When starting legal research, there are several questions to be considered. Is your issue state or federal? Is the matter civil or criminal? The answers to these questions will impact where you look for your information.
Another major question is whether the matter is one of primary authority or secondary authority. Primary Authority is what attorneys cite in legal documents, usually cases, statutes, or regulations. Secondary authority explains and cites to primary authority, usually journal articles, legal books or treatises, legal encyclopedias, etc.
You may wish to go to a law library and consult a reference librarian to obtain background information on your issue. This guide provides links to free, useful legal research tools and databases on the web.
The Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute Legal Citation Finder Bookmarklet allows you to add the citation finder to your favorites and then highlight a legal citation on any subsequent web page to search for it.
Disclaimer: The information and links provided in this guide are not intended to provide legal advice. The FAMU College of Law Library offers no assurance or guarantee the information provided is accurate or current.
Warning: Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.
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Florida Law Help is a website with free resources to guide you in dealing with many areas of Florida law. It includes written and video guides, created by attorneys. Information is available in English, Spanish and Creole.