Florida Legal Research

This book fulfills the need of beginning legal researchers—and experienced researchers new to Florida sources—for concise explanations of Florida's essential legal resources. It combines information about specific sources with an introduction to research methods that will enable researchers to move beyond the sources described in the text as new legal research tools emerge.

The fifth edition expands the treatment of online research using the current platforms for Westlaw and Lexis, as well as free or low-cost providers and governmental websites. The text emphasizes sources of Florida state law; a separate chapter on federal sources makes this book a compact tool for learning both state and federal law research.

The chapters have been reorganized so that the process of legal research is covered at the beginning of the book. New material explains how to receive assignments from supervisors and prepare to research, making the process accessible to novice researchers. An early chapter on secondary sources covers a variety of practice tools, and introduces apps, blogs, and library guides. The text also provides an overview of current citation rules for Florida sources.

This book is part of the Legal Research Series, edited by Tenielle Fordyce-Ruff, now teaching at the University of Idaho College of Law.