When starting legal research, it can be useful to begin with secondary resources. This includes encyclopedias and dictionaries, books, journal articles and commentaries. These will point you to relevant primary resources including case law and legislation.
University of Notre Dame Australia School of Law has generally adopted the IRAC (Issue, Rule, Application and Conclusion) approach for legal analysis & hypothetical legal problems.
Introduction to Law
Legal Research
Legal research skills: An Australian law guideLegal Writing
A Guide to Writing in Law School by Australian databases
Law reports, journals, commentaries and news from Australia, US and many other jurisdictions.
Australian case law, KeyCite citator, legal journals, encyclopaedia and commentaries.
Open access Australian legal research platform containing case law and legislation. Students can sign up to JADE Professional for free to access enhanced tools that make it easier to navigate the law.
Collection of law journal abstracts and some full text articles for Australian and comparative legal research.
International databases
UK case law, legislation, news, legal journals, commentary and EU legal materials.
US State and Federal case law, legislation, news, legal journals and commentary.
US-focused legal database containing State and Federal case law, legislation and commentary from the US with limited coverage from some other international jurisdictions.
Comprehensive collections of historical legal materials - books, journals and primary documents.
Publishes the authorised series, The Law Reports, for the Superior and Appellate Courts of England and Wales.
Effective Research Skills is an annual program run to support students to become excellent legal researchers capable of efficiently finding solutions to legal problems. Strong legal research skills will help you get better marks!
View the Lexis Learning platform for self-paced learning modules including videos, activities and quizzes.
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