Thinking About Legal Research Problems

Arrangement of the Law

Primary law is always organized in multiple ways--chronologically, by topic and by citation.

Institution		Kind of Law	How the Law is Published (Arrangements)?
			Chronologically		Topically		By Citation
	Legislature	Statutory Law	Session Laws (video) (Mo)		Statutory Codes (video) (Mo Revised Statutes)		Shepard's/KeyCite/Annotated Codes (video)
	Courts	Case Law	Case Reports		Case Digests (Summaries of Primary Authority) (video)		Shepard's/KeyCite/ALR (video)
	Agencies & Executive Branch	Administrative Law	Administrative Registers or Regulations (Mo)		Administrative Codes (Mo Code of State Regulations)		Shepard's/KeyCite (video - same as above)

Table based upon Christopher G. Wren and Jill Robinson Wren, The Teaching of Legal Research, 80 Law Libr. J. 7, 35 (Matrix A) (1988).  See also Christopher G. Wren and Jill Robinson Wren, The Legal Research Manual 17 (fig. K) (2d ed. 1986).

A More Advanced Model

Attribution:  Dr. Peter Hook, Director and Associate Dean of the Law Library at Washington University Law Library in St Louis.