Essential Legal Research Methods & Resources for Colorado Lawyers
June 2014
Essential Legal Research Methods and Resources for Colorado Lawyers:
Bridge the Research and Analysis Gap
Co-sponsored by CoALL
Program Highlights:
- Advanced techniques for finding and analyzing primary law and secondary sources, including practice materials and forms
- Understanding the relation between state and federal law
- An overview of local government in Colorado and how to find municipal codes and ordinances
- How to find and navigate free authoritative online resources, with demonstrations of key Colorado law materials
Program Description:
Legal research in a university setting often involves analyzing a long-standing legal issue with well-established outcomes. Research in practice, however, can focus on cutting edge and messy legal issues where the law is only starting to emerge, with conflicting and ethical issues. This BRAG (Bridge the Research & Analysis Gap) program demonstrates how to analyze and research the real-world and emerging legal issue of legalized marijuana. The program begins with how to analyze a problem to determine the available and relevant research resources and how to develop a research plan. The seminar then explores how to research secondary and primary resources to find the authority to answer the legal issue, with a focus on Colorado authority. Presenters emphasize free online resources as well as discuss cost-effective strategies for using available licensed research databases within one's organization.
This seminar is recommended for all newer legal researchers, including summer associates and law clerks, and others who want practical advice on research in a real-world practice setting.
Agenda:
8:30am
Registration
9:00am
Research Methods & Analytics
This segment presents a hypothetical scenario for the following presentations, explains fact pattern analysis, and demonstrates how to create a research plan and keep track of your research.
Presented by Robert Linz
9:30am
Colorado Practice Materials and Secondary Authority
Save valuable research time by starting your research with authoritative secondary materials. This segment presents the different types of key resources, including Colorado practice materials, and how to apply them to your research.
Presented by Mark Popielarski
10:00 - 10:45am
BREAKOUT SESSIONS:
TRACK 1
Colorado Statutory and Case Law Research
This session covers the value of annotated statutory codes and how to use them quickly to find the most relevant and cited cases and additional secondary authority. Additionally, hear how to save money by searching the free version of the Colorado Revised Statutes and learn how to find legislative history documents on the Colorado General Assembly website. This session also examines the West Digest System for case law and how to maximize the use of free resources both online and in your local law library.
Presented by Wendy Lamar
TRACK 2
Cost-Effective Research
(Recommended for Summer Associates)
All research has a cost, either for your organization or as a potential pass-through charge to clients. Learn how to determine the potential cost of a research project, how to budget the research plan through effective communication & analysis, and when to stop researching.
Presented by Matthew Elisha
Free Legal Resources
Learn how to make your research more cost-efficient by using a variety of free online resources and how to judge the authority of web resources.
Presented by Susan Mart-Nevelow
10:45am
Networking Break
11:00 - 11:45am
BREAKOUT SESSIONS Continued:
TRACK 1
Colorado Admin. and Regulatory Research
Too many rules! But they can be managed and are an important part of a research plan. Examine the relationship between statutes and regulations and learn how to use the Code of Colorado Regulations (CCR) and Colorado Register in your legal research.
Presented by Matthew Elisha
Local Government Research
Explore the nature and source of local government ordinances and how to find them for free online. Examine other information found on local government websites for research value.
Presented by Margi Heinen
TRACK 2
Casemaker Demonstration
This segment will demonstrate how to take advantage of Casemaker, an alternative to Lexis and Westlaw that is available free to members of the State Bar of Colorado.
Presented by Reba Nance
Google Scholar & Hein Online
Get an in-depth demonstration on how to use Google Scholar and HeinOnline to find case law, law review articles, historical statutes and regulations and more. Learn how these important resources can help you expand your research.
Presented by Abby Lindquist
11:45am
Closing Session - Colorado Law Library Services
This closing session summarizes how the various research components fit together and how to utilize local library resources and law librarians to successfully complete your research assignments.
Presented by Robert Linz, Mark Popielarski, Margi Heinen
12:00pm
Adjourn
Location Information
CLECI Large Classroom
1900 Grant Street, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80203
Get directions
1900 Grant Street, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80203
Registration Fees
| Non Member | $129.00 |
| CBA Member | $99.00 |
| New Lawyer - in practice 3 years or less | $79.00 |
| Paralegal/Legal Support Staff | $79.00 |
| Summer Associates/Law Students | $39.00 |
| CLEACCESSPASS--ELITE Pass Holder | $0.00 |
- General Credits: 3.00
- Ethics Credits: 0.00
- EDI Credits:
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