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First Year Legal Research Guides
First-Year Law Students are all assigned the library's "Self-Guided Tours" as part of their introductory Legal Research & Writing classes, but there are many more resources here to help you get started with legal research.
Besides giving links to great tutorials by Lexis, Westlaw and CALI, we've also organized all these guides by research topics you'll encounter in your classes. You can browse that list here, or jump directly to a specific topic:
Can't find what you need? Stop by the Reference Desk and any of our librarians can help get you started with a personal tutorial with our legal research tools. More contact information on our "Ask a Librarian" page.
Library Self-Guided Legal Research Tours
Self-Guided Library Tour 1 (pdf)
Covers secondary sources, including Legal Dictionaries, Thesauri, Encyclopedias, Legal Periodicals and Treatises, American Law Reports, Restatements and Pattern Jury Instructions
Self-Guided Library Tour 2 (pdf)
Covers Case Reporters and Digests
Self-Guided Library Tour 3 (pdf)
Covers Statutes
Westlaw Tutorials
All of these tutorials require that you login to Westlaw and you may need to turn off any pop-up blockers you're using to make sure they display properly. For help with your Westlaw password, contact Stacey Acquavella (stacey.acquavella@thomson.com) or see this guide (pdf).
- The Westlaw Tutorials (requires flash player in browser)
- Secondary Source Research
- Advanced Secondary Sources Research
- Practical Litigation Materials: Part II
- Case Law: Basic Searches
- Case Law: Advanced Searches
- Advanced Case Law Research
- KeyCite for Cases
- Key Cite for Non-Case Materials
- KeyCite tutorial (click link on right side of screen)
- Statutory Research
- Advanced Statutory Research
- Administrative Law Research
Lexis Tutorials
All of these tutorials require that you login to LexisNexis. For help with your Lexis password, contact Jonnell Simpson (jonnell.simpson@lexisnexis.com). or see this guide (pdf).
- Retrieving a Document (includes printing)
- Secondary Sources Research
- Basic Research Skills
- Advanced Research Skills
- Basic Shepard's Skills
- Advanced Shepard's Skills
- Statutory Research
- Administrative Law
CALI
These tutorials require that you login to CALI using your individual password. For help with your CALI password, contact a reference librarian by visiting the Reference Desk or send an e-mail to refreq@kentlaw.edu.
These tutorials require a flash plugin in your internet browser to function properly. For help installing or updating your flash player, visit this site.
- Legal Research 101: The Tools of the Trade (2000)
- Introduction to Secondary Resources (2003)
- Legal Encyclopedias (2004)
- Using the Restatements of the Law (2003) (Screen shots of Westlaw and Lexis may be outdated)
- American Law Reports (2002)
- Updating Federal and State Statutes (2003) (covers Citators)
- Updating/Validating Case Law Using Citators (2004)
- Codification (2002)
- Finding Statutes (2004)
- Forms of Federal Statutory Publication (2003)
Legal Research Guides by Topic
American Law Reports
- Self-Guided Library Tour 1 (pdf)
- Westlaw Secondary Source Research
- Westlaw Advanced Secondary Sources Research
- CALI American Law Reports (2002)
Cases and Digests
- Self-Guided Library Tour 2 (pdf)
- Westlaw Case Law: Basic Searches
- Westlaw Case Law: Advanced Searches
- Westlaw Advanced Case Law Research
- Lexis Basic Research Skills
- Lexis Advanced Research Skills
Citators: Shepard's and KeyCite
- Westlaw KeyCite for Cases
- Westlaw Key Cite for Non-Case Materials
- Westlaw KeyCite tutorial (click link on right side of screen)
- Lexis Basic Shepard's Skills
- Lexis Advanced Shepard's Skills
- CALI Updating Federal and State Statutes (2003)
- CALI Updating/Validating Case Law Using Citators (2004)
Finding and Printing Documents
- The Westlaw Tutorials (FLASH)
- Lexis Retrieving a Document (includes printing)
- CALI Legal Research 101: The Tools of the Trade (2000)
Legal Periodicals
- Self-Guided Library Tour 1 (pdf)
- Westlaw Secondary Source Research
- Westlaw Advanced Secondary Sources Research
- Lexis Secondary Sources Research
Pattern Jury Instructions
- Self-Guided Library Tour 1 (pdf)
- Westlaw Practical Litigation Materials: Part II
- Westlaw Advanced Secondary Sources Research (Forms in general)
Regulations
- Westlaw Administrative Law Research
- Lexis Administrative Law
Restatements
- Self-Guided Library Tour 1 (pdf)
- Westlaw Secondary Source Research
- Westlaw Advanced Secondary Sources Research
- CALI Using the Restatements of the Law (2003) (Screen shots of Westlaw and Lexis may be outdated)
Secondary Sources (General)
- Self-Guided Library Tour 1 (pdf)
- Westlaw Secondary Source Research
- Westlaw Advanced Secondary Sources Research
- Lexis Secondary Sources Research
- CALI Introduction to Secondary Resources (2003)
- CALI Legal Encyclopedias (2004)
Statutes
- Self-Guided Library Tour 3 (pdf)
- Westlaw Statutory Research
- Westlaw Advanced Statutory Research
- Lexis Statutory Research
- CALI Codification (2002)
- CALI Finding Statutes (2004)
- CALI Forms of Federal Statutory Publication (2003)
Treatises
- Self-Guided Library Tour 1 (pdf)
- Westlaw Secondary Source Research
- Lexis Secondary Sources Research
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