Civil Litigation Concentration
Finding a Topic
Read about current legal issues that may be of interest
to you:
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Topical Newsletters
The Library subscribes to a number of topical newsletters which follow current litigation and legislative changes. The following examples are just a few examples:
California Litigation.
KFC 1025.A16 C36 (Circulation)
Califoria Litigation Update
http://litigation.calbar.ca.gov/Publications/LitigationUpdate.aspx Newsletters on Lexis and Westlaw
Westlaw contains databases of current newsletters on a myriad of topics.
You can search the LEGNEWSL database of all the newsletters currently available on Westlaw.Lexis has a smaller newsletter database: search Combined Legal Newsletters on Lexis.
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U.S. Law Week
Review the "Circuit Splits," "Hot topics" or the "Latest News" sections. The Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) publishes US Law Week. We have an online subscription to the US Law Week.
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Newspapers
Both Lexis and Westlaw have a good selection of US newspapers, where you can read about new legal issues. Findlaw News covers legal articles written by the Associated Press. It is a good place to locate current legal news items. Lexis has Major Papers and Westlaw has West's NewsRoom Major Papers.
The National Law Journal also has articles on Circuit splits. Search the newspaper website or search Lexis and use "circuit split" as a search term.
The San Francisco Recorder is the local legal newspaper covering the courts in California. Searchable on Lexis.
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Other Websites
The websites of various law libraries, organizations and law firms have current awareness materials. Sites representing a variety of viewpoints on many different constitutional topics include:
ABA's Section on Litigation (current cases, briefs, and news)
ABA's Section on Dispute Resolution (current cases, briefs, and news)
California Court Related Legislation
Free Access to California Cases (through Lexis)
GlobaLex (search "Alternative Dispute Resolution" for links to foreign ADR materials).
There are many other nonprofit organizations promoting competing positions on legal issues. These sites are good sources of current news on a topic of interest to you. Just be sure to evaluate the information in light of the nature of the organization, the currency of the information, the source of the information, the intended audience, and common sense.
[California] Civil Litigation Reporter
KFC995 A6 C5 (Circulation)
Available through CEB ONLaw
Dispute Resolution Magazine.
KF9084.A15 D58 (Circulation)
Searchable on ProQuest
Litigation "The journal of the Section of Litigation, American Bar Association."
Searchable on ProQuest
Litgation News(ABA)
Searchable through Heinonline
Federal Litigator (Westlaw)
Federal Rules Of Evidence News.
KF8935.A15 F4 (Circulation)
Searchable on Westlaw
BLOGS: SCOTUS BLOG is the oldest blog on the Supreme Court, and has a great set of links to other useful blogs. How Appealing is a blog on appellate litigation. Split Circuits is a blog dedicated to tracking developments concerning splits among the federal circuit courts. It is run by Professor A. Benjamin Spencer of the University of Richmond School of Law. The blog of the Federal Evidence Review contains free access to highlights from recent cases and issues involving the Federal Rules of Evidence and other topical evidence matters.
Doing A Preemption Check
What is a Preemption Check?
It is simply a way to check to make sure that no one else has already published an article (or book) on the topic you have selected for your Note.
How do I Complete a Preemption Check?
The easiest thing to do is to follow the Library's 7-step Preemption Check Guide.
Researching Your Topic
FINDING BOOKS:
Search Hastings Online Catalog for print titles at the Hastings Law Library. Be sure to use keyword searches for broad topics. Once you have narrowed down to a LC subject heading, use subject search to include all materials under your subject.
You can search "WorldCat" on FirstSearch to find out if any books exist on your topic at local and worldwide libraries.
If you do find a book on your topic that we don't have at Hastings, you can submit a request to have the book borrowed by Hastings through interlibrary loan (ILL). It can take up to two weeks to get books from ILL, so plan ahead.
FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES:
Finding a journal article discussing the area of law you are planning to write about can be a great way to start your research or to solidify an important point in your paper. Granted the articles you find will be on different topics, but they can help you find the major primary sources you will need. You can find this type of article while you are using the the online indexes discussed in Library's 7-step Preemption Check Guide.
ONLINE RESOURCES AT HASTINGS:
There are several new online resources that may help you with your note research.
California Civil Procedure
The web page collects links to primary and secondary California resources on civil procedure. The links are to subscription databases available to the Hastings community as well as to free reosurces on the Internet. In addiiton, locations are given for books available in the stacks in the Hastings Law Library.Alternative Dispute Resolution
This library research guide llists the major resources in ADR researchCalifornia Legal History
This research guide lists resources for researching the legal history of California including resources available at the Hastings Law Library and the San Francisco Public Library for locating primary and secondary sources on a California legal history topic. The second section lists various finding aids for locating primary materials. The third and fourth sections provide links to various digital and print archives where primary materials pertaining to California history are stored.BNA Labor & Employment Law Resource Center
Comprehensive coverage of cases, guidance, and news in all major areas of the field: fair employment practices, individual employment rights, Americans with disabilites, wages and hours, labor-management relations, collective bargaining and labor arbitration.
Coverage: varies.
Access: restricted to Hastings students, faculty, and staff.U. S. Supreme Court Records and Briefs (1832-1978)
Full text searchable database of US Supreme Court Briefs includes both argued and cert denied cases.
Access: restricted to Hastings students, faculty, and staff.
Hein-On-Line
Searchable, online collections:
• Law reviews, and legal periodicals [including numerous international law reviews]
• Federal Register vols 1-70, 1936-current
• US Reports, 1754-2002 and US Reports Slip Opinions, 2002-To date
• Treaty collections: TIAS 11060-12734, UST vols 1-35 [1950-1984], ILM vols 1-43 [1962-2004], and also Bevans, Malloy, Miller, and KAV.
• European Center for Minority Issues
• Legal Classics
• Phillip C. Jessup Library
• U.S. Attorney General Opinions
• U.S. Presidential Documents
• U.S. Statutes at Large
• U.S. Supreme Court Library
Coverage: ranges from 1754 - current
Access: restricted to Hastings students, faculty, and staff.
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
CRS works exclusively for members and committees of the United States Congress. An arm of the Library of Congress, the agency is renowned for its non-partisanship and its in-depth analysis of issues. CRS Reports provide valuable insight into how Congress makes decisions and are excellent sources for determining historical and current legal frameworks on domestic and international issues.
Coverage: Full-text of all CRS Reports and Issue Briefs from 1993 to present, and full-text versions of selected reports from 1970 to 1992. Updated weekly.
Access: restricted to Hastings students, faculty, and staff.
Getting Help With Your Research
Reference Desk Hours:
Fall Semester 2011
Monday-Friday: 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PMGetting Research Help:
The Reference Librarians are available to help you plan your research strategy and to help you find the resources that will be useful in researching your paper. Stop by when the reference desk is open, or if you have a more complicated question, contact a reference librarian.
Prepared by Chuck Marcus, Faculty Services Librarian Last updated August 23, 2011