Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis...

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Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005
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Page 1: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

Statutes

Basic Legal SkillsJanuary 10, 2005

Page 2: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

Research Process Review

• Preliminary Analysis– Secondary sources

– Key words & phrases

• Statutes

• Mandatory Precedent

• Persuasive Precedent

• Refine, Double-Check & Update

Page 3: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

Gallagher Collegeof Statutory Knowledge

1. Primacy of statutes

2. Strategies for finding statutes

3. Methods for updating statutes

Page 4: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

“ I am born.”

• Artificial insemination• Birth certificates & registration• Health screening of newborns• Human cloning• In vitro fertilization• Safe havens / Baby Moses• Surrogate parenthood

Page 5: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

“I go to school.”

• Bilingual education• Compulsory attendance• Corporal punishment• Education for All

Handicapped Children Act

• Immunizations• Moments of silence• No Child Left Behind Act• School records privacy• Teacher certification

Page 6: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

“I get a life!”

• Credit• Drivers’ licensing• Drunk driving• Health insurance• Landlord & tenant• Marriage & divorce• Real estate• Rules of the road• Ski laws

Page 7: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

“I go to work.”

• Drug-testing• Fair employment• Labor relations• Occupational &

professional licensing• Wages & hours• Workers’

compensation

Page 8: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

“I get old and die.”

• Elder abuse• Living wills• Medicare & Medicaid• Nursing homes & assisted living facilities• Social Security• Wills & inheritance

Page 9: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

Lesson One

Look for statutes early in the legal research process

Page 11: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

Deciphering Citations

Americans with Disabilities Act

• Pub. L. No. 101-336

• 104 Stat. 327

• 42 U.S.C. § § 12101 et seq. (Titles 1-50)

Growth Management Act

• Laws, 1990 1st ex.s. c 17

• RCW 36.70A (Titles 1-91)

Page 12: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.
Page 13: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

Official vs. Unofficial Codes

Official, unannotated

• Gov’t published• Current laws• History notes• Index• Tables• Popular names table

Unofficial, annotated• Commercially

published• Official code contents• Citations to articles,

cases, regulations, forms & practice materials

Page 15: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

Searching for Statutes

• Secondary sources

• Indexes

• Tables of contents

• Popular names

• Full-text online

• Agency websites

Page 18: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

Hints

• Be creative, flexible & persistent

• Consider synonyms

• Recheck secondary sources

Child?

Infant?

Minor?

Juvenile?

Issue?

Offspring?

Youth?

Rugrat?

Page 19: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

Lesson 2

Use multiple approaches to identify relevant statutes

Page 20: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

Update!

• Determine how up to date the source is

• Lexis & Westlaw update statutes almost daily

• Free Internet sites & print sources may be equally current (or out of date)

Page 21: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.
Page 22: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.
Page 23: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.
Page 24: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

More Updating Options

• Online– Office of Law Revision

Counsel– RCW Sections

Affected

• Print– Pocket parts– USCCAN– Legislative services

Page 25: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

Lesson 3

Update the statute

Page 26: Statutes Basic Legal Skills January 10, 2005. Research Process Review Preliminary Analysis –Secondary sources –Key words & phrases Statutes Mandatory.

Review

1. Look for statutes early in the legal research process

2. Use multiple approaches to locate relevant statutes

3. Update the statute

Excellence in online searching

Cases: mandatory and persuasive precedent