“Legal problem solving is the backbone to all that lawyers do. Every lawyer is engaged in some form of legal problem solving, every day. Without the skills to be able to solve legal problems, lawyers would be unable to access or understand the law.”

From the Preface

 

Covering both research and writing skills, this essential guide to Canadian legal research provides comprehensive coverage of a wide range of research sources, and offers guidance on how to locate the law in a systematic and efficient manner. Filled with advice about how to use both paper-based libraries and online resources, it also provides practical suggestions for tackling research problems and identifying and applying the law, and teaches the skills necessary to analyze and solve legal research problems. Helpful checklists, summaries and samples facilitate learning.

 

Fostering a self-learning approach to research and focusing on basic legal concepts, using real-life problems to illustrate essential legal research concepts, Legal Problem Solving:

 

·         Places legal research in the context of solving legal problems

·         Teaches the fundamental steps to all legal research

·         Provides enough detail to enable any researcher to solve a legal problem from beginning to end

·         Introduces a step-by-step problem solving process (FILAC) to make research more systematic and memorable

·         Includes self-tests

·         Provides learning objectives, examples, and exercises

·         Adds appendices at the end of each chapter providing a summary of the steps explained within the chapter

 

It includes copies of screens for easier comprehension of electronic research, and helpful copies of pages of typical statutes, and regulations.

 

This fifth edition emphasizes electronic sources available online both for no-fee and through the commercial providers. It covers the proper use of Google, web-based materials, blogs, online discussion groups (legal and non-legal) and provides helpful screenshots illustrating the major online research tools.