Law and Legal Research (Paralegal Studies): Finding legal material

• Legal Encyclopedia:
  • Look up terms in the general index.
  • Go to the legal topic and section number (i.e., Family Law § 444).
  • Read summary and find cases by looking for the footnotes.
  • Always check the pocket part.
  • Update your case in LexisNexis.
• Statutes and Codes:
  • Look up your terms in the General Index.
  • Jot down the statutory citation (i.e., 42 TEX FAM. CODE ANN § 403(c)).
  • Open that section and examine the table of contents of case notes that help interpret the statute to find a relevant case.
  • Sometimes it also points you to other useful secondary tools like legal forms. Check pocket part and use Lexisnexis.
• Legal Digest:
  • If looking for a definiteion of a legal term use the Words and Phrases Index.
  • If looking for general case law, use the Descriptive Word Index to find your legal issue.
  • Jot down the citation for your legal issue.
  • Find the appropriate volume, read the case summaries and check pocket part.
    Jot down the case citation: (i.e., 207 S.W. 2d 723)
  • Find your case in the SW. Reporter and update it via Shepard's in LexisNexis

Primary Sources--Cases:

• In reference 
  • TX Supreme Ct.
  • TX Ct. of Criminal Appeals
  • TX Ct. of Appeals
• In LexisNexis
  • U.S. Rpts
  • Supreme Ct. Rpts
  • U.S. Ct. of Appeals
• • U.s. District Ct. (Federal Supplement)

Primary Sources--Statutes

• In reference:
  • Vernon's Texas Codes Annotated 
  • Vernon's Texas Revised Civil Statutes Annotated 
• In LexisNexis
  • U.S. Code
  • U.S. Code Annotated

Texas Secondary Sources

• In reference:
  • Texas Jurispridence
  • Texas Digest