Fundamentals of Legal Research

Fundamentals of Legal Research is one of those gems of books on subjects that can be rather technical. It is clear and basic enough to be of real use to the novice, and comprehensive enough to serve as a good review for even the veteran legal researcher. The book describes sources of the law, case reporters, digests, and legal encyclopedias and provides the reader with the basics steps for doing legal research, along with tips on doing research in the areas of English law, federal taxes, international law, etc. It also provides aids on computer-assisted research, legal citations, Shephard's, and other services. It is well-written and easy to understand but does not talk down (or "up") to the reader.Everything appears to be here, form Dallas to Wheaton in Supreme Court reports through the modern reporters. If you want to research a legal case, administrative law, legislative histories, or court rules and procedures, the tools and sources for doing so are here. Foundations of Legal Research is a good addition to both the layman's and the lawyer's libraries. It is a pleasant tour and investigation of what can be a dry subject, with enough information and resources to enable the reader to learn all the basics of legal research and then some.