When starting legal research, it’s often best to begin with secondary sources. These are resources that explain or summarize the law but are not the law itself. They can help you understand legal issues and point you to actual laws (called “primary sources”) like statutes, regulations, and court cases.
Reach out to local public law library for help in identifying secondary sources such as:
How to Research the Law: Diving In from the Maryland Courts
Encyclopedias
Legal encyclopedias work like regular encyclopedias, but for law.
General Legal Encyclopedias are encyclopedias that discuss American law in general, including federal law and the most common types of state law. American Jurisprudence ("AmJur") and Corpus Juris Secundum ("CJS") are the two most popular general legal encyclopedias. Most law libraries carry one set or the other, if not both. AmJur and CJS give general overviews of the law, which are based on the legal rules applicable in a majority of U.S. states.
State-specific Legal Encyclopedias focus on explaining the law of a particular state. The Maryland Law Encyclopedia is a Maryland-specific legal encyclopedia, which focuses on explaining the law of a Maryland. If you are researching a state law problem, such as divorce or custody law, it is best to use a state law encyclopedia because the law of your state may be different from the "majority" rules typically discussed in the national legal encyclopedias.
Legal encyclopedias have many volumes and generally have a subject index near the end of the set. To find encyclopedia articles by subject, look up words related to your problem in the subject index. The index will direct you to a topic and section number. Find the volume of the encyclopedia that includes the topic, then look for the specific section number within that topic volume. If you are searching a legal encyclopedia using a legal database, you can search by keyword, browse the table of contents or search the index.
Books or Treatises
Books—often called “treatises”—are a great way to begin legal research. These resources explain the law, analyze key issues, and point you to the primary sources (statutes, cases, and regulations) you’ll need. Look for works by reputable authors such as law professors, attorneys, or judges.
Practice guides and attorney training manuals can also be useful for non-lawyers. They may include plain-language explanations, checklists, step-by-step instructions, and sample forms.
NOTE: Always check when the book was last updated as laws may have changed since it was published. Start with your law library’s catalog or ask a reference law librarian to recommend reliable titles in your area of interest.
Journal Articles
Books and legal encyclopedias can give helpful overviews, but they are usually not updated more than once a year. Journal articles, on the other hand, are published more frequently and can provide more up-to-date information. You may find information about changes to the law or court interpretations of the law that occurred after a book or encyclopedia was last updated.
You can find legal journal articles through subject indexes (in print or online databases), a law librarian at your local public law library can guide you. Google Scholar is a free online tool to get started.
You can find legal journal articles through subject indexes (in print or online databases), a law librarian at your local public law library can guide you. Google Scholar is a free online tool to get started.
Always check the publication date. The research will reflect the law only up to a month or two before the article was published. Anything newer will not be included.
Forms
Forms can be helpful if you’re unsure how to format or word a document for court. But use them with caution—forms are based on someone else’s interpretation of the law and may not always be accurate or complete.
Generic forms provide only general guidance. If you fill out an unfamiliar form, you may want to have an attorney review it. Many attorneys will do this for a small fee, even if you don’t hire them for full representation.
The Maryland Courts have many court forms available on the Maryland Judiciary's website.
Learn more about finding court forms.
Form Booklist.
If the books you’re using don’t include forms, you can look at large form book sets like American Jurisprudence Legal Forms or West’s Legal Forms. These include sample language organized by subject. However, they may not meet your state’s specific requirements, so always check your state’s rules and adapt the form as needed.