Legal Research vs. Academic Research
Legal research is a complex form of research that involves locating the authority necessary to resolve a legal issue. It is similar to academic research in that both involve in-depth investigation and assessment in pursuit of developing knowledge regarding a specific topic, but legal research goes further as it it requires effective use of authoritative materials that establish legal rights which assert just and appropriate resolutions. Both forms of research have an indispensable place in the legal field and they often overlap as students, scholars, and practitioners engage with the complexities of the legal system.
In primary and secondary resources, such as statutes, code articles, case law, and treatises, inform the analyses of legal professionals that makeup their legal writings. Consequently, legal research and writing require heightened diligence as professionals must ensure all relevant information is located, applied, and cited to ensure their cases have the best chance at success in our adversarial legal system. Their work goes on to inform the decisions of supervisors, partners, opposing counsel, and judges ruling on the case, creating a very high burden for concise and accurate work product. A lawyers ability to effectively conduct legal research and writing is imperative for success in the field.
Legal research and writing are challenging to grasp as they require developing skills necessary to comprehend complex legal materials, decipher authoritative sources, and distinguish between persuasive secondary sources.
The best way to locate books and other print materials is through the LSU Law Library catalog, which is searchable from the Law Library's home page. The catalog allows you to search in a variety of ways, including by author, title, subject, and keyword. You can also your search the LSU Law repository, Databases, and Class Reserves for relevant materials by selecting an option in the "Search within" box.
The LSU Libraries collections may also contain materials relevant to your research that are not held by the Law Library. These collections can be searched from the LSU Libraries homepage using the "catalog" tab at www.lib.lsu.edu. You may also search databases, journals, news, and e-textbooks. This page may also direct you to other LSU libraries and collections of interest, including special collections, government publications, music resources, and oral history.
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