lpab ‘all in one’ legal research class – may 2013
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LPAB ‘All in One’ Legal Research Class – May 2013. Session Aims Interpret all types of citations from your reading lists Find cases, legislation and journal articles Locate additional resources for legal research. Types of Material. Supplementary Materials. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
LPAB ‘All in One’ Legal Research Class – May 2013
Session Aims
• Interpret all types of citations from your reading lists
• Find cases, legislation and journal articles
• Locate additional resources for legal research
Material Type Use
Cases Primary source: authoritative record of the law – decisions of the courts.
Legislation Primary source: authoritative record of the law – law made by Parliament. Eg. Acts & Regulations
Books, Reports Secondary sources. Can provide background, introductory or sometimes, comprehensive coverage of an area of the law. Textbooks can also explain the significance of some cases.
Journal Articles, conference papers
Secondary sources. Discussion of legal issues or background information - often in relation to specific cases.
Legal Dictionaries & Encyclopaedias
Secondary sources. Provide legal definitions and basic overviews of specific terms or areas of the law.
Types of Material
Supplementary Materials
• via LEC Web Campus site or Law Library’s ‘LPAB Students’ link
• If source is available via a free web site you will be linked directly to that site
• If source is available via a subscription database you will need to enter your Unikey
• Select ‘Documents and Markups’ setting to maintain highlighting of extracts.
Interpreting a case citation
• Two main types of case citation- Law report citation- Medium neutral citation (court)
Swain v Waverley Municipal Council
(2005) 220 CLR 517 – law report
[2005] HCA 4 – medium neutral
Steps for Finding cases:
• What is the abbreviation?? (see Law Library – Free Web Law – Legal Abbreviations)
• Australian or UK or other??
• Law report or medium neutral citation
Steps for Finding cases (cont):
• Law Report: Law Databases – Cases – Law Reports A to Z
• Medium Neutral Citation
Law Databases – Cases - AustLII
• UK case - Law Databases – J -Justis
CaseBase and FirstPoint
• To obtain extra information about a case
• To find cases by subject
Basic Boolean connectors:
AND – combining concepts Eg. murder and defences
OR – for similar concepts and synonymsEg. murder OR manslaughter
NOT (sometimes AND NOT) – leaving out conceptsEg. Murder NOT provocation
Legislation
• Bills
•Statutes
•Delegated Legislation
•Related Parliamentary materials
Bills
Bills are a draft of a proposed
statute.
Example:
• Civil Liability Bill 2002 (NSW) cl 16.
Acts / Statutes
Terms are interchangeable – refer
to enactments of Parliament
Example:
• Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) s 5L(1)
Types of ActsTwo main types:
Principal Act:
An Act that deals comprehensively
with a given area of law.
Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW)
Amending Act
An Act that alters the operation of
an earlier Act by:
- substituting or inserting words
- omitting or repealing provisions
Civil Liability Amendment Act
2006 (NSW)
Delegated LegislationExamples include:
regulations, rules, ordinances, by-laws
Laws made by a person or body to
whom Parliament has delegated
law-making authority.
Civil Liability Regulation 2009 (NSW)
Finding Acts and Delegated Legislation
Commonwealth Legislation
• AustLII
• ComLaw
NSW Legislation
• AustLII
• NSW Parliamentary Counsel’s Office
Books
Different legal citation guides use different
modes of citation….
• Aitken & Orr (eds.), The Australian Constitution, 3rd ed. Australian Government Solicitor, 2002
• Patrick Parkinson, Tradition and Change in Australian Law, (4th ed, 2005)
Books: Dewey for Law
An example:
340 Law (generally)340.072 Legal research
340.072094 Legal research in Australia
Finding a book on the shelf
• Remember to deal with each part of the number separately then move on to the next
3421
342.011
342.012
342.021
342.11
342.1091
342.121
Journal articles
Different legal citation guides use different
modes of citation….
• P. W. Young, Dismissal of Judges (1993) 67 ALJ 83.
• Anita Stuhmcke, ‘Privatisation and cooperation : what now for the Commonwealth Ombudsman?’ (2004) 11(2) Australian Journal of Administrative Law 101.
Finding Journal Articles
• When you already have a citation
- ‘Journal’ search on library catalogue. Search title of journal NOT title of article
• Searching for journal articles by subject
-Law Databases – Journal databases and news Services – eg. AGIS Plus Text (Australia) and LegalTrac (international)
Basic Boolean connectors:
AND – combining concepts Eg. murder and defences
OR – for similar concepts and synonymsEg. murder OR manslaughter
NOT (sometimes AND NOT) – leaving out conceptsEg. Murder NOT provocation
Legal Encyclopaedias
• Go to:
Law Databases – Comprehensive Legal Research
• Two major legal encyclopaedias
-Halsbury’s Laws of Australia-Laws of Australia
Interpreting a case citation
• Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760
• Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61
• R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682
• Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6
Case citations: the parties
• Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760
• Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61
• R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682
• Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6
Case citations: year of the judgment
• Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760
• Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61
• R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682
• Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6
Case citations: year of publication - for law report citations with square brackets
• Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760
• Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61
• R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682
• Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6
Case citations: report details
• Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760
• Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61
• R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682
• Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6
Square and round brackets
• Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760
• R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681
All ER[1969]
2
All ER[1970]
1
All ER[1970]
2
All ER[1971]
1
All ER [1971]
2
All ER[1972]
1
NSWLR
44
NSWLR
45
NSWLR
46
NSWLR
47
NSWLR
48
NSWLR
49
Case citations: pinpoint citations
• Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760
• Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61
• R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682
• Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6
Case citations: medium neutral citations
• Merritt v Merritt [1970] 2 All ER 760
• Grey v Pearson (1857) 6 HL Cas 61
• R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 at 682
• Ayles v The Queen [2008] HCA 6
Medium Neutral Citation
Ugle v The Queen [2002] HCA 25 at [53]
Parties Year Court Decision No.
More law report citations
Waterhouse v Hickie
(1995) Aust Torts Reports ¶ 81-347
Criminal Cases
R v Milat (1996) 87 A Crim R 446
OR:
Milat (1996) 87 A Crim R 446
Popular Names
Commonwealth v Tasmania
(The Tasmanian Dam Case)
(1983) 158 CLR 1