LEGAL RESEACH

(Sunday: 12-30 3:30)

SOURCES OF LEGAL RESEARCH

Chapter I
1.
2.
3.
4.

Where
Who
When
What

Chapter II
LAW BOOKS
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

Appearance
Publisher
Author
Edition
Peripheral Pages
Contents

Chapter III
CLASSIFICATION OF LAW BOOKS
a. As to authority
b. As to source
c. As to character

Chapter IV
BOOK PUBLISHERS AND DEALERS

Chapter V
INSTITUTIONAL PUBLICATIONS

Chapter VI
LAW LIBRARIES

Chapter VII

OTHER SOURCE MATERIALS

a. Documents
b. Legal periodicals
1. Law Journals
2. Bulletins
3. Gazettes
4. Newspaper
5. Newsletter
c. Contents of periodicals
1. Articles
2. Newspaper Digests
3. Case Abstracts
4. Summaries of legislation
5. Book Reviews

Chapter VIII
a. Tapes
1. Audio Casette Tapes
2. VHS or Betamax Casette Tapes
b. Libraries
1. Microfiche Libraries
2. Computerized Legal Data Banks

STATURORY LAW
A. ENACTMENT
B. TERMINATION
C. EFFECTIVITY
1. The Publication Requirement
2. Retroactivity
D. CLASSIFICATION
E. PHILIPPINE LAWS
1. Pre-Spanish Laws
2. Spanish Laws
3. Revolutionary Laws
4. Organic Acts
5. Constitutions
i.
The 1935 Constitution
ii.
The 1943 Constitution
iii.
The 1973 Constitution
iv.
The 1987 Constitution
6. General Orders
7. Acts
8. Codes
9. Letter of Instructions
10.
Court Rules

F. RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. Executive Orders
2. Administrative Rules and Regulations
3. Administrative Orders
4. Tribunal Rules
5. Legislative Rules
G. REPOSITORIES OF STATUTORY LAW
1. Official Editions
2. Unofficial Editions

CASE LAW
A. PHILIPPINE COURTS
B. JUDICIAL PRECEDENTS
C. CLASSIFICATION OF CASE LAW
D. CASE REPORTING
1. The Official Gazettes
2. The Philippine Reports
3. Supreme Court Reports Annotated
4. Philippine Law and Jurisprudence
5. Supreme Court Decisions
6. Philippine Case Law
7. Philippine Law Decisions
8. Appellate Court Reports
9. Sandiganbayan Reports
E. REPORTS OF OFFICIAL OPINIONS

SEARCH BOOKS
A. SOURCE BOOKS OF SECONDARY AUTHORITY
1. Annotated Statutory Compilations
2. Case Digests
3. Encyclopedias
4. Law Dictionaries
5. Practice Books
B. PURE SEARCH BOOKS
1. Case Title Indexes
2. Citators
3. Bibliographies
4. Subject Indexes
5. Indexes to Legal Periodicals
6. Directories and Law Lists
7. Desk Books
C. TEXTBOOKS AND TREATISES
1. Annotations
2. Treatises
3. Case Books
4. Bar Reviewers

TEXTBOOKS AND TREATISES IN USE

A. CIVIL LAW
1. Persons and Family Relations
2. Property
3. Land Titles
4. Obligations and Contracts
5. Sales
6. Succession
7. Partnership
8. Agency
9. Credit Transactions
10. Torts and Damages
11. Statutory Construction
B. CRIMINAL LAW
C. POLITICAL LAW
1. Constitutional Law
2. Administrative Law
3. Public Corporation
4. Public Officers
5. International Law
D. LABOR AND SOCIAL LEGISLATION
1. Labor Relations and Standards
2. Agrarian Relations
3. Social Security Laws
E. REMEDIAL LAW
1. Courts
2. Interim Rules and Guidelines
3. The Rule on Summary Procedure
4. Civil Procedure
5. Criminal Procedure
6. Special Proceedings
7. Evidence
8. Pre-trial
9. Injunction
10. Katarungang Pambarangay Law
F. LEGAL AND JUDICIAL ETHICS
G. TAXATION
H. MERCANTILE LAW
1. Corporations
2. Insurance
3. Negotiable Instruments
4. Transportation
I. MISCELLANEOUS
1. Legal Accounting
2. Legal Philosophy
3. Medical Jurisprudence

4.
5.
6.
7.

Legal History
Roman Law
Supreme Court
Specialized Subjects

AMERICAN AND FOREIGN LAW PUBLICATIONS

A. AMERICAN SOURCE MATERIALS
1. Early Law Books
2. Library of Congress
B. AMERICAN PUBLISHER
C. LEGAL INFORMATION SERVICES
1. Computerized date publishing
2. Computer Systems
D. SPANISH AND OTHER FOREIGN LEGAL MATERIALS
1. Spanish Authorities
2. English Case Law
3. Other European Publications
E. WORLD LAW

METHODS OF LEGAL RESEARCH

Chapter I
THE ESSENCE OF LEGAL RESEARCH

Chapter II
CURRENT CONDITIONS

Chapter III
RECOMMENDED METHODS OF SEARCH
a. The Living Law Approach
b. Common Methods of Search
1. Fact Word Method
2. Topic Method
3. Case Method
4. Dictionary Method
5. Popular Name Method
c. Computerized Search
d. Creating Own Sources and Method Search
e. Preparing the Search
1. Get the Facts
2. Analyze the Facts
3. Form a Preliminary Hypothesis

4. List Access Words

5. Search

Chapter IV
EVALUATION
a. Evaluation of Law
1. Internal Evaluation : Language and Intent
2. External Evaluation : Hierarchy and Other Laws
b. Evaluation of Precedents
1. Internal Evaluation
i. The court
ii. The ponente
iii. The date of the decision
iv. The vote on the decision
v. The facts of the case
vi. Scholarly qualities of the decision
2. External Evaluation

Chapter V
FINALIZING THE THEORY OF THE LAW

Chapter VI
PRESENTING THE FRUITS OF LEGAL RESEARCH: LEGAL
WRITING
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

The Process
Efforts in Writing
The Three Cs
Persuasion
Appeal to the Eye

CHAPTER VII
CONCLUSION : PROFICIENCY IN LEGAL RESEARCH
a. Intelligence
b. Diligence
c. Experience

TEACHING STRATEGIES
1. Reporting

= group the students (by no. of x) and assign a topic t be

reported every session
2. Research
= assign search words to be researched by the students and
have them submitted on the next meeting (see book for list of
search words)
3. Quiz
= to be conducted every after end of the topic (whole MAIN
CHAPTER) reported
4. Major exams
= in compliance to school policies

SCORING SYSTEM
Class Standing --------------------------- (40%)
- Research
- Reporting
- Class recitation
Major Exams ----------------------------- (30%)
Quiz --------------------------------------(20%)
Attendance -----------------------------(10%)
--------------------------100%