Legal Research for Law Interns

Frame the research question

Convert the assignment into a sentence that identifies the legal issue, relevant facts, jurisdiction and cut-off date. List the terms that could change the result, including statutory definitions, procedural posture and exceptions.

If the question is broad, divide it into smaller propositions. Each proposition should be capable of being supported by legislation, a judgment, a rule or another appropriate primary authority.

Build an authority trail

• Start with the governing statute, rule or constitutional provision.
• Find leading and recent judgments that interpret the relevant language.
• Check the court, bench strength, procedural context and later treatment of every important case.
• Use secondary sources to discover authorities, then verify the proposition in the primary source.
• Record the query, database, date and useful results in a research log.

Read cases efficiently

Read the headnote only as a map. Confirm the proposition in the judgment itself and note the material facts, issue, rule, reasoning and final order. Distinguish the binding ratio from observations that do not decide the dispute.

When authorities appear inconsistent, compare the bench strength, factual setting, statutory version and whether one case considered the other. Do not hide the contrary authority; explain why it applies or can be distinguished.

Write the research note

Begin with a short answer and the level of confidence. Follow with the applicable law, analysis of the facts and a clear conclusion. Put the strongest authority first and use pinpoint references wherever possible.

End with open factual questions, contrary authorities and practical next steps. The reader should be able to understand both your answer and how you reached it.