatises • Legal Encyclopedias • ALRs • Law Reviews • Headnotes • Notes of Decisions • Practice Commentaries • Non-legal Materials Finding Tools • Shepards • Keycite • Bibliographies • Index to Legal Periodicals • Legal Resources Index • Other Indexes – – Subject Table of Cases Table of statutes Conv. Tables

Formats for legal Information Formats of Legal information have changed through time. Some continue to have vibrancy, while some are now disused.

A now disused format Cuneiform Hammurabi’s Code For example, the 8 th law of the Code reads: “If any one steal cattle or sheep, or an ass, or a pig or a goat, if it belonged to a god or to the court, the thief shall pay thirty fold; if they belonged to a freed man of the king he shall pay tenfold; if the thief has nothing with which to pay he shall be put to death. ”

Formats for legal Information

Formats for legal Information

Formats for legal Information The Oral tradition:

Formats for legal Information The Oral Tradition continues:

Formats for legal Information Hand written 13 Century Law, Iceland

Formats for legal Information Books

Formats for legal Information Microforms / Microcards

Formats for legal Information Modern alternate formats: CDs

Formats for legal Information Online sources: costly

Formats for legal Information Online sources - Not costly: NYCLA Resources New York State Library P-card Public Library Resources Free Legal Sites on the Internet

New York County Lawyers’ Association Resources: Westlaw Lexis Cost: Your dues to the Association Training: Every month Limitations: Onsite only

NYSL ‘P’ – Borrower’s Card • Applying for a NYSL Borrower's Card • Individuals can request a New York State Library Borrower's card application or a New York State Resident Borrower's card application at the Circulation Desk located on the 7 th floor of the New York State Library or over the phone by calling (518) 473 -7895 or by sending an email to nyslcirc@mail. nysed. gov. • Please specify the type of NYSL Borrower's card that you are applying for: New York State Library ‘P’ (Privileged) Borrower’s Card

NYSL ‘P’ – Borrower’s Card • Attorneys who are residents of New York State and are admitted to the New York bar are eligible to receive a NYS Library Borrower card. Applicants must complete a NYSL Attorney Borrower's application and present personal identification that includes their home address such as a current NYS Driver's license or a current photo-identification card issued by the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles AND one of the following: • Letterhead from the individual's firm with his/her name on it, business card or NYS bar card, or • A listing in a current legal directory.

NYSL ‘P’ – Borrower’s Card • Loislaw - Loislaw contains federal law, federal regulations, state law, state regulations, court rules and court cases for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Also available are selected treatises, forms, manuals and journals from Aspen publishers on topics such as elder law, general litigation and securities. A citation research service is a part of the database as well. Type: Full text. • Remote Access for NYSL P Card

Public Library Resources New Yorkers can access information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by logging on to NOVELny —the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library. A wide variety of resources − books, magazines, newspapers, research and reference sources and more available with NO FEES 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Public Library Resources • NOVELNY — a pilot project for the Statewide Internet Library — is an online library of literally hundreds of magazines, newspapers, maps, charts, research and reference books that are available to every New Yorker, free of charge. All you need is your public library card, New York driver license, or non-driver ID. Students may also access the NOVELny databases through their school or academic library. • NOVELny saves time on endless, frustrating searches. Providing comprehensive information, NOVELny is organized and has been judged to be accurate and fair. • Across New York State, NOVELny gives communities online access to the full text of hundreds of journals, newspapers, and other references. • Access information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from your desktop by logging on to NOVELny—the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library.

Public Library Resources • • • NOVELNY Resources by Subject: Art and Literature Business & Finance For Kids and Teens Health & Medicine History/Law/Social Studies Multi-Subject Newspapers Science

Free sites on the Internet I use often Findlaw for Legal Professionals http: //lp. findlaw. com/ Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute http: //www. law. cornell. edu/ Wash. Law-- one of the nation's leading Internet legal research portals, http: //www. washlaw. edu/ Google Scholar http: //Scholar. Google. com

http: //www. courts. state. ny. us/reporter/Decisions. htm • The New York Slip Opinion Service provides access to recently released decisions prior to publication in the Official Reports, together with an electronic citation for each decision. Opinions selected for on-line publication only are also available. (There is no access charge. ) • The New York Official Reports Service provides access to the text of all decisions published or abstracted in the Official Reports from January 1, 1993 through the latest Advance Sheet. The Official Reports Service Archive provides the text of landmark and other notable decisions published in the Official Reports prior to January 1, 1993. (There is no access charge. )

A Local site The Center for New York City Law at New York Law School A library of decisions decided by New York City agencies. Total decisions available: over 75, 000. http: //www. nyls. edu/cityadmin/

The Center for New York City Law at New York Law School • • • • GENERAL CITY AGENCIES CHR (Comm. on Human Rights) COIB (Conflicts of Interest Board) DCA (Department of Consumer Affairs) DOI (Department of Investigation) ECB (Environmental Control Board) LAW DEPT. (Opinions of the Corporation Counsel) MAYOR (Mayor's Executive Orders) MOCS (Mayor's Office of Contract Services) OATH (Office of Admin. Trials & Hearings) OCB (Office of Collective Bargaining) Board of Collective Bargaining Board of Certification TAT (Tax Appeals Tribunal) TLC (Taxi and Limo Commission) • • LAND USE AGENCIES BSA (Board of Standards & Appeals) BORO PRESIDENTS (ULURP Recommendations ) COUNCIL (City Council Land Use) CPC (City Planning Comm. ) DOB (Department of Buildings) LANDMARKS (Landmarks Preservation Comm. ) LOFT (Loft Board) http: //www. nyls. edu/cityadmin/

Hammurabi’s Code See: http: //eawc. evansville. edu/anthology/hammurabi. htm