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Researching the Law: Finding What You Need When You Need It, Fifth Edition guides students through a decidedly contemporary approach to legal research. Widely respected author Amy E. Sloan presents legal research as a process of efficiently filtering legal information to identify accurate and relevant content. Simply put, students learn how to locate and identify the most pertinent and authoritative information available with the greatest possible expedience. Sloan's clear, concise explanations of essential research sources are presented in a context that speaks to the way lawyers do research today, with a flexible approach that works in a rapidly changing research environment. Part I explains how to define a research question; pre-filter content before beginning a search; conduct research using a variety of search techniques; and establish post-search criteria for filtering results. Part II describes essential features of individual sources of authority and search strategies unique to each source. Part III contains research flowcharts to help students plan research strategy for different types of research projects. The Appendices address legal research with AI to give students a solid foundation in research with new technologies.

New to the Fifth Edition:

• Information about using AI tools is integrated throughout the text as appropriate.
• Appendix B contains new material introducing students to the features and uses of AI tools for legal research.
• Appendix C, available exclusively through the book’s product page and through Casebook Connect, takes a closer look at legal research with AI tools.
• The Fifth Edition addresses the NextGen Bar Exam in two ways:
  • The text alerts students to principles likely to be tested on the NextGen Bar Exam.
  • The Teacher’s Manual includes exercises professors can use to review research concepts in a manner intended to acclimate students to the format of the NextGen Bar Exam.

Benefits for instructors and students:

• Complete coverage of fundamental principles
• Teaches students how to:
  • Define a research question
  • Pre-filter content before beginning a search
  • Search for information using a variety of techniques
  • Create and use post-search filtering criteria to target the most relevant information
  • Learn the essential features of both traditional and AI research tools, with an emphasis on research strategies unique to different types of legal authority
  • Use flowcharts to plan research strategy
• Concise and practical, to appeal to today’s students
• Can also be used to complement other texts and classroom materials
• Diverse coverage of online sources, not solely emphasizing Lexis and Westlaw
• Not simply a shorter version of Basic Legal Research; looks at research as a process of filtering the available information, rather than as a process that requires first choosing the right source of authority to solve a legal problem