This research guide was created for Introduction to Law and Society (LASO 204) students. UBC Law Library has numerous links to Case Law websites and to Research Resources, e.g. legal abbreviation decoders and interdisciplinary indexes. As a general rule, start your research with a legal encyclopedia or a textbook on the topic you are researching. Both sources will provide you with an overview of the topic, help you define and clarify the legal issues, refer you to potentially useful case and statute citations, and identify legal concepts that you may not have considered. To connect from outside the library, see Connect from Home (EZproxy & myVPN) and follow the instructions.
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The Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (C.E.D.) is Canada's legal encyclopedia. This looseleaf multi-volume set, produced in both a Western and an Ontario version, provides the researcher with an overview of the law on a full range of legal topics. While the C.E.D. is not exhaustive, it does highlight leading cases and relevant statutes pertaining to each topic. Use the INDEX volume to facilitate access to your topic in the main set. Remember to bring your research up-to-date by checking for the grey-edged (or yellow) supplements at the front of most topics. Always check the currency date of the information. The C.E.D. (West.) is located at LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE156.2 .C364 (LC). Halsbury's Laws of Canada is a new legal encyclopedia covering Canadian law. It is located at LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE180 .H34 (LC).
A textbook or treatise on your subject is another important research tool that you should consult. Legal textbooks provide in-depth commentary and analysis of areas of law. They also provide the researcher with citations to potentially relevant cases and statutes. In order to locate textbooks on your subject area, try a keyword search on the library catalogue. Combine terms such as "human rights" and law and canada. Once you find a useful book, click on the relevant Subject links in the catalogue record to find other books on the same subject. Another way to become familiar with some of the leading texts in various subject areas is to browse the shelves in the Law Library reference room. The latest editions of most of the leading Canadian and British legal texts are shelved in the reference room. For example, Canadian texts on Human Rights are shelved at KE4381 and Family Law at KE531 - KE606. Or, browse an electronic bibliography such as Gehlen's List of Suggested Textbooks [http://www.legalresearch.org/docs/gehlen.html]
Locating a current law journal article on the topic you are researching can be invaluable. Journal articles tend to focus on narrower legal issues, and the authors often gather together all of the relevant law pertaining to the subject-matter being discussed. Articles are especially useful for commentary on emerging areas of the law, and areas undergoing change. To find journal articles, use one or more of the following legal periodical indexes: Index to Canadian Legal Literature (ICLL) [or in print at LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE1 .I532 2001 (LC)] provides thorough coverage of Canadian law journal articles. In addition to articles, case comments and annotations for more than 200 Canadian legal and law-related periodicals, ICLL indexes books, individual essays from edited collections, federal and provincial government publications, and the publications of law faculties and legal research institutes and associations, including theses. It is also possible to search for articles on specific cases and statutes. Due to limited number of simultaneous users, please remember to click on the "Sign Off" button when you are finished. Index to Canadian Legal Periodical Literature (Scott Index) (1998-) covers over 20 000 texts including legal articles published in more than a hundred Canadian legal journals, legal articles published in journals from related fields, texts from legal conferences, and case comments. LegalTrac is a comprehensive periodical index that contains some full text, plus references to over 800 law reviews, law journals, specialty law and bar association journals and legal newspapers. LegalTrac indexes articles on British Commonwealth, European Union and international law, in addition to articles on United States cases, law and regulations. It indexes many of the same American law journals as Legal Periodicals & Books. All online indexes can be accessed via the Law Library homepage [http://www.library.ubc.ca/law] by clicking on Indexes to Legal Periodicals.
UBC Law Library has numerous useful links to Case Law, including: CanLII: Canadian Legal Information Institute Provides access to all Canadian appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as access to federal and provincial statutes. Use its Help to design the best search queries for your topic. LexisNexis Academic provides access to case law from Canada and the United States BestCase Full-text Canadian cases since 1912, including SCC cases. Use the Case Law Search (from the Select Search Form pull-down menu) to find cases e.g. Freedom of Religion" and "Freedom of Speech".
