Table Of Contents:

Table of Cases xv
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xxi
About the Authors xxii
Introduction xxiii

Law and Sources of Law 1(16)

Introduction 1(1)

The American System of Law 1(5)

Our Common Law Heritage 1(1)

Civil Law 2(1)

Federalism 3(3)

The Supremacy Clause 6(1)

Our Tripartite System 6(2)

Interplay Among the Three Branches of Government in Lawmaking 8(4)

Interplay Between the Legislative and Judicial Branches 8(1)

The Chief Executive 9(1)

The Judicial Branch 10(1)

Administrative Agencies 11(1)

Sources of Law 12(3)

Primary Sources and Secondary Sources 13(1)

Citation to Legal Sources 14(1)

Legal Publishing 14(1)

Summary 15(1)

Key Terms 16(1)

Exercises 16(1)

Cyberlaw Exercises 16(1)

Discussion Points 16(1)

Legal Reasoning and Analysis 17(26)

Introduction 17(1)

Doctrine of Stare Decisis 18(4)

Roe v. Wade and the Doctrine of Stare Decisis 19(1)

Application of Roe v. Wade to a Later Case 19(1)

At Least Two Sides to Every Problem 20(2)

Judicial Opinions 22(5)

Majority Opinion 22(1)

Plurality Opinion 22(1)

Concurring Opinion 22(1)

Dissenting Opinion 23(1)

Per Curiam Opinion 23(1)

Court Membership 23(1)

Mandatory and Persuasive Authority 24(1)

Obiter Dictum 25(1)

Judicial Restraint and Judicial Activism 26(1)

Legal Analysis of Statutory Law 27(4)

Legislative Intent 27(1)

The Plain Meaning Rule 27(1)

Limitations on the Plain Meaning Rule 28(1)

Aids to Statutory Interpretation 29(1)

Strict Construction 29(1)

Legislative History 30(1)

A Caveat on Statutory Interpretation 31(1)

Legal Analysis of Constitutional Law 31(4)

Originalism 32(1)

Modernism 33(1)

Historical and Contemporary Literalism 34(1)

Democratic Reinforcement 35(1)

The Interpretation Process 35(1)

Reasoning by Analogy and Deductive Reasoning 35(5)

Jennifer Weiss Illustrative Fact Pattern 36(1)

Legal Analysis 36(1)

Deductive Reasoning 37(1)

Reasoning by Analogy 38(2)

Summary 40(1)

Key Terms 40(1)

Exercises 41(1)

Cyberlaw Exercises 41(1)

Discussion Points 42(1)

Secondary Sources and Finding Tools 43(56)

Introduction 43(1)

Encyclopedias 43(11)

Caveat on Use of Legal Encyclopedias 45(1)

Excerpts from a Legal Encyclopedia 46(1)

Use of Legal Encyclopedias 46(8)

Citation to Legal Encyclopedias 54(1)

American Law Reports 54(8)

The Structure of an ALR Annotation 56(5)

Use of American Law Reports 61(1)

Citation to American Law Reports 61(1)

Attorney General Opinions 62(2)

Citations to Attorneys General Opinions 64(1)

Restatements of the Law 64(1)

Citations to Restatements 65(1)

Treatises 65(2)

Citation to a Treatise 67(1)

Legal Dictionaries 67(4)

Legal Directories 71(1)

Formbooks 72(1)

Looseleaf Services 72(1)

Legal Periodicals 73(3)

Law School Law Reviews 73(1)

Bar Association Periodicals 73(3)

Non-Student-Edited Journals 76(1)

Legal Newspapers and Newsletters 76(1)

Legal Periodical Indexes 76(1)

Digests 76(12)

West Key Number System 79(1)

Relationship Between Digests and Reporters 79(1)

Development of Digest Abstracts 79(6)

Digest Page Format 85(1)

Types of Digests 85(1)

Finding Relevant Material in Digests 86(1)

Using Digests to Find Cases 87(1)

Tables of Cases, Defendant-Plaintiff Tables, and Words and Phrases Index 88(1)

Summary 88(1)

Key Terms 89(1)

Cyberlaw Exercises 89(1)

Legal Research Assignment---Legal Encyclopedias 89(2)

Legal Research Assignment---American Law Reports 91(3)

Legal Research Assignment---Digests 94(4)

Discussion Points 98(1)

The Judicial Branch and Cases 99(32)

Introduction 99(1)

The Judicial Branch 99(8)

Jurisdiction 100(1)

Trial Court 100(2)

Appellate Court 102(1)

Federal Courts 103(2)

State Courts 105(2)

Reading Cases 107(15)

For Whom Are Judicial Opinions Written? 107(1)

Attorneys and Judges Read Judicial Opinions 107(1)

The Effect of Setting Precedent 108(1)

The Format for a Reported Decision 108(1)

Format Preceding the Opinion 108(1)

The Citation 108(1)

The Caption 108(10)

The Syllabus 118(1)

Headnotes 118(1)

Authorship of the Opinion[s] and Attorneys for the Parties 118(1)

Format of the Opinion 119(1)

The Facts 119(1)

Procedure 119(1)

The Issue 120(1)

The Discussion 120(1)

The Holding 120(1)

Finding the Law 120(1)

Evaluating Cases 121(1)

Briefing a Case 122(3)

Case Brief Format 123(1)

Case Brief for Brendlin 124(1)

Summary 125(1)

Key Terms 125(1)

Cyberkw Exercises 126(1)

Legal Research Assignment---Briefing Cases 126(1)

Legal Research Assignment---Case Law 127(2)

Discussion Points 129(2)

Primary Sources: Constitutions, Statutes, Court Rules, and Administrative Law 131(58)

Introduction 131(1)

Constitutions 131(3)

Locating Constitutions 132(1)

Citations for Constitutions 133(1)

Initiation of Constitutional Amendments 133(1)

State Constitutionalism and the New Federalism 134(1)

Statutes 134(26)

The Legislative Branch 134(1)

Congress 135(3)

State Legislatures 138(2)

Publication of Statutes 140(1)

Slip Law 140(1)

Session Laws 141(1)

Statutory Code 142(1)

Statutes Passed as an ``Act'' 143(1)

Annotated Code 143(1)

Statutory Research 144(1)

Legislative History 145(1)

Sample Pages of Wiretapping and Eavesdropping Statutes 145(2)

Sample Pages of Wiretapping and Eavesdropping Statutes 147(12)

Citations for Statutes 159(1)

Local Law 160(1)

Court Rules 160(5)

Sample Page of Court Rules 161(2)

Researching Court Rules 163(1)

Locating Court Rules 163(1)

Local Court Rules 164(1)

Citations for Court Rules 164(1)

Administrative Law 165(15)

Publication of Administrative Regulations 166(1)

Sample Pages of Administrative Law 166(4)

Sample Pages of LSA and Federal Register 170(1)

Citations for Administrative Law 170(10)

Summary 180(1)

Key Terms 180(1)

Cyberlaw Exercises 181(1)

Legal Research Assignment---Constitutions 181(1)

Legal Research Assignment---Statutes 182(2)

Legal Research Assignment---Court Rules 184(2)

Legal Research Assignment---Administrative Law 186(1)

Discussion Points 187(2)

Citators 189(30)

Introduction 189(1)

Note on Computer-Assisted Citators 189(1)

Citators 190(2)

Shepardizing Procedure 192(11)

Getting Organized 192(1)

Step One: Locate the Correct Set of Shepard's and Be Ready to Record the Results 192(2)

Step Two: Determine which Shepard's Volume to Use 194(1)

Step Three: Check Each Shepard's Volume Identified 194(1)

Abbreviations 194(4)

Shepardizing 198(4)

Case Names Citator 202(1)

Statutes 203(4)

Shepardizing Statutes 203(1)

Step One: Locate the Correct Set of Shepard's and be Ready to Record the Results 203(1)

Step Two: Determine which Shepard's Volumes to Use 204(1)

Step Three: Check Each Shepard's Volume Identified 204(3)

Keycite 207(8)

Using Keycite for Cases 207(8)

Using Keycite for Statutes 215(1)

Summary 215(1)

Key Terms 216(1)

Cyberlaw Exercises 216(1)

Legal Research Assignment---Citators 216(2)

Discussion Points 218(1)

Overview of the Research Process and Ethical Considerations 219(20)

Introduction 219(1)

George Peak Illustrative Fact Pattern 219(1)

The Eight Steps of Legal Research 220(1)

Preliminary Considerations 221(3)

Getting Organized 221(3)

Jurisdiction 224(1)

Currency 224(1)

Three Basic Approaches to Legal Research 224(1)

Overview Approach: Learning about the General Topic 224(1)

Topic Approach: Learning about the General Topic 224(1)

Known Primary Source Approach: Starting from a Primary Source You Have 225(1)

Step One: Gathering Information 225(1)

Step Two: Identifying Key Terms 226(3)

Identification of Key Terms: Parties, Places, Acts or Omissions, Defense, and Relief 226(1)

Identification of Key Terms: Things, Acts, Persons, and Places 227(1)

Parties or Persons 227(1)

Place 227(1)

Objects or Things 227(1)

Acts or Omissions Forming the Basis of the Action or Issue 227(1)

Defense 227(1)

Relief 227(1)

Key Terms 227(1)

Identification of Key Terms by Using Indexes and Tables of Contents: The Cartwheel 228(1)

Step Three: Learn More About the Area of Law You are Researching through Second Authority 229(1)

Step Four: Locating Primary Authority 230(1)

Step Five: Locating Other Primary Authority 231(2)

Step Six: Reviewing Found Sources and Updating 233(1)

Step Seven: Deciding Whether You are Finished with Your Research 234(1)

Step Eight: Evaluate What You Have Found and Determine the Answer to Your Research Question 234(1)

Inadequate Legal Research As an Ethics Violation 235(1)

Summary 236(1)

Key Terms 237(1)

Exercises 237(1)

Cyberlaw Exercises 237(1)

Discussion Points 238(1)

Computer-Assisted Legal Research 239(20)

Introduction 239(1)

Calr: Pros and Cons 239(1)

Electronic Information Formats 240(1)

Commercial Online Subscription Databases 240(1)

Computer Disks 241(1)

The Internet 241(1)

Copyright in a Digital Environment 241(1)

Legal Research Databases 242(4)

Lexisnexis 242(2)

Westlaw 244(2)

Public Records Databases 246(1)

Accurint 247(1)

Autotruck XP 247(1)

Evaluative Guidelines for Internet Resources 247(2)

Legal and Government Internet Research 249(6)

Federal Law 249(1)

State Law 249(1)

Administrative Law 249(1)

Government Agencies 250(1)

Intellectual Property Law 250(1)

International Law 251(1)

Law Reviews, Journals, and Legal Periodicals 251(1)

Legislative Information 252(1)

Courts and Case Law 252(1)

State Courts 253(1)

Court Dockets and Case History 253(2)

Summary 255(1)

Key Terms 256(1)

Exercises 257(1)

Cyberlaw Exercises 257(1)

Discussion Points 257(2)

Introduction to Legal Writing 259(22)

Introduction 259(1)

Importance of Good Legal Writing to the Law 260(3)

Writing as Communication 261(1)

A Warning Against Communicating too Much 262(1)

Elimination of Mechanical Errors 262(1)

Ethical Obligations 263(13)

Competence in Writing 263(3)

Confidential Information 266(1)

Meritorious Claim 267(1)

Candor Toward the Tribunal 267(1)

Fairness to Opposing Party and Counsel 268(1)

Impartiality and Decorum of the Tribunal 269(2)

Truthfulness in Statements to Others 271(1)

Respect for Rights of Third Persons 272(1)

The Attorneys Responsibility Regarding Non-Attorney Assistants 272(2)

Statements Concerning Judges 274(1)

Attorney Misconduct 275(1)

Types of Legal Writing 276(3)

Legal Writing Designed to Inform 276(1)

Legal Documents Designed to Persuade 277(1)

Legal Documents Designed to Record Information 278(1)

Summary 279(1)

Key Terms 279(1)

Cyberlaw Exercises 280(1)

Exercises 280(1)

Discussion Points 280(1)

Fundamentals of Writing 281(12)

Introduction 281(1)

Writing Process 281(1)

Prewriting 281(2)

Writing 283(4)

Overall Organization and Organization within Sections 283(1)

Organization of an Office Memo 283(1)

Organization at the Paragraph Level 284(1)

Word Order within Sentences 284(1)

Transitional Language and Signposts 285(1)

Paragraphing and Tabulation 286(1)

Graphics 286(1)

Mechanical Errors 287(2)

Quoting from a Headnote or Case Syllabus 287(1)

Not Using Plain English 287(1)

Omitting a Page Reference to Material from a Primary or Secondary Source 288(1)

Not Quoting Exactly 288(1)

Plagiarizing 288(1)

Using Contractions in More Formal Legal Documents 289(1)

Use of the Word ``I'' in More Formal Legal Documents 289(1)

Elegant Variation 289(1)

Editing and Proofing 289(1)

Summary 290(1)

Key Terms 291(1)

Cyberlaw Exercises 291(1)

Exercises 291(1)

Discussion Points 292(1)

Transmittal Letter, Client Opinion Letter, and E-Mail Correspondence 293(16)

Introduction 293(1)

Purpose of the Transmittal Letter 293(1)

Style of Letters 293(2)

Purpose of the Client Opinion Letter 295(1)

Format of the Client Opinion Letter 295(1)

Heading 295(1)

Opening 296(1)

Facts 296(1)

Answer 296(1)

Explanation 296(1)

Closing 296(1)

Sample Client Opinion Letters 296(4)

Introduction 296(4)

Correspondence 300(6)

Summary 306(1)

Cyber Examples 307(1)

Exercises 307(1)

Writing Exercise 307(1)

Discussion Points 307(2)

Pleadings 309(20)

Introduction 309(1)

Purpose and Use 309(1)

Format 310(1)

Court Rules 310(1)

Forms 310(1)

Format of the Complaint 311(2)

Complaint---Caption, Title, and Introductory Clause 311(1)

Complaint---Body 311(1)

Complaint---Prayer for Relief 312(1)

Complaint---Signature Block 312(1)

Complaint---Verification 312(1)

Format of the Answer 313(1)

Answer---Caption, Title, and Introductory Clause 313(1)

Answer---Defenses 313(1)

Affirmative Defenses and Counterclaims 314(1)

Certificate of Service 314(1)

Evidentiary Facts, Ultimate Facts, and Legal Conclusions 314(2)

Evidentiary Facts 315(1)

Ultimate Facts 315(1)

Conclusions of Law 315(1)

Drafting Allegations 315(1)

First Sample Set of Pleadings 316(5)

First Sample Complaint 316(4)

First Sample Answer 320(1)

Second Sample Set of Pleadings 321(4)

Second Sample Complaint 321(3)

Second Sample Answer 324(1)

Summary 325(1)

Key Terms 326(1)

Cyberlaw Exercises 326(1)

Cyber Examples 326(1)

Discussion Points 327(2)

Law Office Memo 329(24)

Introduction 329(1)

Purpose and Use 329(1)

Style 330(1)

Format 331(5)

To and From 331(1)

Re 331(1)

Date 331(1)

Facts 331(1)

Issue(s) and Answer(s) 331(1)

Issue 332(1)

Answer 332(1)

Reasoning 332(4)

Conclusion 336(1)

First Sample Office Memo 336(7)

Second Sample Office Memo 343(7)

Summary 350(1)

Key Terms 351(1)

Exercises 351(1)

Cyber Examples 351(1)

Discussion Points 351(2)

Memorandum of Law 353(20)

Introduction 353(1)

Purpose and Use 353(1)

Style 354(1)

Organization 355(1)

Format 355(3)

Caption 356(1)

Questions Presented 356(1)

Facts 356(1)

Argument 356(1)

Conclusion 357(1)

First Sample Memorandum of Law 358(7)

Second Sample Memorandum of Law 365(6)

Summary 371(1)

Exercises 371(1)

Cyberlaw Exercises and Examples 371(1)

Discussion Points 372(1)

Appellate Brief 373(26)

Introduction 373(1)

Purpose and Use 374(1)

Format 375(3)

Table of Contents 376(1)

Table of Authorities 376(1)

A Jurisdictional Statement 376(1)

Statement of the Issues Presented for Review 376(1)

Statement of the Case 376(1)

Statement of the Facts 377(1)

Summary of the Argument 377(1)

Argument 377(1)

Legal Conclusion 377(1)

First Sample Appellate Brief 378(8)

Table of Contents 379(1)

Table of Authorities 380(6)

Second Sample Appellate Brief 386(10)

Table of Contents 387(2)

Table of Authorities 389(7)

Summary 396(1)

Key Terms 396(1)

Exercises 396(1)

Cyberlaw Exercises 396(1)

Discussion Points 397(2)

Appendix A Search and Seizure 399(2)

Introduction 399(1)

Relevant Primary Sources 400(1)

Research and Writing Exercises 400(1)

Appendix B Locating and Citing to Cases 401(10)

Location of Cases 401(2)

Published and Unpublished Cases 403(1)

Case Citations 403(7)

Citation Manuals 404(1)

Basic Citation Form 404(2)

Subsequent History 406(1)

Page Numbers 407(1)

United States Supreme Court Cases 408(1)

United States Court of Appeals Cases 409(1)

United States District Court Cases 409(1)

State Courts 409(1)

Key Terms 410(1)

Appendix C Rules for Quotations and Short-Form Citations 411(10)

Introduction 411(1)

Quotations 411(6)

Quote Accurately 412(1)

Avoid Plagiarism 412(2)

Types of Quotations 414(1)

Rules for Block Quotations 414(3)

Exercises on Quotations 417(4)

Short-Form Citations 417(2)

Short-Form Citations for Statutes 419(1)

Exercises on Short-Form Citations 419(2)

Appendix D Mechanical Errors 421(14)

Introduction 421(1)

Excess Words 421(2)

Suggested Answers 422(1)

Use of Apostrophes 423(2)

Sentence Fragments 425(1)

Run-On Sentences 426(1)

Parallel Construction 427(2)

Antecedents 429(1)

Active versus Passive Voice 430(2)

Change in Tenses 432(3)

Appendix E Problems 435(6)

Was Swimming Pool an Attractive Nuisance? 435(1)

Defamation 436(1)

The Nightmare Property 437(2)

I Wonder What Is in the Package 439(2)

Appendix F Internet Technology 441(6)

Introduction 441(1)

Internet Protocols 441(1)

Internet Domain Names 442(1)

The Internet 442(2)

World Wide Web 443(1)

Electronic Mail 443(1)

Discussion Groups and Listservs 443(1)

Blogs 444(1)

RSS Feeds 444(1)

Intranets and Extranets 444(1)

Intranets 444(1)

Extranets 445(1)

Key Terms 445(2)

Appendix G Legal Research Starting Points and Web Search Tools 447(4)

Introduction 447(4)

Appendix H Federal Law Web Resources 451(2)

Introduction 451(2)

Appendix I State and Municipal Government Law Web Resources 453(2)

Introduction 453(2)

Appendix J International Law Web Resources 455(2)

Introduction 455(2)

Appendix K Cases 457(102)

Menu of Cases 457(102)

Appendix L Wiretapping Statutes 559(10)

Appendix M Background Information on Search and Seizure 569(6)

Introduction 569(1)

The Fourth Amendment 569(1)

Probable Cause Defined 570(1)

Searches and Seizures 570(1)

The Warrant Requirement 570(1)

Exceptions to the Search Warrant Requirement 570(1)

Consent Searches 570(1)

Motor Vehicles 570(1)

Stop and Frisk 571(2)

The Exclusionary Rule 573(1)

Fruit of the Poisonous Tree 573(2)
Glossary 575(12)
Index 587