Good question. Lawyers are required to take a legal research and writing class, or classes, in law school. Instructors devote a course that often takes the entire school year to teach students the basics of legal research and writing. There are books that explain the rules for legal citation, including The Bluebook: A Uniform System of
Citation. It is called the Bluebook because it has a blue cover. As it says on its website, http://thelegalbluebook.com, the Bluebook continues to provide a systematic method by which members of the profession communicate important information to one another about the sources and legal authorities upon which they rely in their work.
The Bluebook is not the only legal citation book. Two other popular legal citation books include: The University of Chicago Manual of Legal Citation often called the maroon book because of its maroon cover and Mary M. Prince’s Bieber Dictionary of Legal Citations: A Reference Guide for Attorneys, Legal Secretaries, Paralegals and Law Students.
- What is a citation for a judicial opinion?
- Where are judicial opinions located?
- What is a judicial opinion?
- How are legal authorities identified?
- What was the Ford Pinto problem?
- What types of problems cause product liability actions?
- Why would it be fair to impose strict liability on the manufacturer of a product?
- What is breach of warranty?
- What is products liability?
- What is the tort of nuisance?
- Do all states recognize the different sub-torts of invasion of privacy?
- What is an example of false light invasion of privacy?
- What if the press reports on the sex life of a famous politician? Is that invasion of privacy?
- What is a famous tort case of involving intrusion?
- How did the invasion of privacy tort originate?
- What tort protects a person from being photographed in the bathroom?
- What happened in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan?
- What are examples of public officials and public figures?
- What is a public figure and why is that important to defamation law?
- What are common defenses to defamation claims?
