Deck 12: Memorandum to the Trialcourt

Question 1

Locate the Shepard's sets in your local law library. Referring to the "What Your Library Should Contain" information on the covers of the pamphlets, determine if all the pamphlets have been properly shelved. Have superseded volumes and pamphlets been properly removed?

Answer 1

Research assignment.  Answers may vary.  Students will need access to Shepard's sets.

Question 2

Why is it hard for human beings to be objective while performing legal research?

Answer 2

An attorney should always be up to date with the changes that happens in the law. The law changes constantly and it is important to be up to date with the changes and cite good law. Various special materials may be used for reference in order to quote good law.
It is always hard for a person to be objective while performing any legal research. Legal research is always done to find a case of an ordinary person like the one undergoing the research. There are two common forces at work human nature and human time. These forces can deceive a legal researcher either alone or in concert. This is because there is no law book that is perfect. It is human tendency to freeze the very first thing that meets the criteria, even if it is false. Thus, they need to do lot of mental work to be objective.

Question 3

Shepardize the case of Robinson v. Shell Oil Company, 519 U.S. 337. Describe the process you used to shepardize the case and give all of the history and parallel citations for the case.

Answer 3

Research assignment.  Students will access to Shepard's Citations.

Question 4

Why should you hesitate to cite a case you found in a 20-year-old law book?

Question 5

Shepardize the statute of 18 U.S.C.S. Sect. 242. Give an explanation of what the statute is and how it is handled in the citators.

Question 6

What is the greatest embarrassment in advocacy?

Question 7

Where are parallel citations located in Shepard's?

Question 8

What important feature of Shepard's do you find on the cover of its pamphlets?

Question 9

How would you use Shepard's analysis abbreviations?

Question 10

Why is Shepard's an "imperfect" case finder?

Question 11

Can statutes be shepardized?

Question 12

What are the main features of Auto-Cite?

Question 13

What are the main features of KeyCite?