All the basic tools you’ll need to start building a solution to a legal research problem
Legal Encylcopedias
Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (CED) 4th ed (print & online- Westlaw Next Canada)
Halsbury’s Laws of Canada (print & online – Lexis Advance Quicklaw)
Halsbury’s Laws of England 5th ed (ask staff for assistance)
Use to …
- gain a quick overview of a subject area early in your research
- find applicable statutes or a few relevant cases
- determine jurisdiction (provincial, federal or both)
- find information on a topic not covered by a textbook
Limitations:
- sometimes too general
- may not be up-to-date – always check currency of subject title
Texts, Loose-leaf Services
Use to …
- start your research with more in-depth coverage of a single subject area
- find extensive references to case law and legislation
- find key terms and phrases for more effective subsequent online searching
- access commentary written by experts - possible persuasive value in court
Limitations:
- may not find a current text on your topic
- quality varies – evaluate coverage, currency, organization and authority
Find relevant texts by:
- Searching a law library catalogue
- Consulting a topical legal research guide
- Asking your principal, a law librarian or colleague
Legal Periodicals
Law reviews, bar journals, legal magazines and newspapers, current awareness newsletters, blogs
Use to …
- find information on specific or narrow topics
- find information on new or changing areas of law
- find scholarly analysis, case commentaries, news on recent cases or legislation
Limitations:
- no updating mechanism
- quality varies – look for peer-reviewed sources and subject expert contributors
Find relevant articles by searching:
- Indexes, such as the Index to Canadian Legal Literature, Current Index to Legal Periodicals (US), Legal Journals Index (UK, EU)
- Databases of full text journals found in Lexis Advance Quicklaw, Westlaw Next Canada or HeinOnline
Legal Dictionaries
Barron's Canadian Law Dictionary. 6th ed, 2009
Dukelow, Dictionary of Canadian Law. 4th ed, 2011
Garner, Black's Law Dictionary. 11th ed, 2019
Jowitt’s Dictionary of English Law. 5th ed, 2019
Martin, Oxford Dictionary of Law. 9th ed, 2018
Use to …
- clarify the meaning of legal terms
- find additional search terms
Words and Phrases
Canadian Legal Words and Phrases (on Lexis Advance Quicklaw)
Words and Phrases (Canadian Abridgment) (print and on Westlaw Next Canada)
Sanagan’s Encyclopedia of Words and Phrases, Legal Maxims, 5th ed, 2005- (print and on ProView)
Stroud, Judicial Dictionary of Words and Phrases, 9th ed, 2016 (UK) (print)
Words and Phrases (US) (on Westlaw)
Use to …
- find how a word or phrase has been interpreted by the courts (useful when a research problem turns on the meaning of a particular term or phrase)
Forms and Precedents
O’Briens Encyclopedia of Forms (print and on Westlaw Next Canada)
Canadian Forms and Precedents (print and on Lexis Advance Quicklaw)
Williston and Rolls Court Forms (print and on Lexis Advance Quicklaw)
Bullen & Leake & Jacob's Canadian Precedent of Pleadings (print)
Lexis Practical Guidance (online)
Use to …
- draft pleadings, agreements, contracts, etc.
