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Law Library

Legal Research Review: Secondary Sources

Types of Secondary Sources

  • Legal Encyclopedias
  • Legal Periodicals
    • Scholarly  - Law Reviews and Journals
    • Practical - Bar Journals
    • News Oriented - Newspapers and Magazines
  • Legal Treatises
  • ALRs (American Law Report Series)
  • Restatements

Value of Secondary Sources

  • Give background in unfamiliar areaas
    • including jargon & terms of art
       
  • Will lead you to primary authority
    • Mandatory & Persuasive
       
  • Help interpret primary authority
     
  • May address undeveloped areas of law
     
  • Generally NOT for citing