American Law Reports

Your Go-To Secondary Source

Finding an A.L.R. (American Law Reports) article covering your topic is a great starting point for research. You'll get a quick summary of the legal issue you're researching and a Table of Cases, Laws, and Rules to see the law across all jurisdictions. You can also use annotations to find additional secondary sources, such as legal encyclopedias, treatises, and periodicals. No wonder they're nicknamed Already Done Legal Research!

See it in action: The legal discussion to compensate student athletes is heating up. Check out this ALR article to see how the legal picture for tomorrow’s student athletes comes together in one place.

KeyCite Graphical History

Procedural History Made Easy

Are you reading a case and not sure how you got there procedurally? Reversed, remanded or otherwise, we got you. Just sign into Westlaw and follow the steps below...

1. Grab one of the citations you see in your case book and type it into the search box on Westlaw. (ex. 480 U.S. 102)

2. Click on your case in the drop-down menu.

3. Click on the History tab to see your procedural history.

KeyCite Graphical History works best when you have a Federal case and a complex issue. Check out some additional examples from your classes below.

Contracts
- Koken v. Black & Veatch Const., Inc.
- Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela

Civil Procedure
- National Equipment Rental v. Szukhent
- Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia, S.A. v. Hall

Torts
- Palsgraf v. Long Island R. Co.
- Kentucky Fried Chicken of Cal., Inc. v. Superior Court

Black's Law Dictionary

Don't guess the meaning of a legal term. Know it.

By using Black’s Law Dictionary, exclusively on Westlaw, you’ll know the meanings of key terms that will help you understand your cases faster, be prepared for cold-calls and beef up your class notes.

1. Access Black's Law Dictionary on Westlaw.

2. Type your term into the Dictionary Term box. (ex. Demurrer)

3. Open up your desired term, copy it and paste it into your notes .

Looking for some inspiration? Here are a few legal terms to get you started

Contracts
- Yellow-dog contract
- Consequential damages

Civil Procedure
- National Equipment Rental v. Szukhent
- Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia, S.A. v. Hall

Torts
- Palsgraf v. Long Island R. Co.
- Kentucky Fried Chicken of Cal., Inc. v. Superior Court

Law School Resource Center

Flowcharts, overviews & more.

Law school is a marathon, not a sprint. Putting everything together on the first pass is impossible. Whether you're prepping for class or starting your outline, the Law School Resource Center makes tough concepts easier to understand.

Check out the Law School Resource Center on Practical Law

Scheduled Maintenance

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Outlining with Jury Instructions

If you’re not sure how to outline your memo, jury instructions can help by explaining a cause of action, outlining the essential elements of a claim and providing relevant primary law all in one spot.

On your Westlaw Edge home screen, click on Secondary Sources and then Jury Instructions.

On the Jury Instructions page, use the Jurisdiction filter to select your desired jurisdiction.

Search for your cause of action. (Ex. elements of libel in Federal Jury Practice & Instructions)

Open your relevant jury instruction and don't forget to check the related notes.

To see more instructions, check out the table of contents to your left or click on View Full TOC.

Want to learn more? Check out this blog post.

Love Your Lawyer Day

Rules, Codes & Restatements

All the rules you need for class in one place.

A lot of time in law school is spent briefing cases, but if you aren't learning the rules behind them, issue spotting during exams will be difficult. You can access electronic copies of rules, like the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, codes, like the Uniform Commercial Code, and Restatements, like the Restatement of Torts, all on Westlaw

See the Restatements collection on Westlaw

KeyCite Graphical History

Understand the procedural history of your case.

Understanding where you are in the procedural history of a case can help you better understand its disposition. When you are lost, look up your case on Westlaw, hit the History tab and bask in the glow of enlightenment.

See an example of Graphical History in action

Black's Law Dictionary

Don't guess the meaning of a term. Know it.

Skipping an unfamiliar term can be tempting, but understanding it can make all the difference in decoding a case. Black's Law Dictionary will help you quickly understand any new language thrown your way.

Run a search for "demurrer" on Westlaw

Copy the Code Below

You'll use this code to make a copy of the sample course.

Click on Copy Another Class

Go to the Knowledge Center and click on the Copy Another Class button.

Enter Your Copy Code

Enter your copy code in the Enter Class Copy Code box and click the Validate button.

4. Set Your Options

Change your course title, set your course dates and set your copy option to Assignments Only.

5. Click Copy Course

Click on Copy Course and you're all set to share your course with students.

1. Copy the Code Below

You'll use this code to make a copy of the sample course.

2. Click on Copy Another Class

Go to the Knowledge Center and click on the Copy Another Class button.

3. Enter Your Copy Code

Enter your copy code in the Enter Class Copy Code box and click the Validate button.

4. Set Your Options

Change your course title, set your course dates and set your copy option to Assignments Only.

5. Click Copy Course

Click on Copy Course and you're all set to share your course with students.

Copy the Code Below

You'll use this code to make a copy of the sample course.

Click on Copy Another Class

Go to the Knowledge Center and click on the Copy Another Class button.

Enter Your Copy Code

Enter your copy code in the Enter Class Copy Code box and click the Validate button.

Set Your Options

Change your course title, set your course dates and set your copy option to Assignments Only.

Click Copy Course

Click on Copy Course and you're all set to share your course with students.

Determining whether a federal court has subject matter jurisdiction over a non-class action case.

If the case arises out of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. laws, rules or regulations, or a treaty signed by the U.S., and the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction, then the case must be litigated in federal court.

If the case does not arise out of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. laws, rules or regulations, or a treaty signed by the U.S., and there is not complete diversity between the plaintiffs and defendants (a.k.a they are both from different states or one is a citizen of a foreign country), then the case must be litigated in state court.

Know more now with this Practical Law flowchart

Restatement of Contracts 2d

Counter-offers

(1) A counter-offer is an offer made by an offeree to his offeror relating to the same matter as the original offer and proposing a substituted bargain differing from that proposed by the original offer.

(2) An offeree’s power of acceptance is terminated by his making of a counter-offer, unless the offeror has manifested a contrary intention or unless the counter-offer manifests a contrary intention of the offeree.

The answer and more can be found in the comments section of §39 of the Restatement of Contracts 2d – Counter-offers

Negligence Defined

Restatement (Second) of Torts 282

In the Restatement of this Subject, negligence is conduct which falls below the standard established by law for the protection of others against unreasonable risk of harm. It does not include conduct recklessly disregardful of an interest of others.

Don’t forget to read the comments

Demurrer

Black’s Law Dictionary (10th ed.2014)

Demurrer: A means of objecting to the sufficiency in law of a pleading by admitting the actual allegations made by disputing that they frame an adequate claim. Demurrer is commonly known as a motion to dismiss.

View the full definition on Black’s Law Dictionary

Restatement of Contracts 2d

Counter-offers

(1) A counter-offer is an offer made by an offeree to his offeror relating to the same matter as the original offer and proposing a substituted bargain differing from that proposed by the original offer.

(2) An offeree’s power of acceptance is terminated by his making a counter-off, unless the offeror has manifested a contrary intention or unless the counter-offer manifests a contrary intention of the offeree.

The answer and more can be found in the comments section of SS39 of the Restatement of Contracts 2d – Counter-offers

testing footnote

What is common law and is it written by the courts of law?

Common Law

The origin of the Anglo-American legal systems. English common law was largely customary law and unwritten, until discovered, applied, and reported by the courts of law. In a narrow sense, common law is the phrase still used to distinguish case law from statutory law.

Know your terms by downloading our glossary

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WestLaw Law School Registration Key

05/21

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Negligence defined

Restatement (Second) of Torts § 282

In the Restatement of this Subject, negligence is conduct which falls below the standard established by law for the protection of others against unreasonable risk of harm. It does not include conduct recklessly disregardful of an interest of others.

Don’t forget to read the comments

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