The sources used for legal research are generally divided into two broad categories: Primary Sources and Secondary Sources.
Primary Sources
Primary legal sources are the actual law in the form of constitutions, court cases, statutes, and administrative rules and regulations.
Examples of Primary Legal Sources
- Constitutions: either federal or state
- Statutes: laws enacted by legislatures
- Municipal Codes: laws enacted by local councils
- Cases: opinions handed down by courts
- Rules and Regulations: established by administrative government agencies
- Treaties
Secondary Sources
Anything that is more than the actual law is considered a secondary legal source. Secondary legal sources discuss, analyze, describe, explain, or critique primary law. Secondary legal sources are also used to help locate primary sources of law, define legal words and phrases, or help in legal research.
Examples of Secondary Legal Sources
- Legal dictionaries
- Legal encyclopedias and digests
- Law reviews and journals
- Legal treatises and deskbooks
- Manuals and guides on how to practice law
