Law: Getting Started

One of the best ways to find case law or statutes - particularly when you are unfamiliar with an area of law - is to find a relevant secondary source.  Examples include:

• Law review articles-  Examples include the Yale Law Review and Washington University Law Review.

• Legal encyclopedias-  Examples include American Jurisprudence and Corpus Juris Secundum (available at the Pierce County Law Library). UWT also has access to West's Encyclopedia of American Law   .

• Handbooks/Guides-  Examples include Nutshell Guides - these guides give an overview of a particular area of law with definitions and major cases. 

When you use a secondary source, you not only find case law and statutes, but also vocabulary that can improve your searches. To further improve your searches see the glossary of legal terms within this guide.

Another important aspect of legal research is making sure you have the most current and updated cases, laws and information. Always check sources for updates; in books, for example, look for supplements. You want to make sure you are citing the most recent, best, law.