Legal Notes
The law is divided into Primary and Secondary Sources of the Law.
Legal Notes
The law is divided into Primary and Secondary Sources of
the Law.
Primary Sources of Law: can be divided into two categories: (i) legislation
(statutes, regulations, and orders-in-council) and (ii) case law
(decisions of courts and administrative tribunals). Primary legal
resources are the products of official bodies with the authority
to make law. Thus, primary legal resources can affect the legal
rights of citizens. In our law class we will use American Legal
Net to research California cases and codes, and we will use
Loislawschool.com to research federal case law and statutes.
Secondary Sources of Law: are background resources.
Unlike primary resources, they do not have the power to affect
legal rights, and are referred to instead for their instructive
value and for the references they provide to relevant primary
sources of law. Secondary legal resources include textbooks, legal
journals, legal encyclopedias, and case law digests/summaries.
Because of the broad overview of the law that they provide, secondary
legal resources can be an excellent starting point for legal research.
Click here to learn how
to use Americanlegalnet and Loislawschool.
Read information on Primary
and Secondary Sources of Law
In the legal times of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, there
were really only cases and codes, or primary law, and not much
Secondary Sources of beckground/reference materials or sources
of law. Today, of course, we have many more background legal resources.
To research law, you first phrase the legal question or issue
to be researched, narrow the issue, and then go to Secondary
Sources of Law to help you find the Primary Sources of
Law. which will form your legal research memoranda.
Summary: Therefore know the difference between Primary vs. Secondary
Sources of Law, and learn how to use Americanlegalnet.com and
Loislawschool.com.
updated: 1/31/06 at 6:30 pm
Prof. J.