Appellate Advocacy

In any research project, unless you are already knowledgeable about the subject area, it is best to consult a librarian to begin to identify the available resources.

It is generally best to start with introductory, secondary resources and then move to more specific material going from secondary to primary sources.

Encyclopedias, journal articles, ALRs and books can provide an overview of the subject area and identify search terms in that field. They will also cite to primary authority - statutes, regulations, court rules and case law - from which a researcher can expand the search to other relevant authority. 

All of the holdings of University of Missouri libraries are searchable through the Library Catalog by Keyword, Title, Journal or Author name.

Be sure to use the dropdown box to limit your initial search to UMKC-Law.

Law Library holdings will be identified as either UMKC-Law Main Collection (the main two floors); UMK-Law Research Instruction Library (the ground floor); or UMK-Law@MNL RooBot (high-density storage on campus).  

The Call # of each item for its physical location will also be identified, and its Status - either Not Checked Out; Online; or Due Back On Date.

 If the location is other than UMK-Law or MNL (the UMKC Miller Nichols Library), click the Request  box and follow the steps to initiate an Inter-Library Loan that will be delivered to the Law Library Circulation Desk within a few days.  

To locate articles and current analysis on legal topics, search the databases listed below which are on the Law Library's Subscription Databases page.  

BloombergLaw, LexisNexis and Westlaw are covered under a separate tab of this guide. Password required.

For off-campus access you may need to use your Single Sign On (SSO) authorization.

EbscoHost

A comprehensive multi-disciplinary full-text database with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals and more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals.

Bloomberg BNA

Over one hundred daily and weekly reports or news, analysis, and reference products, providing intensive coverage of legal and regulatory developments in all sectors of business and government.

CCH IntelliConnect

Electronic news, analysis and in-depth coverage in accounting, business, health cares, securities, tax and other regulated industries.

HeinOnline

Full access to complete runs of more than 500 law journals as well as the Federal Register, treaties, U.S. Supreme Court materials, U.S. Attorney General Opinions, and International materials.

JSTOR

Full-text articles from selected journals in a broad range of disciplines including economics, education, history, government, law, literature, sociology and statistics.

LLMC Digital

Digital images of older books and serials focusing primarily on U.S> and Canadian law from legislative, executive and judicial branches.

Social Science Research Network (SSRN)

Several specialized research networks including the Legal Research Network containing both pre- and post print scholarly articles.

WorldCat Dissertations and Theses

Access to dissertiations and thesis in OCLC member libraries (including UMKC) electronically, at no charge, directly from the publishing institution.