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Provides an understanding of the various components of a law library, and emphasizes research skills through the use of the Internet, through Westlaw,
and through the use of manual research tools including dictionaries, encyclopedias, digests, reporters, annotated codes, ALR, Shepards Citations,
and others.

Text: Legal Research Illustrated. (9th edition ? Foundation Press)

Course Objectives
(1) Students will describe the purpose of doing legal research and the role research plays in the practice of law.
(2) Students will rank various types of primary and secondary authorities in terms of relative persuasive weight, and will decide which
authorities to consult to solve a given research problem.
(3) Students will analyze a research problem by isolating issues and developing a strategy (through use of descriptive words or known
authorities) for solving the problem.
(4) Students will formulate appropriate search terms and use appropriate search engines and web sites to find relevant law using
Internet resources.
(5) Students will choose appropriate data bases and formulate appropriate search terms to find relevant law using Westlaw.
(6) Students will find relevant law using manual research tools, including digests, reporters, annotated codes, Shepards, and annotated
secondary sources.
(7) Students will describe the importance of updating the law, and will be able to do so using pocket parts, Shepards, Autocite, and
advance sheets.
(8) Students will integrate the skills acquired in the course to solve legal research problems posing Constitutional, statutory, caselaw
and regulatory issues.
(9) Students will describe the legal and ethical responsibilities of researchers and will report research results accurately and ethically.

SAMPLE COURSE OUTLINE
Each Session below represents three classroom hours

Session One - Introduction to the course. Stare decisis and the purposes of legal research. Ethical responsibilities in
research. Analyzing fact patterns and identifying keywords for effective research.

Session Two - . Using manual and on line dictionaries to identify legal terms. Applying definitions to fact patterns to solve
problems. Dictionary Worksheet Assigned.

Session Three - National encyclopedias ? CJS and Am Jur. Michies Virginia Jurisprudence. Encyclopedia Worksheet Assigned.

Session Four - NVCC Library Session. Using reporters to find and brief cases. VirgininaReporter and Case briefing worksheets
assigned.

Session Five - The American court system. Official and West Unofficial Reporters. Using digests to find cases. Tables of Cases;
Descriptive Word Indices; and Topical Analyses. Using pocket parts to update print sources. State and Federal Case Digest
Worksheets assigned.

Session Six - George Mason Law School Session. Using manual digests and reporters.

Session Seven - American Law Reports ? manually and on line. ALR Worksheet Assigned.

Session Eight - George Mason law School session: reporters, digests, and ALR.

Session Nine - NVCC Library Session: Shepardizing. Keycite on line. Shepards worksheet assigned.

Session Ten - Finding current statutes in annotated codes and on line. State and federal statute worksheets assigned. Project handed
out and discussed.

Session Eleven - GMU Library Session: Shepards, statutes, and beginning project research.

Session Twelve - NVCC Library Session. Westlaw training. Westlaw worksheet handed out.

Session Thirteen - Fining Constitutional provisions and federal regulations through USCA and USCS and on line. Worksheets on
Constitutional and regulatory provisions handed out.

Session Fourteen - Miscellaneous research tools.

Session Fifteen - Final George Mason law school library session. Finish worksheets and project.

Session Sixteen - Course review. Mock CP Exam for legal research skills

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