If you need to find the law but don’t know where to start, this book is for you. Legal Research simple instructions will help you unlock the answer to any legal issue.
Cara O’Neill is a legal editor and writer at Nolo specializing in bankruptcy and small claims litigation. Cara authors several Nolo book titles, including How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, The New Bankruptcy, and Everybody’s Guide to Small Claims Court. She also coauthors Legal Research: How to Find and Understand the Law, The Foreclosure Survival Guide, Solve Your Money Troubles, and Credit Repair, and edits several more. Before joining Nolo, Cara practiced law for over 20 years in civil and criminal litigation, bankruptcy, and administrative law. During that time, she served as an administrative law judge, took dozens of criminal and civil cases to jury verdict, appeared before the California Court of Appeals, and taught undergraduate and graduate law courses. She earned her law degree in 1994 from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where she served as a law journal editor and graduated as a member of the Order of the Barristers—an honor society recognizing excellence in courtroom advocacy.
Jessica Gillespie works at Nolo in several capacities. As Nolo’s Research Director, Jessica manages the editorial staff’s research needs. She also cocreates many of Nolo's online legal forms, including those used in online LLC and corporation formation services, coauthors Legal Research: How to Find and Understand the Law, and writes and edits estate planning and personal injury articles. Before joining Nolo, Jessica managed prestigious document collections at New York University's Law Library and provided library research and support at a large Virginia law firm. Jessica’s academic achievements include a B.A. from the University of Virginia, an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Long Island University, and an M.A. in U.S. History from North Carolina State University. She also did doctoral work on Progressive Era reform movements in the Appalachian South at the University of Tennessee.
Your Legal Research Companion 1. Understanding the Basics of the Law 2. Finding Legal Resources 3. Identifying Your Legal Issue 4. Finding and Using Secondary Sources 5. Finding and Using Constitutions, Statutes, Regulations, and Ordinances 6. Finding Cases 7. Using Case Law 8. Validating Your Research 9. Organizing and Putting Your Legal Research to Use 10. Research Hypothetical and Memorandum Glossary Appendix Index