prepared for stafne trumbull, llc attorneys at law by shawn timothy newman, inc. of counsel attorney...
TRANSCRIPT
PREPARED FOR STAFNE TRUMBULL, llcAttorneys at law by
Shawn timothy newman, inc.Of counsel
attorney and adjunct professor
LEGAL RESEARCH & PERSUASIVE
WRITING TIPS
COMPUTERIZED LEGAL RESEARCH NECESSITY
Attorney Chiu offers no insight into her research methods, but implies the newness of the decision may have affected her ability to discover it. However, in this age of computerized legal research, a recent decision is usually more quick to turn up than an old one. We see no way to conclude that self-admitted inadequate research methods can equate to justifiable mistake or neglect where there exists a case exactly on point, involving the same statutes, time limitations and even the same type of arbitration. Failure to determine the correct law is not considered an excusable mistake where the error was the result of general ignorance of the law, lack of knowledge of the rules, negligence in discovery or research, or laxness and indifference. …. The Supreme Court has made clear that excusable neglect does not include errors that could otherwise be termed malpractice. Jacklin v. Metropolitan Property and Cas. Ins. Co. Not Reported in Cal.Rptr.3d, 2006 WL 181367
EvolutionOLD SCHOOL TODAY & FUTURE
RESOURCESfree Fee based
LEGAL RESEARCH BATTLE PLAN
WASHINGTON STATE BASIC FREE RESOURCES
Washington State Law Library: http://www.courts.wa.gov/library/
Access Washington: www.access.wa.gov
Municipal Research Service: http://www.mrsc.org/
TCBA Resources:http://thurstoncountybar.com/resources/
Courts: www.courts.wa.gov
Legislation: http://www.leg.wa.gov/pages/home.aspx
TVW Scout: http://scout.tvw.org/account/signin
SOME FREE GENERAL RESEARCH
SPRINGBOARDS
Google Scholar http://scholar.google.com/
Findlaw http://public.findlaw.com
Justia http://www.justia.com/
UW Law School Research Guides http
://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/guides.html
Georgetown Law Library Research Guides:
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/library/research/guides/index.cfm
Cornell Law School http://www.law.cornell.edu/index.html
The Public Library of Law
http://www.plol.org/Pages/Search.aspx
Dogpile www.dogpile.com
SOME SELF-HELP RESOURCES
NWJP www.WashingtonLawHelp.org LawforWA http://www.lawforwa.org/
Nolo http://www.nolo.com/ Hieros Gamos www.hg.org
WashLaw www.washlaw.edu
Internet Legal Research Group www.ilrg.com
WSBA CASEMAKERhttp://
www.wsba.org/Resources-and-Services/Casemaker-Legal-Research
FEDERALBASIC FREE RESOURCES
CONGRESS.GOVhttp://beta.congress.gov/
FEDERAL DIGITAL SYSTEMhttp://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/
PACERhttp://www.pacer.gov/
RECAP the Law https://www.recapthelaw.org/
MAIN FEE-BASED LEGAL RESEARCH RESOURCES
WESTLAWwww.westlaw.net
LEXISNEXISwww.lexisnexis.com
LOISLAW www.loislaw.com
VersusLaw www.versuslaw.com
NationalLawLibrary www.itislaw.com TheLaw.net www.thelaw.net
HeinOnline home.heinonline.org
WESTLAWFREE on-line TRAINING at
http://training.westlaw.com/
LEXISNEXISon-line free training AT
http://www.lexisnexis.com/university/Catalogue.aspx?product=lexis.com
LOISLAW“Thanks to the faltering economy, we
are now required to use Loislaw
instead of Lexis or Westlaw for certain
things. Unlike its more expensive
counterparts, Loislaw has one "low,
all-inclusive flat rate, with no hidden
charges for printing, copying,
downloading, or hyperlinking to
primary law or analytic materials
outside the scope of a current
subscription.“
….As an attorney having practiced for
over 15 years, I can attest to the fact
that Loislaw is much easier to use
than either Westlaw or Lexis, contains
equally broad database content from
which to choose and is much CHEAPER than both. Law schools
should provide an alternative to the
big 2 online research platforms.
http://pacelawlibrary.blogspot.com/2009/02/loislaw-vs-westlaw-vs-lexis.html
Loislaw vs. Westlaw vs. Lexis
The subscription packages vary from firm to firm. The one thing that doesn't vary are the multiple hidden costs within both of these databases.
http://pacelawlibrary.blogspot.com/2009/02/loislaw-vs-westlaw-vs-lexis.html
LEGAL WRITING TIPS
STATE FEDERALWashington State Court of Appeals, Div. I: “Brief Writing – Best Practices” http://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/?fa=atc.display_divs&folderID=div1&fileID=briefWriting
“Top ten legal writing hints when the audience is a cranky federal trial judge” Ohttp://herculesandtheu
mpire.com/2013/06/20/top-ten-legal-writing-hints-when-the-audience-is-a-cranky-federal-trial-judge/
EthicsCOMPETENCE, DILIGENCE & FEES
RPC 1.1; 1.3 AND 1.5