California Legal Research

The third edition of California Legal Research continues to fill a unique niche in the literature available for California state law research, explaining both the sources of California law and the process of conducting research using those sources.

After introductory chapters devoted to the basic research process and research techniques, California Legal Research explores judicial opinions, the state constitution, statutes and legislative history, and administrative law. The book then turns to updating research with Shepard's and KeyCite, using secondary sources and practice guides, and planning a research strategy. A final chapter explains legal citation, with information on the California Style Manual, the ALWD Citation Manual, and the Bluebook.

The book should be valuable to a wide range of audiences—from first-year students to seasoned veterans. Outlines of the research process and excerpts from key state sources make the book easy to use. The text includes brief discussions of legal analysis throughout, recognizing the interplay between research and analysis.

California Legal Research supplements its detailed discussion of state research with brief discussions of federal research. Thus, it can be used as the sole text in a research course or in conjunction with texts focusing on topical or federal research.