The University of Alabama School of Law
The University of Alabama School of Law
Typically, if you are looking at an area of law that you are not familiar with, you would want to start your research with secondary sources before moving on to statutory research. However, sometimes your supervisor will give you a specific statute you to begin your research. In that case, it is probably best for you, the intern or new attorney, to start your research with codes. Regulations are different than statutes but for research purposes, many of the techniques and reasons for searching statutes also apply to regulations. For that reason, you should generally research regulations after (or alongside) statutes and before cases.
It's a good idea for users to look for statutory law before case law because, if legislation on a topic exists, it will take precedence over common law and judicial decisions. It is also typically quicker to rule out the existence of a statute than it is to determine there are no cases on point. Users can make use of key word searches and user aids to find codes that apply to their facts. Once users have found codes that seem like they apply, they can then use the "Notes of Decision" to look at case law on how the code has been interpreted or applied.