Reference and Research

Legal Research Tutorials*

*Tutorials located on Westlaw, LexisNexis, or CALI are available only to law students.
A username and password are required for access to Westlaw, LexisNexis, and CALI.
Email uhlawref@hawaii.edu, or call (808) 956-7583 for password information.

Case Law Tutorials

Anatomy of a Case – CALI
15 minutes
Familiarizes students with the basic compnents of a court's written opinion. A review quiz in included.

Case Briefs – LexisNexis – LexisNexis/Tutorials & Tours links
Explains and identifies various partfs on an opinion and headnotes. Shows users how to retrieve case law by case name. Contains a quiz at the end of the tutorial. 

Finding Case Law – Westlaw – Westlaw’s 1L Center
Covers finding cases online and using the West Digests print source. Includes how to find cases by citation, title, finding the right database, and using fields to construct more focused searches.  This tutorial is in outline format and is not interactive.

Case Law: Basic Searches – Westlaw – Discover Westlaw/Understanding Westlaw Links
10 minutes
Finding cases by citation, title, natural language, terms and connectors, browsing results, and using KeySearch. Good introduction to Westlaw’s features.

Case Law: Advanced Searches – Westlaw – Discover Westlaw/Understanding Westlaw Links
Short tutorial that explains terms/connectors searching in-depth, and how to use field restrictors to help with research. Also explains headnotes, topic and key numbers.

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Statute Tutorials

Finding Statutes - Westlaw - Westlaw's 1L Center
Basic introduction to finding statutes on Westlaw, including search tips and KeyCite.

Finding Statutes - CALI
45 minutes
Basic overview of researching statutes by topic, by name,a nd by citation. Very thorough, with four hypothetical research questions, and includes interactive review quetions.

Introduction to State and Federal Statutes - CALI
1 hour
Does not cover researching stuates, but introduces students to the structure of statutes and where they are found. Includes a skills assessment quiz.

Statutory Research - Westlaw - Discover Westlaw/Understanding Westlaw Links
Statutory Research - Lexis - LexisNexis/Tutorials & Tours links
Interactive tutorials on process of researching statutes. Demonstrates how to retrieve state and federal statutes by citation, how to use the table of contents, and using searchable fields to focus research.

Updating Federal and Statute Statutes - CALI
1 hour
How to update the U.S. Code through pocket parts, cumulative supplements, and legislative advance services. Also explains how to updates statutes using free websites online.

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Improving Legal Research Skills Tutorials

Basic Search Strategies - Westlaw - Discover Westlaw/Understanding Westlaw Links
Teaches the most essential basic skills for using Westlaw. Good overview of Westlaw.

Legal Research 101: The Tools of the Trade - CALI
1 hour
Good tutorial for brand new law students with no prior knowledge of how to do legal research. Expalins primary adn secondary sources,a nd how legal research is different than other research. Includes interactive exercises.

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Federal Research Tutorials

Federal Legislative History

Legislation, Hearings and Debates

Legislative History Research - Lexis - LexisNexis/Tutorials & Tours links
How to located relevant U.S. Code section using popular names table and table of contents; finding public laws; how to find prior versiosn of the bill; and howt o find case briefs that discuss legislative history.

Legislative Process and History - Westlaw - Discover Westlaw/Understanding Westlaw Links
This tutorial walks through the legislative process, from bill proposal through codification. Also demonstrates how to find case law that interprets statutes.

Federal Administrative Law

Administrative Law Research Tutorial - Georgetown University Law Library
Good introduction to administrative law materials, covering both regulations and decisions. Includes review questions. A low bandwith/screen reader version is also available.

Administrative Law - Lexis - LexisNexis/Tutorials & Tours links
Offers overview of administrative law sources. Using a hypothetical assignment, the tutorial shows how to research the Code of Federal Regulations, the Federal Register, and how to update your research using Shepard's.

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Hawaii Legal Research Tutorials

Hawaii Administrative Law
Researching Hawaii Administrative Law [PDF]
Chart of Hawaii Administrative Law Sources [.doc]

Hawaii Legislative History
Researching Legislative History in Hawaii
This tutorial, prepared by Swee Berkey, Reference Librarian here at the WSR School of Law Library, walks through researching legislative history step-by-step. Covers the Hawaii REvised Statues; Session Laws; Digests; House and Sentate Journals; Includes links and a review quiz. A text-only version is also available.

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Secondary Sources Tutorials

American Law Reports – CALI
30 minutes
Introduction to American Law Reports (ALR), and when to use this source in the research process.  Includes interactive review questions.

Finding Secondary Sources – Westlaw -  Westlaw’s 1L Center
Basic information on secondary sources for the beginning legal researcher. Tutorial is in outline form and is not interactive. Covers ALR’s, law review articles, and recommendations for exam preparation.

Introduction to Secondary Sources – CALI
40-50 minutes
Excellent tutorial covering print versions of secondary sources: legal encyclopedias, ALR, periodicals, treatises, practice guides, litigation tools, Restatements, and Uniform Laws/Model Acts. Includes interactive questions. 

Legal Encyclopedias – CALI
50 minutes
Overview of CJS and Am Jur, and how they are used in research. Print and online versions of encyclopedias are covered, plus examples of state legal encyclopedias.

Secondary Source Research – Westlaw – Discover Westlaw/Understanding Westlaw Links
Interactive tutorial covers when and why to use secondary sources. Uses a hypothetical situation to show the user through the process of researching in: Am Jur, ALR, Restatements, Treatises.

Using the Restatements of the Law – CALI
20 minutes
Covers major features of Restatements and why they would be used in legal research. Includes print and online versions of Restatements.  Includes section on how to find cases related to Restatement rules.

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