Tracy Z. Maleeff SLA Legal Division, Chair 2012 KLA/KSMA Joint Conference Louisville, Kentucky Taking the Fear and Loathing Out of Legal Research

Disclaimers: I am not an attorney. None of the information provided herein is intended to be, nor should it be considered, legal advice. Always retain the services of a licensed attorney for any legal questions or matters. All opinions are my own. Any statements or opinions expressed are my own and represent neither my employer, nor my professional organization, nor KLA/KSMA.

Legal Aid Legal Aid Network of Kentucky (Commonwealth wide) Varies by location, see Legal Aid Society – Louisville (15 county area around & south of Louisville) (800) or Kentucky Legal Aid (South Central & Western KY) (800) or AppalReD Legal Aid (Southeastern KY) (866) or Legal Aid of the Bluegrass (Northeastern & Central KY) (800) or

The Big Three and Then Some

What is this? 384 U.S. 436 A. Coordinates to some place really cool B. My locker combination C. A legal citation

Miranda v. Arizona This is a published opinion: 384 U.S U.S. LEXIS 2817 Parallel Citations: 86 S. Ct. 1602; 16 L. Ed. 2d 694; 10 Ohio Misc. 9; 36 Ohio Op. 2d 237; 10 A.L.R.3d U.S. 436 United States Reports (title) Volume Number Page Number Resource: How to Read a Legal Citation and LegalCitation.netHow to Read a Legal CitationLegalCitation.net

Unlisted Number? An example of an unpublished opinion: Liebeck v. McDonalds (The Hot Coffee Lawsuit) 1995 WL Extra LEXIS 23 Bernalillo County,. N.M. Dist. Ct. Aug. 18, 1994 No. D-202 CV

Making a Federal Case Out of It Free resource: Justia ( Federal cases from 2004 to present Miranda v. Arizona (Search Supreme Court by year) Miranda v. Arizona Class action lawsuit against Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing, Inc. Low-cost resource: PACER ( Public Access to Court Electronic Records Archive varies by court, some back to 1950 No registration fee, 10¢ per page downloaded. Audio files of court hearings are $2.40 per file. Credit card required for registration. Free training resources Geographic boundaries of U.S. Federal Courts Resource: How to Read a Legal OpinionHow to Read a Legal Opinion

Keys to the Commonwealth Kentucky Court of Justice (Case Search here)Case Search here Must search by county. Documents not available online. Gives you case number and most recent docket events. Must go to court directly to obtain documents or hire a runner (e.g. Westlaw Court Express or Lexis CourtLink) ePay = Certain court fines & fees can be paid online, except in Harlan, Logan, Menifee and Wayne counties ePay VINELink = Victim Information and Notification Everyday VINELink This service allows crime victims to obtain timely and reliable information about criminal cases and the custody status of offenders 24 hours a day. Free, but registration required. Resource: How to Read a Court CaseHow to Read a Court Case

My Old Kentucky Laws Municipal Codes ( Free online full-text of Municipal Codes. Currently only a few KY municipalities available. May be purchased in print for a fee. Law Library of Congress Guide to Kentucky Law Online – Constitution, Executive, Judicial, Legislative, Legal Guides, General Sources Guide to Kentucky Law Online DumbLaws.com KentuckyKentucky KRS One may not dye a duckling blue and offer it for sale unless more than six are for sale at once. Consult Kentucky Revised Statutes to see if true.Kentucky Revised Statutes

Something for Everybody USA.gov – find government agencies, a good general resource for consumer concerns and civics inquiries. USA.gov THOMAS from the Library of Congress – legislative information for House of Representative & Senate. THOMAS Breaking News: 9/19/2012 – THOMAS to be replaced by Congress.gov Congress.gov Federal Register – The Daily Journal of the U.S. Government Federal Register FDsys – Federal Digital System, formerly GPO Access. Use to access Code of Federal Regulations back to 1996, United States Code to 1994, among other Federal government information. FDsys

Misc. Free Online Legal Resources 1. Above the Law ( 2. American Bar Association ( 3. Blawg ( 4. Courthouse News Service ( 5. FindLaw ( 6. Google Scholar ( 7. Jurist ( 8. Kentucky Bar Association ( 9. Law Librarian Blog ( 10. Legal Information Institute (

Three Must Have Print Resources Blacks Law Dictionary, 9 th ed. The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, 19th ed. Legal Information Buyers Guide & Reference Manual 2012 ed. ~$34.00 ~$80.00 ~$162.00

Other Print Resources 1. The American Bar Association Complete Personal Legal Guide: The Essential Guide for Every Household, 4 th ed. 2. American Lawyer Magazine 3. Kentucky Legal Research Manual 4. Kentucky State Documents: A Bibliography of Legal and Law-Related Material 5. The Legal Assistants Complete Desk Reference: A Handbook for Paralegals and Assistants 6. Legal Research in a Nutshell 7. Legal Researchers Desk Reference

Notes for Other Print Resources 1.The American Bar Association Complete Personal Legal Guide: The Essential Guide for Every Household, 4 th ed. ($22.95, ISBN: ) 1. ToCart 2.American Lawyer Magazine. (Digital-only subscription $299/yr. Print & Online $445/yr.) 1.Items with a key icon mean you need a subscription, but there is some free material Kurt X. Metzmeier. Kentucky Legal Research Manual (3d ed). Lexington: University of Kentucky, ( $128 used on AbeBooks, ISBN: ) 4.Kentucky State Documents: A Bibliography of Legal and Law-Related Material. ($30 print / $20 PDF, ISBN: ) The Legal Assistants Complete Desk Reference: A Handbook for Paralegals and Assistants. ($199.95, ISBN: ) 1.Covers court systems and procedures, in addition to having other reference material. 2. ToCart 6. Legal Research in a Nutshell. ($39/Kindle price $15, ISBN-13: ) th/163402/ /productdetail 7.Legal Researchers Desk Reference ($109, ISBN )

Its a Small (Legal) World After All American Society of International Law ( Georgetown University Law Library: International & Foreign Law Research – Basics ( nalforeignbasics.cfm) nalforeignbasics.cfm Law Library of Congress ( Legal Information Institute: Global Collection ( United Nations (

Thats (Legal) Entertainment! 1. The Smoking Gun 2. Los Angeles Times – Entertainment/Company Town 3. The Hollywood Reporter – Hollywood, Esq. 4. Variety 5. The Wall Street Journal – Speakeasy 6. UCLA Entertainment Law Review

Notes for Thats (Legal) Entertainment! 1.The Smoking Gun – freeThe Smoking Gun 2.Los Angeles Times – Entertainment Section, Company Town – blog is free for a certain amount of clicks per month, then subscription required 3.The Hollywood Reporter – Hollywood Esq. - blog is free 4.Variety – most parts of website are free, some website access may require a subscriptionwww.variety.com 5.The Wall Street Journal – Speakeasy - blog is free, some website access requires Wall Street Journal subscriptionhttp://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy 6.UCLA Entertainment Law Review - subscription is $20 per year

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