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Case Law Research Checklist

Start using this Workflow

Understand the Case

Identify the relevant facts of the case at hand

Determine the legal issues or questions that need to be addressed

Clarify the jurisdiction and venue of the case to focus research appropriately

Gather Primary Sources

Search for binding precedents from the jurisdiction's highest court

Look for relevant statutes and regulations that apply to the issue

Examine lower court decisions that may provide persuasive authority

Consult Secondary Sources

Review legal encyclopedias, treatises, and law reviews for background information

Check legal databases for annotations and commentary on relevant statutes and cases

Utilize legal periodicals and journals for recent developments in law

Utilize Legal Research Platforms

Conduct keyword and Boolean searches in legal databases like Westlaw, LexisNexis, or Bloomberg Law

Make use of headnotes and key numbers to find cases on specific legal issues

Employ citation research tools to trace the history and treatment of a case

Analyze and Synthesize Case Law

Read and brief the key cases to understand the legal principles

Synthesize the holdings and reasoning from multiple cases to build an argument

Evaluate the strength of the precedents in light of the current case facts

Update and Validate Research

Use citators such as Shepard's or KeyCite to check the current validity of cases

Monitor for any recent or pending cases that might affect the legal issue

Review and update research regularly to ensure all information is current

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