Finding Legal Resources

1
Finding Legal Resources

• Jeannette Neuschaefer
• Tom Fischlschweiger

2
Basic Introduction to Ready Reference

• Ready Reference (RR)
• Martindale-Hubbell
• Directory of Courthouses
• Florida Statutes
• Court Rules
• Legal Encyclopedia,(CJS, AmJur 2d)
• Law Reviews
• Legal Newspapers and Journals

3
What is Law?

• Three Types of Law
• Legislative
• Executive Regulations
• Case Law

4
Jurisdictions

• Federal
• State
• Local, including counties and cities

5

• RESEARCH A LEGAL PROBLEM
• www.aallnet.org/sis/lisp
• Getting started
• Determine Jurisdiction
• Understand Citations and Abbreviations
• Where to go
• Public Libraries
• Law Libraries
• Depository Libraries
• Internet

6
Where to find them

• GPOAccess
• Thomas
• Myflorida (and other State web pages)
• Municode and AMlegal
• US Code, American Jurisprudence
• Florida Statutes
• BC Administrative Code

7
Statutory Law Federal Law

• United States Congress
• http//thomas.loc.gov
• Statutes at Large (Public Law), use thomas or GPO
  Access
• US Code
• www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/
• http//www.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes

8
Statutory Law Florida

• Florida Statutes
• http//www.leg.state.fl.us/Welcome/index
• Legislative Library
• http//dlis.dos.state.fl.us/leglib/
• General Site
• http//www.myflorida.com

9
Administrative Law Federal

• Federal Register (FR)
• Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
• Administrative Law- Federal Executive Orders of
  the President of the U.S.
• http//www.nara.gov/fedreg/predoc.html
• www.nara.gov

10
Administrative Law Florida

• Florida Administrative Code
• http//election.dos.state.fl.us/fac/index
• Florida Administrative Weekly
• http//faw.dos.state.fl.us/index.html

11
Supreme Court and Federal Court System

• PACER
• Findlaw
• Commercial Databases
• Print U.S., So2d, etc

12
Referrals

• Broward County Courthouse Law Library
• Local Law Schools
• Broward County Bar Association
• Florida Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• AALL, American Association of Law Librarians
• SFALL, S. Fl. Association of Law Libns.

13
Other Good Sources

• Popular Name Tables
• Words and Phrases
• Legal Dictionaries
• Nutshells
• Hornbooks
• Whos Who in American Law

14
Public Library Toolkit

• AALL GOALS
• To help public librarians understand the process
  of legal research
• To develop and use the information located in
  their libraries
• Utilize information located outside their
  libraries
• To help the patron find what they need.
• www.aallnet.org/sis/lisp/toolkit.htm

15
Dade County Law Library

• www.mdcll.org
• Johanna Porpiglia, J. D.
• Presentation on 3/21/07, DCLA
• Mandate to help the pro se, indigent, and
  disabled
• Via phone, fax, and email.
• 73 W. Flagler St., 321-A Dade County Courthouse,
  Miami, FL 33130

16
Broward County Courthouse

• www.browardclerk.org
• 954-712-7899

17

• Meeting Adjourned