How To Conduct Effective Legal Research

This book outlines the landscape of legal research from foundational concepts through to applied practice. Katie Hanschke provides a detailed survey of primary and secondary legal sources spanning the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, as well as introducing concepts for international, foreign, and company and financial research.

The opening chapters set out the preliminary steps of the research process, including formulating a research question and planning. They introduce a legal research toolkit for contemporary scholars and practitioners, which provides actionable advice for using a variety of resources, including specialized legal research databases and generative AI tools. Presenting suggested approaches that bring together all of the strategies discussed, Hanschke demonstrates how to find and understand statutes, regulations, and cases, and helps readers recognize when their research is complete.

How To Conduct Effective Legal Research is an essential read for students of law looking for guidance on how to plan and coordinate research. Legal practitioners and those working in legal education and research methods will also benefit from the clear instruction provided.