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Legal Information

Legal Information. Thursday, March 23, 2006. Academic Library Assignments Research/Exercises Big picture issues Standard sources. Public Library Problem solving Practical/Applied Real life issues Sources depend on need Often involve referrals.

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Legal Information

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  1. Legal Information Thursday, March 23, 2006

  2. Academic Library Assignments Research/Exercises Big picture issues Standard sources Public Library Problem solving Practical/Applied Real life issues Sources depend on need Often involvereferrals Legal InformationAcademic vs. Public Libraries

  3. Types of Legal Information • Definitions of terms • Rules/Procedures • Case histories • Opinions • Text of the law • Forms • Primary & secondary sources

  4. “I’m just a bill…”

  5. Legislative BranchWhere the Laws Are Made • Federal  Congress • Federal statutes, public laws • U.S. Code • State  General Assembly • State codes • Indiana Code • Local/Municipal  Council, Mayor, etc. • Municipal codes • Meetings, hearings, public forms

  6. Executive BranchAdministrative & Regulatory Decisions • Federal  President, Executive Orders • Federal agencies (vast powers) • Power derived from statutes • Powers limited/regulated by federal courts • State • INDOT, DNR • Local • Health/Building inspectors

  7. Judicial BranchInterpretation of the Law • Federal • Supreme Court, other federal courts • Handle case law • Responsible for interpreting the “constitutionality” of laws • State • Similar structure, cases move to the federal level via appeals • Local • Small claims, criminal courts • Most pro se occurs at this level

  8. Legal InformationGeneral Sources • Encyclopedias & Dictionaries • West’s Encyclopedia of American Law • Black’s Law Dictionary (West pub.) • Legal Encyclopedias • Corpus Juris Secundum (C.J.S.) • American Jurisprudence 2d. (Am. Jur. 2d) • Web Resources • Legal Information Institute (Cornell) • GPO Access (Govt. Printing Office) • Good for info on the Constitution • FirstGov.gov

  9. Legal InformationDirectories • Martindale Hubbel Law Directory • Includes alphabetical index and area of practice index • Online and print • Multi-volume, issued annually • West’s Legal Directory • Browse by state or area of practice • Online only • http://lawyers.findlaw.com/lawyer/

  10. Legal InformationDo-It-Yourself Sources • Build your own • Maintain a file of commonly requested forms • Indiana Self-Help Legal Center • Available through the state website • Midwest Transaction Guide • Usually used for guardianship forms • NOLO Press • Pro se legal guides • Good idea to maintain a collection of these

  11. Legal InformationLegislative Sources (Bills, Resolutions, Statutes) • Print resources • U.S. Code • Slip law • Statutes-at-Large • Public laws • Electronic resources • GPO Access • Thomas • Importance of understanding citations

  12. Legal InformationCase Law • For the non-lawyer, this can be very difficult • Usually involves tracing the history of a case • Citation-orientated • Subject searching is best done with general sources • Take a course on legal bibliography

  13. Legal ReferenceIn the Academic Library • The goal is to locate a citation • All legislation is linked by citations • Students often have the name of the case, but not the citation • General sources are a good place to start • Especially if you have no citation • Most students will be clueless • Difference between codes, statutes, and regulations • The effort involved in doing legal research

  14. Legal ReferenceIn the Public Library • Make sure the patron understands the limitations placed on you • Refer them to experts • Maintain a community information file • Know what you have and what good it will do • Maintain a strong pro se collection • Maintain local sources

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