Starting Points

Peer Teaching Bibliography

by Kerry Fitz-Gerald / Kara Phillips

Books on Bookcart

The books listed below are located on a bookcart next to the reference desk. Please use them at the round table next to the cart. Please reshelve the books in call number order.

Legal newsletters in print. (see also Law TRIO for online version)
New York, N.Y. : Infosources Pub., 1985-
K36.L44 2003
A comprehensive guide to more than 2,200 legal newsletters. Search by title, publisher or subject area. Each title entry includes information on the publisher, purchase price, and a brief description of coverage.

Legal looseleafs in print / compiled and edited by Arlene L. Eis. (See also Law TRIO for online version)
New York, N.Y. :InfoSources Pub., 1981-
KF1.L44 2002
A comprehensive guide to more than 3,600 legal looseleafs, covering essentially everything published in binders, not permanently bound. Search by title, publisher or subject area. Entries do not include a description of coverage, but this is a valuable source for identifying looseleaf titles in specific research areas.

The legal information buyer's guide and reference manual / by Kendall F. Svengalis.
Barrington, R.I. : Rhode Island LawPress, 1996-
KF1.S84 2006
Though this book is designed for librarians (or others needing to purchase legal information), and focuses on cost, Chapter 27 identifies important legal treatises and other subject specialty materials. These are organized by area of law, and describe the treatise, its coverage, and its strengths and weaknesses. A quick resource for identifying the major treatises in an area of law.

Searching the law / Frank Bae ... [et al.].
Ardsley, N.Y. : Transnational Publishers, 2005.
KF240.B265 2005
This helpful bibliography is organized by subject area, and provides listings of texts, journals, treatises and bibliographies. In addition to identifying the major starting points for research in a particular area, this book ensures that you will not miss major works in a research area.

Finding the law / by Robert C. Berring, Elizabeth A. Edinger.
St. Paul, Minn. : Thomson/West, 2005.
KF240.B45 2005
A fairly short, but accurate, guide to finding the law in books and electronically. This text is written in an informal user friendly tone, and does not hesitate to make criticisms of particular resources. It is useful for the questions it raises, and for the commentary on the persuasive (or otherwise) value of particular sources.

Specialized legal research / Penny A. Hazelton, general editor ; with contributions from Joseph James Beard ... [et al.]
New York, N.Y.: Aspen Law & Business, 2001-
KF240.C43 2001
Each chapter focuses on a different area of law, and provides a comprehensive guide to research in that particular area. Within each area you will find guidance to statutes, legislative histories, regulations, case law, treatises, specialized reporters, journals, law reviews and newsletters.

How to find the law / by Morris Cohen, Robert C. Berring, and Kent C. Olson.
9th ed., St. Paul, Minn. :West, 1989
KF240.C538 1989
Another legal research text, this one a cross between a hornbook and a textbook. Appendices include a bibliography of state legal research guides, and a subject guide to selected looseleaf services. This one is somewhat old, and should be updated with respect to media options.

Legal research in a nutshell / by Morris L. Cohen, Kent C. Olson.
St. Paul, MN : West Group, 2003.
KF240.C54 2003
This nutshell contains a broad overview of legal research and the significant types of materials you will use. Each major primary source is discussed. Instructions on the use of materials, along with discussions about timeliness and updating are included.

Searching the law, the states : a selective bibliography of state practice materials in the 50 states / by Francis R. Doyle.
4th ed., Ardsley, N.Y. Transnational Publishers, 2003
KF240.D69 2003
Within each state, available practice books are arranged by legal subject heading. Use these to identify major primary and secondary sources for a particular topic, within a particular state.

Gilbert law summaries. Legal research and writing.
Chicago, IL : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Legal and Professional Publications
KF240.G48 2002
Like any Gilberts, this is not a comprehensive treatment, but the short sweet explanations of types of legal research materials are sometimes just what you need.

Fundamentals of legal research / by Roy M. Mersky, Donald J. Dunn.
New York, N.Y. : Foundation Press, 2002
KF240.J32 2002
This doorstop book on legal research covers everything you could ever want to know about legal research. Major types of sources are carefully described, including what they are, how to find them, and how they are kept current. Summaries at the end of chapters cover this material in 1 to 2 page outline form. Excellent for preparing for the legal research exam.

Legal information : how to find it, how to use it / by Kent C. Olson.
Phoenix, Ariz. : Oryx Press, 1999
KF240.O365 1999
This legal research guide is written for the non-lawyer. Its coverage is basic, but good, providing simple explanations of the American legal system, forms of legal information, and usage of many print and electronic resources.

The process of legal research / Christina L. Kunz ... [et al.].
New York, N.Y. : Aspen Law & Business, 2004
KF240.P76 2004
A solid legal research text that defines types of sources, examines when, why, and how you would use them, and how you would update them. Legal research strategies are also discussed in depth.

Tax research / Barbara H. Karlin.
Upper Saddle River, NJ : Prentice Hall, 2006.
KF241.T38K37 2006
This legal research text book contains, in addition to exercises and cases studies, good explanations of the peculiarities of tax research. This book does not assume a high level of tax knowledge, and carefully provides detailed background information for the new tax researcher.

Federal tax research : guide to materials and techniques / by Gail Levin Richmond.
New York, N.Y. :Foundation Press, 2002.
KF241.T38R5 2002
This tax legal research guide, covers both print and online sources for doing current and historical tax research and provides example problems and exercises.

West's federal tax research / William A. Raabe ... [et al.].
[Mason, Ohio] : Thomson/South-western, 2003.
KF241.T38W47 2003
This tax research textbook assumes a moderate level of experience with tax law, and focuses on the research aspect without a great deal of background information. While less novice-friendly than Karlin’s Tax Research, the research guidance here is more detailed and in depth.

ALWD citation manual : a professional system of citation /Association of Legal Writing Directors and Darby Dickerson.
New York, NY : Aspen Publishers, 2006.
KF245.A45 2006 (Appendix 1)
This guide to citation includes a useful appendix: primary sources by jurisdiction, covering both state and federal jurisdictions.

The Bluebook : a uniform system of citation.
Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard Law Review Association, 1991-
KF245.U45 2005
This guide to citation includes useful information in Tables 1 – 4 regarding sources for United States jurisdictions (federal, state, territories), foreign jurisdictions, intergovernmental organizations and treaty sources.

West's Washington law finder.
St. Paul, Minn. : West Publishing Co., 1993-
KFW62.W47 2007
A self described “master reference guide to the content of West publications.” Over 4,000 descriptive topic headings, organized alphabetically, point the researcher to relevant West publications, including the RCWA, Washington Practice, Washington Digest, and others.

Washington legal researcher's deskbook, 3d / Penny A.Hazelton ... [et al.].
Seattle, Wash. : Marian Gould Gallagher Law Library, 2002.
KFW75.W373 2002
This excellent guide to Washington law covers basic topics such as how to use a law library and the process of legal research. It also covers methods of finding specific types of Washington materials, such cases, statutes, administrative decisions and more. Chapter 4 contains a list of Washington-specific practice material organized by broad topic. Use this chapter to identify what books address a particular area of law.

Videos

Legal Research for the 21st Century [videorecording] : with professor Bob Berring.
St. Paul, Minn. : West Group, 2000
Law - Reserve VC-L006
There are 5 videos in this series covering the following topics: 1. Basics -- 2. Case finding and the future of cases -- 3. Citators and secondary source research -- 4. Statutes, legislative history and administrative materials -- 5. Legal research on the internet and research strategies.

Legal research for the 21st century[videorecording] :advanced research /Robert C. Berring, Marci Hoffman.
St. Paul, Minn. : West Group, 2001
There are 4 videos in this series covering the following topics: 1. International law -- 2. Foreign law -- 3. Intellectual property law -- 4. Environmental law.

Online Resources

Seattle University Law Library Research Portal
www.law.seattleu.edu/library/research
Use the research portal to search the library catalog for specific titles and find library materials in a certain subject area. You can also access specialized databases or find research guides.

Subject Guides to Research at Seattle University Law Library (Starting Points)
www.law.seattleu.edu/library/research/startingpoints
These research guides have been drafted by the Seattle University Law Librarians. They cover essentials for researching in certain subject areas. Use these to identify essentials for research.

Secondary Sources Handout
lib.law.washington.edu/btg/2003/secondary2003.htm
Prepared by Stephanie Wilson for the 2003 Bridge the Legal Research Gap, this guide walks you through many of the secondary resources used for legal research with tips on how to find subject specific secondary resources on Lexis and Westlaw.

University of Washington Legal Research Guides
lib.law.washington.edu/ref/guides.html
A collection of legal research guides written by the librarians at the University of Washington Law School.

Washington State Law Library Legal Research Informational Guides
www.courts.wa.gov/library
These informational guides are basic, but cover a variety of Washington specific research areas.

Cornell Law Library's Legal Research Engine
http://library.lawschool.cornell.edu/guides/researchengine.asp
Search for legal research guides on any subject from selective Web sites.

An Internet hotlist of law guides organized by institution
http://lawscout.uakron.edu
A collection of links to research guides posted by law libraries nationwide. Use individual guides with caution—check for currency especially.

Last updated: February 20, 2007