You are here

    • You are here:
    • Home > Legal research

Legal research

A total of 45 records were found for Legal research
Definition: The process of investigating the background to a legal issue or case, including legislation, case law, and legal definitions. Included here are resources about how to do legal research such as research guides, services that assist with such research, and basic research tools such as dictionaries.

For sources of legislation, see Legislative materials; for sources of case law see Courts and court judgments.

Alberta Resources

Acts are passed by members of the legislative assembly (MLAs). They are introduced as bills, and debated in the Legislature before being put to a vote. If the assembly passes a bill, it receives royal assent from the Lieutenant Governor, at which point it becomes law.

For further information on this process, see the Citizen's Guide to the Alberta Legislature.

For information on Alberta's published statutes and regulations, see Finding Alberta Legislation

Related keywords: Legal process, Legal research, Legislative materials

The goal of Reading and Understanding Case Reports is to equip self represented litigants with the necessary understanding to read a reported court decision – a “case report” – when conducting legal research and preparing to present your own case to a court.

Related keywords: Legal research, Self-representation

Where did builders find the marble for the Legislature Building? How is an American state Legislature different from our provincial Legislature? What happens during a typical legislative session? This booklet is designed to address these and many other questions related to the history, traditions and procedures of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. It also contains review questions and answers as well as a glossary of parliamentary terminology.

Related keywords: Legal history, Legal research

This guide has been designed as a starting point for those seeking self-help materials and background information on various legal topics. The guide brings together a number of useful links to web-based resources, along with spotlighting some of the self-help print publications in our collection. The links and information are not intended to be a comprehensive listing. This guide is not meant to be a substitute for professional legal assistance.

Have a look at the topics on the tabs, or try the list below for helpful websites for getting started on your research.  

Related keywords: Legal research, Self-representation

Canada/Federal

Formerly known as The Best Guide to Canadian Legal Research this publication features information on research essentials (strategy, methods and writing), electronic research (using free and commercial services), and statutory and jurisdiction research.

Related keywords: Legal research, Self-representation

A collaborative dictionary comprised, initially, of terms defined in glossaries of Canadian law books published by Irwin Law. The dictionary is maintained by an Irwin Law editor.

Related keywords: Legal research

Subtitle: Legal Research Principles and CanLII Navigation for Self-Represented Litigants. This publication from the National Self-Represented Litigants Project is a guide to the use of the freely available online database of case law and legislation from the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII). The guide also provides an introduction to the Canadian legal system and the process of legal research. This PDF (48 pages, 2015) is available for free download.

Related keywords: Legal research, Self-representation

The Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) is a not-for-profit organization initiated by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. CanLII's goal is to make primary sources of Canadian law accessible for free on the Internet. CanLII seeks to gather legislative and judicial texts, as well as legal commentaries, from federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions on a single Web site.

Related keywords: Courts and court judgments, Legal research, Legislative materials

A website of King's University Library.

Related keywords: Law libraries, Legal research

Ted Tjaden is a lawyer/law librarian working as the Coordinator, Information Services at the Bora Laskin Law Library at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, where he teaches legal research and writing to law students. His online guide provides information and links to print and online resources about the Canadian legal system, primary and secondary legal resources, legal organizations and publishers, and offers a section categorized by legal topic.

Related keywords: Legal research

Pages