Rightslink: Research Tips: Domestic and International Law

Dana Neacsu, Fall 2007

Today We Will Cover:

I. Legal Research as a Two-fold Process

II. How to Use Finding Aid Tools. 1. Catalogs and Indexes to Legal Periodicals2. Top 10 source gathering sources3. Identifying unknown abbreviations

III. Research Tips 1. Domestic law2. International law

IV. Library Hours

II. Finding Sources:Library Catalogs

1. Use the following catalogs for the following specific tasks:

• the Diamond Law Library’s catalog, PEGASUS-http://pegasus.law.columbia.edu/- for legal scholarship

• the University Libraries’ catalog, CLIO, for both legal and non-legal scholarship

• and WorldCat to find such sources beyond the Columbia system.

Finding Sources:Indexes to Legal Periodicals

Use Specialized Periodical Indexes• Wilson’s Index to Legal Periodicals (ILP) and

the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (IFLP).  • Available from PEGASUS

-http://pegasus.law.columbia.edu/• PAIS, ABI/Inform, ProQuest, EconLit, etc;

FRANCIS (International Humanities and Social Science), PsycINFO, Social Science Full-text, ERIC, etc.

2. Top 10 source gathering sources (I)

10.The Library of Congress. Thomas. Legislative Information on the Internet

http://thomas.loc.gov

9. American Memory Projecthttp://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html

8. HeinOnline from Pegasus• Law Reviews (complimenting L/WL)• Official treaty sources (and more)

7. UN Official Document System (ODS)http://www.ods.un.org/

Top 10 Source Gathering Sources (II)

6. Foreign Law Guide (aka Reynolds and Flores) (Pegasus);

5. Non-law (CLIO) databases: JSTOR & Project Muse;

3. Google Uncle Sam (gov. related docs)http://www.google.com/ig/usgov

2. Government documents (GPO) – primary sources;

www.gpoaccess.gov

Top 10 Source Gathering Sources (III)

1. Library Research Sources CLS Research Guides:

http://www.law.columbia.edu/library/Research_Guides

NYU: Globalexhttp://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/

3. Identifying Unknown Abbreviations

• Bieber’s Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations• Print – Reference Office drawer• Lexis

• Find a source = “Bieber’s”

• The Bluebook• Print – The Reserve Area

III. Research Tips. Overview

1. Learn how to identify and use Research (Finding Aid) Tools and Legal Scholarship to find Domestic, International or Foreign Primary Sources

2. Apply the well-known research strategy:

• Come up with a research plan, and• Keep a research log

Domestic Law Research. Finding Aid Tools

The Main Finding Aid Tools are:

• Library Catalogs – for treatises, practitioner’s sources (Am.Jur), Restatements, Encyclopedias, etc.

• Index to Legal Periodicals (ILP) for law review articles

Minimal Knowledge in an Area of Law– Go to a Treatise.

How to Find a Treatise:• Library Catalogs-Pegasus• http://pegasus.law.columbia.edu• Lexis• http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/• Westlaw• http://lawschool.westlaw.com/

• Use Pegasus: http://pegasus.law.columbia.edu• Find Indexes to Legal Periodicals• Find Law Review Articles (HeinonLine)

• Lexis• http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/• Westlaw• http://lawschool.westlaw.com/

• Both have the current version of the ILP• Both have most (current) law review articles

Minimal Knowledge in a More Concrete Area: Use ILP to Locate Law Review

Articles

Primary Sources in Domestic Law

Statutes:• Codes, Session Laws, Legislative history,• Research tips: Use USCA IndexAdministrative Law:• CFR, FR.• Research tips: Use RegulationsPlus IndexCase law

• Case Law Research• Full-text searching (Lexis & Westlaw)• Other approaches (Segments & West-Digest)

III. Research Tips. International Law

Research Strategy1. Identify useful research tools (IFLP)

and la doctrine2. Identify the Relevant Primary Sources

• Treaty Research.• Case Law Research• Doctrine Research (same search strategy for

secondary sources

Primary Sources in International Law

• What Is International Law?• Restatement of the Law 3d: Foreign

Relations Law of the United States:• Article 102-Sources of International Law• Article 103-Evidence of International Law

• How Do You Find It?• Official Web Sites/Lexis/Westlaw/

Treaties and Treaty Research

UN Treaties and Other Documents1. Is the US party to CEDAW?

• What is CEDAW (Bieber’s) (Lexis)• Where can you find its text?

Use UN Treaty Series, HeinOnline (Pegasus), Lexis or Westlaw to find CEDAW

2. What 2001 document from the Sixth Committee details the establishment of the International Criminal Court.

• What is the document number? Use Unbisnet (un.org) or Access UN: A/56/591

• Is the full text available?

International Case Law Research

1. What is the ICJ case about the U.S. paramilitary activities in South America?

• Where can you find the decision? • On the official website

• Where can you find the pleadings?• On line and in print in our library (use

Pegasus)

IV. Library Hours for Fall 2007

•Ref office hours: •M-Th: 10-8 •F: 10-5•Sat.: 1-6 •Sun: 1-9