Intro to Legal Encyclopedias

Legal EncyclopediasA Crash Course

Stephanie A. Huffnagle

Review of primary sources/authority

• The law

• Binding on courts

• Examples

– Court cases

– Statutes

– Administrative rules & regulations

What is a secondary source?

• Persuasive authority

• Summary, analysis & critique of the law

• User-friendly language

• Cross references to primary authority

Examples of Secondary Sources

• Legal Encyclopedias

• Treatises & Hornbooks

• Legal Periodicals

• Restatements

• American Law Reports

Why should you consult a secondary source?

• Unfamiliarity with topic

• Broad overview (e.g. encyclopedia)

• In-depth analysis (e.g. treatise)

• Persuasive

• Cross reference to primary authority

What are Legal Encyclopedias?

• Broad overview

• Summary of law

• References to primary sources

Types of Legal Encyclopedias

• National

– American Jurisprudence 2d

– Corpus Juris Secundum

• State

– New York Jurisprudence 2d

• Subject Specific

– Encyclopedia of the American Constitution

Basic Format of a Legal Encyclopedia

• Main volumes

• Table of contents

• Detailed general index

• Various Tables

• Entries include narrative text with footnotes

• Pocket parts and/or replacement volumes

Before searching…

• Print vs. electronic

• National or State-specific?

The Fact Pattern

Searching a Legal Encyclopedia

• General index

• Table of Contents

• Entries

• Pocket parts

• With electronic editions, browse the table of contents or perform a keyword search

Example: NY Jur 2d (print)

Example: Am Jur 2d (electronic)

• Westlaw

The Next Step…

• Analyze entry

• Locate primary authority

• Find additional secondary sources

• Narrow or expand your search

Review

• So what did we learn?

Wrap-up

• Worksheet due next class

• Next time – more secondary sources

• Any questions?

References

• Putman, W. H. (2008). Pocket guide to legal research. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.

• Gibson, E. M. (2004). Gibson’s New York legal research guide (3rd ed.). Buffalo, NY: W.S. Hein.