Prepare to Practice: Advancing Your Legal Research

This guide will walk researchers though advanced legal research concepts. These subjects are particularly useful to students starting their summer employment or a new job. Those interested in a deeper exploration, may consider taking the Advanced Legal Research course.

Fifty state surveys help researchers compare issues of state law across multiple jurisdictions. Often these surveys will contain citations to the state law that covers the relevant issue.

For more information on how to find and compare state law check out our Comparing State Laws and Constitutions Guide:

Legislative histories can help you understand the motivation behind specific language in a law or a bill. Often federal legislative history information is already compiled and available for researchers to use.

For more information on how to find a legislative history if it has not been compiled yet, check out our Federal Legislative History Research Guide:

Once you've gathered your legislative history materials, use the following lesson to learn how to interpret the materials you found:

For state legislative histories, the process may be more complicated. Each state creates different materials during the lawmaking process and may store those materials differently. Start your research with a legislative history research guide for the state in question. These guides will typically provide a step-by-step approach to finding legislative history information in your jurisdiction.

Federal regulation is important in a number of areas of law. There are great resources to help you get started when searching for federal regulatory material.

Regulation is particularly prevalent in certain areas of law. Consider using the following guides if they are relevant for you: 

Dockets provide information that never makes it into case decisions, and can help researchers learn about cases that were decided, cases in which a decision was never issued, and cases that are currently in progress.

Want to check out the content mentioned in the video above? See:

For more information see our research guide on:

To learn more about PACER visit:

Lawyers in practice often rely on model forms and common language that has been proven to hold up under legal scrutiny, when creating instruments such as contracts, wills, and agreements. Tailoring pre-existing functional language to your needs, may be more appropriate than unique expression in these circumstances.

While many platforms offer sample forms and agreements, it is wise to approach these documents with caution, and stick with well-vetted sources whenever possible. Want to check out the content mentioned in the video above? See: 

For more information see our research guide on:

For more legal forms by state visit:

Keeping up to date in the area of your interest can be both important to your work and to developing relationships with legal practitioners. Choosing a few current awareness sources that you check regularly can be a great way to stay informed.

Want to check out the content mentioned in the video above? See:

To learn more about law blawgs that may be of interest to you visit:

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