Best Practices: What First-Year Law Students Should Learn in a Legal Research Class

41 Pages Posted: 12 Feb 2009

See all articles by Nancy P. Johnson

Nancy P. Johnson

Georgia State University College of Law

Date Written: 2009

Abstract

Legal research instructors seldom have adequate class time to teach students the print and online sources needed to complete a research task successfully. However, there are core principles that first-year students should learn in a legal research class. The author discusses best practices in teaching the legal research process, along with the important research sources, including judicial opinions and reporters, digests and finding cases, statutes, administrative publications, updating research with citators, and secondary sources.

Keywords: legal research, legal education, legal bibliography, best practices

JEL Classification: K00, K10

Suggested Citation

Johnson, Nancy P., Best Practices: What First-Year Law Students Should Learn in a Legal Research Class (2009). Legal Reference Services Quarterly, 2009, Georgia State University College of Law, Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2009-04, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1341118

Nancy P. Johnson (Contact Author)

Georgia State University College of Law ( email )

P.O. Box 4037
Atlanta, GA 30302-4037
United States

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