Get more advice from fellow students and recent grads here!
This guide includes resources, such as video tutorials and research guides, to help new legal researchers.
Reference librarians are available to provide additional research help. Contact us by Chatting with a Librarian or emailing the Reference Desk, or schedule a research consultation with a librarian to meet on-on-one or in small groups.
Summer interns and recent law grads are often assigned to research legislative history to help with statutory interpretation questions, or to conduct research on administrative law issues while working for administrative agencies or firms engaged in regulatory work. If these are unfamiliar research areas for you, the Law Library’s 2021 Prepare to Practice Series can help you learn (or refresh) these skills:
For each session, in addition to the video lecture recording, included for your convenience are PDFs of (1) the text of our instructor notes for the recording; (2) a copy of the presentation slides, including all links, used in the recording; and (3) any handouts. The materials will remain available through July 31, 2021. For any questions, please contact lawlibinstruction@georgetown.edu.
Westlaw, Lexis & Bloomberg Law also offer a number of online tutorials to guide users.
New students will receive an email from the Library during Orientation with registration information for legal research platforms Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law.
Please register immediately for all three services and always use your Georgetown email as the contact email. First year J.D. students will need these before the first Legal Practice: Writing & Analysis class. The email from the Library will be sent to your Georgetown email address. If you do not see the email in your inbox or spam folder, please contact the Library's Reference Desk in-person, or by Chatting with a Librarian, emailing the Reference Desk, or calling the Reference Desk (202.662.9140).
For more information about use policies for the platforms during the school year or over the summer, please see our Lexis, Westlaw & Bloomberg Law webpage.
Check out our Legal Research Treatises. Looking for more study aids or treatises? Try our Treatise Finders. The Library has also subscribed to West Academic Study Aids and Wolters Kluwer Online Study Aid Library for the 2020-2021 academic year.
You might find CALI lessons on legal research and writing (interactive legal instructional lessons) helpful for review or additional guidance. New students will receive an email from the Library during Orientation with a registration code. Students who do not receive a code or need a new one should go to CALI Lessons for Students.
The Writing Center offers many guides and handouts on research, writing, and citation.
Want more video tutorials? See our complete list of tutorials.
Want more research guides? See our complete list of research guides.
Created 8/19 (JJ & CMC)
Updated 8/20 (CMC)
Updated 4/21 (CMC)