About the Authors

Ruth Ann McKinney
Clinical Professor of Law
University of North Carolina
School of Law


Scott Childs
Deputy Director of the Law Library
and
Clinical Assistant Professor of Law
University of North Carolina
School of Law

From the Casebook

Table of Contents

Introduction - Chapter 1

Sample Client Assigning Memo

Sample Hands-On Lesson

Introduction to the Online Supplement

Public Resources

Links

Errata (Updates)

Subscribe to email list

Teacher Resources
(Login Required - Request PIN)

Teacher's Manual

Supplemental Materials

Guidelines for Student's Responses

Contact Information

Contact the Author

Free Review Copies

Purchase The Legal Research Workbook, 5th Ed.

Ruth Ann McKinney and Scott Childs' Legal Research:
A Practical Guide and Self-Instructional Workbook, 5th Edition

Developed and tested at the University of North Carolina School of Law and around the country for almost two decades, this unique textbook offers an active learning approach to teaching the fundamentals of legal research using guided self-instruction. Using this book, together with its acccompanying Supplement, students take a leading role in learning how to do legal research using both hard copy and electronic resources. By the time they finish the last assignment, students will know how to think about a client’s legal problem and how to find and update common law, state statutes, federal statutes, administrative law, and secondary resources that address their client's concerns. The background reading and hands-on lessons allow flexibility in program design while maximizing students’ investment in their own learning. Recognized by the Law Library Journal as one of the best legal reference books of 1996 in its first edition, the new fifth edition is now co-authored by Professor Scott Childs, Deputy Director of Carolina Law's Kathrine R. Everett Law Library.

Features And Benefits:

• Unique: Offers an active learning approach to the fundamentals of legal research using guided self-instruction.
  
• Practical: Teaches students how to think about a client’s legal problem and how to find and update common law, state statutes, federal statutes, administrative law, and secondary resources.
  
• Recommended: Was recognized by the Law Library Journal as one of the best legal reference books.
  
• Updated: Offers a choice of ten research problems presented through the client's eyes, a comprehensive index, cross-references to major citation rules in both the Blueboook and the ALWD Citation Manual, new TIPS to guide students' choices among online and hard copy materials, and updated password-protected Guidelines available on this website to support Faculty, Teaching Assistants, and students.
  

McKinney's Legal Research: A Practical Guide and Self-Instructional Workbook, 5th with 2008 Computer Assisted Legal Research Package

In today's legal research world, law students need to be comfortable with their ability to use both hard copy and online resources fluently. This Online Legal Research Supplement builds on the Online TIPS students are exposed to as they learn to use hard copy materials in the Main Workbook, providing them with opportunities to conduct Boolean and Natural Language searches to find answers to a life-like simulated client problem using Westlaw and LexisNexis. The Supplement also contains exercises to alert students to the ever-expanding choices among free electronic resources at their disposal. Finallly, because researching online successfully requires an openness to frequent growth and change, the Supplement directs students to the many Online Tutorials provided by Westlaw and LexisNexis that allow them to continue to self-teach throughout their professional careers.