Scroll the left window for the basic steps in researching Florida laws and cases. Click on each hotlink to read its use in this window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Florida Statutes Annotated, published by West, includes the official Florida Statutes, plus aids to move your research along.
Use the index volumes to locate the applicable statute number (FS#). Look up the statute by that chapter number. After the text of the statute is listed the additional information. This consists of citations to law reviews, "Library references" (key numbers and citations to CJS), and "Notes of decisions" (summaries & citations to cases interpreting this statute).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corpus Juris Secundum, better known as CJS, is a legal encyclopedia elucidating the Common Law.
Take the reference from FSA to CJS, and look it up. This will give (in small, bold font) the statement of the common law, then follow it with a narrative expounding the details, with footnotes to cases across the nation and, occassionally, in other common law countries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shepards Florida Citations is used to find more recent cases that have cited a known statute or case.
Using the statute and any applicable cases found under "Notes of decisions" in the FSA, look them up in Shepards. The "Statutes" volume is arranged by statute chapter & section; the "Cases" volumes are arranged by volume and page number of the Southern Reporter (So) and Southern Reporter, 2nd Series (So2d). This will give you newer cases, including any appeals, and, many times will include law review articles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Southern Reporter, 2nd Series, reports the decisions in appealed cases from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
Currently the Library only subscribes to Florida Cases of the So2d. Notice at the beginning of each case the "key numbers". These are the points of law decided in the case. They can be used in the Digests (see step # 6) to find additional cases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, it's back to Shepards. Take all the new, relevant cases and Shepardize them to find MORE cases; then read them, select the relevant, and Shepardize again. Repeat this cycle until you find no more new cases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

West's Florida Digest, 2nd, is a subject index to cases by points of law categorized by West's "key number" system
If you have not found enough cases, or the appropriate statute, then use the key numbers to look in the Digest to find additional cases, many of whose summaries in the Digest will include a relevant statute number.

Another use of the "key number" system is to find similar cases in other jurisdictions. The Green Library includes the digests for the U.S. Supreme Court and for the lower Federal courts, as well as the related reporters. The key numbers used in the Florida Digest refer to the same point of law when found in the other digests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Law review journals are a source of additional information, including groups of related cases. They can be found through the FirstSearch database, Index to Legal Periodicals as well as through the "Law Review" section of Lexis (Academic Universe). The Index covers more journals, but Lexis includes full text of the articles. Both can be searched by case name or by subject.

 

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Research Guide Index Steve Morris' Page FIU Library Page Florida International University Page

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