Secondary Resources and How to Find Them: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:03, 2 September 2015

This page from JP Boyd on Family Law—and other pages from this Wikibook that discuss BC family law litigation topics—are under editorial review to provide more thorough, current, and practical guidance. Since 2020, procedures, forms, and laws have changed significantly. While gross inaccuracies have been corrected, some details may still be outdated. These pages were not included in the 2024 print edition, and have been highlighted in orange where they appear in the navigation menu on this website.

Secondary resources are the place to start

Secondary resources include books, websites, online guides, and pamphlets that explain the topic and provide references to case law, laws, rules, and forms.

It is generally best to start your research by looking at secondary resources. They may provide an overview in plain language. They may also save you time by pulling together a lot of the information you need in one resource.

Secondary resources range from very basic information summaries to detailed do-it-yourself guides. At the technical legal end, they also include specialist texts on various topics and lawyers’ tools.

Locations to find secondary resources

The website Clicklaw features secondary resources. See the handout Clicklaw: 5 ways to search, and Using the Clicklaw HelpMap.
Public libraries throughout the province contain many titles in print of steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 resources, depending on the size of the library. To find a library in your community, see the BC Libraries site. For lists of titles that a public library might have, see these Reading Guides.
Courthouse Libraries BC offer extensive resources of specialist texts and tools for lawyers. These are described in Research resources at Courthouse Libraries BC.

Beginner's Guide to Finding Legal Information © Courthouse Libraries BC 2015 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.

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-Secondary sources are resources such as books, websites, online guides, and pamphlets that explain the topic and provide references to case law, laws, rules, and forms. It is generally best to start your research by looking at secondary sources since they may provide an overview in plain language. They may also save you time by pulling together a lot of the information you need in one resource.
+==Secondary resources are the place to start==
-==4 Step Legal Information Pathway==
+Secondary resources include books, websites, online guides, and pamphlets that explain the topic and provide references to case law, laws, rules, and forms.
-Secondary sources can be described as a 4 step legal information pathway (*Footnote: the 4 Step Legal Information Pathway is based on a resource produced by the former [http://www.legalanswers.sl.nsw.gov.au/about/liac/ Legal Information Access Centre] of New South Wales, Australia):
+It is generally best to start your research by looking at secondary resources. They may provide an overview in plain language. They may also save you time by pulling together a lot of the information you need in one resource.
-===Step 1: Simple summaries===
+Secondary resources range from very basic information summaries to detailed do-it-yourself guides. At the technical legal end, they also include specialist texts on various topics and lawyers’ tools.
-At its simplest, legal information comes as a fact sheet or pamphlet that summarizes and explains the law in plain language without legal jargon. Some examples include a [http://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/resource/1272 Dial a Law script], and a [http://clicklaw.bc.ca/resource/2414 Live Safe — End Abuse factsheet].
-===Step 2: Practical guides===
+==Locations to find secondary resources==
-These plain language guides summarise and explain the law. They provide strategies, sample letters and forms, procedural information, practical tips and references to cases and Acts. Some examples include [http://wiki.clicklaw.bc.ca/index.php/JP_Boyd_on_Family_Law JP Boyd on Family Law] and [http://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/resource/1040 Consumer Law and Credit/Debt Law].
+*The website Clicklaw features secondary resources. See the handout [http://www.courthouselibrary.ca/docs/default-source/lawmatters/Clicklaw_Handout__Top_Five_AND_HelpMap__12-08-28.pdf?sfvrsn=0 Clicklaw: 5 ways to search, and Using the Clicklaw HelpMap].
+*Public libraries throughout the province contain many titles in print of steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 resources, depending on the size of the library. To find a library in your community, see the [http://www.bclibraries.ca/contacts/ BC Libraries site]. For lists of titles that a public library might have, see these [http://www.courthouselibrary.ca/docs/default-source/lawmatters/lawmatters-oct2012-final.pdf?sfvrsn=0 Reading Guides].
-===Step 3: More specialized resources===
+*[http://www.courthouselibrary.ca/default.aspx Courthouse Libraries BC] offer extensive resources of specialist texts and tools for lawyers. These are described in [[Recommended Secondary Resources#Research Resources at Courthouse Libraries BC | Research resources at Courthouse Libraries BC]].
-For more detailed information about an area of law, general legal texts, often intended for law students and lawyers, can help. Some examples include ''Bankruptcy and Insolvency Law'', and the ''Wrongful Dismissal Handbook''.
-===Step 4: Lawyers’ tools===
-These are traditional legal research resources that provide detailed explanations and ways of identifying cases and legislation relevant to a legal subject area. Some examples include the ''BC Probate and Estate Administration Practice Manual'' and ''BC Supreme Court Rules Annotated''.
-==Using a Legal Information Pathway: Bankruptcy==
-The information below demonstrates a possible search using the steps of the Legal Information Pathway. The steps are suggestions only and you may wish to order your search differently, such as starting with legislation or case law.
-'''Sample question:'''  How do I file for bankruptcy, and how would RRSPs affect my application?
-'''First step:''' Search [http://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/ Clicklaw] resources under the key word ''bankruptcy'', or try the common question [http://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/question/commonquestion/1014 “I’m thinking about declaring bankruptcy”]
-'''Second step:''' find practical guides, such as [http://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/resource/2530 Personal Insolvency Guide] and [http://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/resource/1040 Consumer Law and Credit/Debt Law] online, as well as books at public libraries such as ''Bennett on Consumer Bankruptcy'' and ''Bankruptcy and Insolvency Law''.
-'''Third step:''' find options for more in-depth research, such as the [http://opac.courthouselibrary.ca/Catalogues/CatView.aspx?id=8006&noAuthRedir=1 Annotated Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act] (Courthouse Libraries and some public libraries).
-'''Fourth Step:''' legislation and case law
-*Legislation: ''Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act'', in particular  [http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/B-3/page-50.html#h-26 S. 67.(1) (b.3)]
-*Case law: at [http://www.canlii.org/ CanLII]  use keywords “bankruptcy /s RRSP” Or try the larger databases of case law at Courthouse Libraries BC (available to the public on public access computers)
-==Locations to find secondary sources include:==
-*The website Clicklaw includes many step 1 and step 2 resources. See the handout [http://www.courthouselibrary.ca/docs/default-source/lawmatters/Clicklaw_Handout__Top_Five_AND_HelpMap__12-08-28.pdf?sfvrsn=0 Clicklaw: 5 ways to search, and Using the Clicklaw HelpMap].
-*Public libraries throughout the province contain many titles in print of steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 resources, depending on the size of the library. To find a library in your community, see the [http://www.bclibraries.ca/contacts/ BC Libraries site]. To see a list of titles recommended for public libraries to purchase, see these [http://www.courthouselibrary.ca/docs/default-source/lawmatters/lawmatters-oct2012-final.pdf?sfvrsn=0 Reading Guides].
-*[http://www.courthouselibrary.ca/default.aspx Courthouse Libraries BC] offer extensive resources for step 3 and step 4 titles, and are described on the [[Recommended Secondary Sources#Research Resources at Courthouse Libraries BC | Research Resources at Courthouse Libraries BC]] page.
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Secondary Resources and How to Find Them: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:03, 2 September 2015

Secondary resources are the place to start

Locations to find secondary resources

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