Oregon Legal Research

By Suzanne E. Rowe

Book Overview

Taking a process-oriented approach, Oregon Legal Research explains how to conduct research in Oregon cases, statutes, legislative history, constitutional law, and administrative law. Additional chapters describe the research process, secondary sources and practice guides, and updating research results. Print and online research techniques are integrated throughout the book. An appendix reviews citation to legal sources under Oregon court rules, the ALWD Manual, and the Bluebook, and the revised printing includes updated references to each citation manual. Oregon Legal Research was designed specifically for teaching legal research to first-year law students. Others who will find it helpful include practitioners, paralegals, librarians, college students, and even laypeople. It is clearly written, making even complex ideas accessible. Outlines of the research process and short excerpts from Oregon resources make the book easy to use. Updated web addresses point researchers to the many sources for finding free Oregon legal material online. Concise explanations of resources needed for researching federal law and the law of other states are provided throughout. Thus, Oregon Legal Research can be used as a stand-alone text or in conjunction with a research text concentrating on federal law. This revised edition updates online resources, including Oregon legislative, judicial, and administrative materials as well as Westlaw and Lexis resources. Recognizing that students are more visual learners, this edition includes more sample pages and screen shots. Discussion of legal analysis is, of course, included as a crucial element in legal research. The second edition was originally published in 2007, the revised printing was completed in 2011, and a third edition is expected in the next year or two. This book is part of the Legal Research Series, edited by Suzanne E. Rowe, Director of Legal Research and Writing, University of Oregon School of Law.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594604053
• ISBN13: 9781594604058
• Release Date: August 2011
• Publisher: Carolina Academic Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.

Customer Reviews

THE definitive book for Legal Research in Oregon

Professor Rowe does a brilliant job of simplifying the legal research process--a process that becomes easier and more fluid the more this book is consulted. As a reader of this book, you will have an edge on the competition as you soak up Professor Rowe's invaluable insight and experience that she complied as a law clerk, attorney, and Legal Research professor. It has both the personal touch and keen insight that only years of trial and error could provide; she did it so you don't have to. Complex research processes and tips are simplified in a way only a truly gifted educator could. You can tell that this book was tediously labored over and all potential holes have been covered. The result is a book that not only shows you the proper way to consult a wide array of research problems, but it encourages the kind of thought that distinguishes between the "good" researcher and the "great." If you read and consult this book often you will undoubtedly cut down on common legal research errors and time killers, and thereby become a far more efficient lawyer or law student. If it isn't already, this book will soon be required reading for all first year Legal Research and Writing classes in Oregon.In addition, the book does a fantastic job of combining the necessary steps for thorough and accurate research for both traditional book research and on the internet (both Westlaw and Lexis). Professor Rowe is candid about the benefits and potential pitfalls of each method, and the result is a more plenary understanding of the research process. Among others topics, Rowe offers insight on often overlooked peripheral matters such as cost concerns and working within the real-life time constraints of your employer. The knowledge you gain from consulting this book for all legal research issues will provide you with the skills you need to be a precise and time-efficient legal researcher. This book should be on the desks of every law student, paralegal, law clerk, attorney, and judge in the state of Oregon. It may be written for first year law students, but make no mistake about its simplicity: the thoroughness with which Professor Rowe addresses legal research make this an essential handbook for both the clueless first-year law student and the Chief Justice of Oregon.