LEGAL RESEARCH & WRITING RESOURCES
WRITING: K.I.S.S. - KEEP IT SIMPLE BUT SUPPORT WHAT YOU SAY
Facts (no argument, just the undisputed facts); Issues; Short Answers; Arguments (broken down by issue and including applicable legal principles and standards) and Conclusion. Library Law Guide
"Briefly Speaking" Brief Writing - Best Practices see: "Briefly Speaking"
BASIC GUIDE TO RESEARCH & CITATION:
Constitutions:
United States: U.S. Const. art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3
Washington State: Wash. Const. art. I, sec. 11
Statutes & Administrative Codes:
United States: 49 U.S.C. sec. 41706 (2007)
Washington: RCW 70.160.020
Cases:
United States Supreme Court is cited, e.g.: Hadacheck v. Sabastian, 239 U.S. 394, 410 (1915).
Washington State Supreme Court is cited, e.g.: John Doe v. Blood Center, 117 Wn.2d 772, 781, 819 P.2d 370 (1991).
Washington Court of Appeals: Fred J. Moore, Inc. v. Schinmann, 40 Wn. App. 705 (1985)
RESEARCH SPRING BOARDS:
SAINT MARTIN'S UNIVERSITY www.stmartin.edu/library
WASHINGTON STATE LAW LIBRARY: Washington State Law Library Materials
KING COUNTY LAW LIBRARY: http://www.kcll.org
UW LAW LIBRARY: http://lib.law.washington.edu
SEARCH ENGINES:
WASHINGTON LAW
Washington State Agencies, etc: www.access.wa.gov
Municipal Research Service (includes useful links): http://www.mrsc.org/
Washington State Court decisions: www.legalwa.org
TVW - State Supreme Court: http://www.tvw.org
ALSO!--U.S. Law -- Washington--Sources: http://www.lawsource.com/also/usa.cgi?wa
FEDERAL LAW:
FindLaw: Supreme Court Opinions: http://findlaw.com/casecode/suupreme.html
The Federal Court Locator: http://www.vcilp.org/Fed-Ct/fedcourt.html#usappeals
THOMAS -- U.S. Congress on the Internet: http://thomas.loc.gov/
GPO - Access Databases: http://www.access.gpo.gov [wide selection of federal databases]
GPO Monthly Catalog via social science data base at www.stmartin.edu/library
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit: http://www.fedworld.gov/
US House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/
GENERAL, BUSINESS & LAW SCHOOL LIBRARIES
Go to Social Science Database for Legal Resources and LexisNexis via www.stmartin.edu/library
Business Law Resourses (from Merlot): Merlot Law Search
http://findlaw.com [to locate articles go to top page "for students" then select "law reviews"]
www.law.cornell.edu/index.html
http://www.abanet.org/lawlink/home.html
www.lawsource.com/also/usa.cgi?wa
http://www.legalethics.com/index.html
NEWSPAPERS & MEDIA: ONLY A FEW OF THE MANY CITES
Go to newspaper database via www.stmartin.edu/library
New York Times: www.nytimes.com
Los Angeles Times: www.latimes.com
Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.com
Seattle Post-Intelligence: http://seattle-pi.com
The Olympian: www:theolympian.com
FINDING PEOPLE:
BANKRUPTCIES, COURT FILINGS & OTHER PUBLIC RECORDS:
www.ire.org/datalibrary/index.html
http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/
MAIL LISTINGS, POSTINGS & BLOGS
http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/library/resources/blogs.html#legal
www.generalcounsel.net/wiredgc/
SELF-HELP LEGAL RESOURCES:
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SHAWN NEWMAN:
Business Division: OM 379 PH: 360.438.4512
Adjunct Faculty: OM 352
Law Office PH: 360.866.2322 Fax: 866.800.9941
Office Hours: See specific course link
E-Mail: snewman@stmartin.edu