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Mr. John Haney's Guide : Secondary Sources

Environmental Law

Types of Secondary Sources

Legal Encyclopedias are works that attempt to describe systematically the entire body of legal doctrine.

Texts and Treatises have been written by legal scholars and practitioners about thousands of tests and treatises addressing topics of substantive and procedural law.

Restatements of the Law are commentaries on American law by reporters and advisors who are respected scholars and jurists.

Law Reviews is a form of scholarly publication usually edited by law students rather than established scholars and serves as an educational tool for its editors as well as a forum for discussion of legal developments and theories.

---Morris L. Cohen and Kent C. Olson, Legal Research In A Nutshell 46-47 (10th ed. 2010).

Why Use Secondary Sources?

Secondary Sources are very useful to understand the general principles of a topic in a relatively quick manner. In addition, it will also provide you with other sources and cases that are helpful.

“Secondary sources that explain and analyze governing legal doctrines make primary sources more accessible and should serve as the launching pad for most research projects.” 
  ~ Legal Research in a Nutshell, ch. 2

Environmental Policy Texts

Environmental Law Texts

ALR: Lexis

Databases