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Law Library

A law library is a specialized resource center for legal research utilized by legal professionals, providing essential materials such as statutes, court decisions, and legal literature. The document outlines the importance of law libraries for students and their interaction with these resources, as well as the significance of legal citations, footnotes, and writing in the legal profession. Legal writing is characterized by precision, clarity, and a formal tone, serving critical functions in communication, documentation, and compliance within the legal field.

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Akhil Raj
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0 views5 pages

Law Library

A law library is a specialized resource center for legal research utilized by legal professionals, providing essential materials such as statutes, court decisions, and legal literature. The document outlines the importance of law libraries for students and their interaction with these resources, as well as the significance of legal citations, footnotes, and writing in the legal profession. Legal writing is characterized by precision, clarity, and a formal tone, serving critical functions in communication, documentation, and compliance within the legal field.

Uploaded by

Akhil Raj
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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LAW LIBRARY

A law library is a specialized library that focuses on legal research and


resources. It is used by law students, lawyers, judges and other legal
professionals. It is important because it provides the resources necessary to
conduct deep legal research and understand the complexities of the law. A law
library is not merely a collection of books but it is a collection of legal
literature, properly housed and organised for services.

The library of a lawyer should be equipped with some basic materials:

1. Central and state statutes, the rules, notifications and orders made under such
statutes and ordinance promulgated by the president or governor of the state.
Primary materials
 Acts of parliament : contains all acts enacted by the parliament in a year
 India code : official publications which contains all acts in India without
any commentaries.
 Gazette of Kerala : official publication of the state enactments.

AIR Manual and Civil Court Manual are the two popular private publications
which deals with the parliamentary enactments. In AIR manual it contains all
the acts enacted by the parliament and in civil court manual it contains only
civil acts and does not include criminal acts. In Kerala laws manual it contains
all enactments of Kerala legislature and rules.

2. Previous decisions of the court : As we know precedents are considered to be


one among the sources of law and in which the decision of the supreme court
are binding to all the courts established under the territory of India. The
decision of the high court is binding to all other subordinate courts.
 Supreme court reports (SCR) : Monthly publication of reporting cases
decided by the supreme court.
 Indian law reports (ILR) : official publications on reporting the decided cases
of high court.
 All India reporter (AIR) : private publication reporting only decided cases by
both high and supreme court
 Supreme court journal (SCJ) : private publication reporting only decisions by
the supreme court
 Supreme court cases : private publication exclusively reporting the decisions
of the Supreme court.

Law Library used by the students;

The primary aim of this study is to explore the different aspects of law student’s
interaction with the law library. The study is conducted to achieve the following
objectives;

• To determine the frequency of law library visits by law students

• To determine the basic reasons to visit the law library by law students

• To find out the legal information needs of law students

• To find out the preferred sources used by the law students for legal
information

• To find out the basic services provided by the law libraries and the common
problems faced by the law students in law libraries

CITATIONS, FOOTNOTES AND LEGAL ABBREVIATIONS

In law, citations, footnotes, and abbreviations are crucial for accurately


referencing legal sources. Legal citations follow a specific format to locate
specific legal materials like cases, statutes, and articles. Footnotes are used in
legal writing to cite sources, providing a specific reference to the information
being used. Legal abbreviations are shortened forms of legal terms or phrases,
commonly used to save space and make citations more concise.
Legal Citations:

A legal citation provides a precise reference to a particular legal source, such as


a constitution, statute, case, regulation, or legal article.

The citation format typically includes the volume number, abbreviated title of
the source, and the page or section number where the information is located.

Legal citation styles, like the Bluebook, have specific rules for capitalization,
abbreviations, and formatting to ensure consistency and accuracy.

Footnotes:

Footnotes are used to cite legal sources within a legal document, article, or
memo.

They provide a detailed citation that enables readers to locate the specific
information being referenced.

In the Bluebook style, footnotes typically include the author's name, title of the
work, publication information, and page number(s).

Footnotes should be placed at the bottom of the page where the reference is
made.

Legal Abbreviations:

Abbreviations are shortened forms of legal terms, titles, and phrases commonly
used in legal writing and citations.

They help to save space and make citations more efficient.

Legal abbreviations can include acronyms for organizations, publications, or


legal terms.

Specific rules for abbreviations exist within legal citation styles like the
Bluebook.
Legal writing and Law language :

Meaning of Legal Language: Legal language means a language used by the


persons connected to the legal profession. The language used by the lawyer,
jurist, and the legislative drafts man in their professional capacities. Law being a
technical subject speaks through its own register. Legal language has varied like
local legal language and English. As defined by webstar in his lexicon, term is
derived from the Latin word 'Lingua' meaning a system of communication
between humans through written of vocal symbols. It is a speech peculiar to an
ethnic, national or criminal group. It is the articulate or inarticulate expression
of thoughts and feelings by living creatures it is the system of sounds and words
used by human being to express themselves.

Definition of Legal Writing:

Legal writing is a specialized form of writing used by lawyers, judges,


legislators, and others in the legal profession to communicate legal analysis,
rights, duties, and procedures. It includes drafting legal documents (like
contracts, pleadings, opinions, and statutes) and persuasive writing (like court
briefs or memos).

It is characterized by:

 Precision and clarity


 Logical structure and formal tone
 Use of legal terminology and citations
 Objective or persuasive tone (depending on context)

Importance of Legal Writing:


1. Effective Communication: Legal writing ensures complex legal ideas are
conveyed clearly to clients, courts, or opposing counsel, reducing
misinterpretation.

2. Supports Legal Reasoning: It structures arguments logically, helping to apply


laws to facts and build strong legal positions.

3. Documentation and Record: Legal documents (contracts, judgments,


affidavits) serve as permanent records and are enforceable in law.

4. Professional Credibility: Well-written legal content enhances the credibility


of lawyers and reflects their competence and diligence.

5. Essential in Litigation and Transactions: Whether drafting a will or arguing a


case in court, legal writing is central to legal practice.

6. Compliance and Clarity: It helps parties understand their rights and


obligations, ensuring compliance with the law.

Examples of Legal Writing: Case briefs, Legal memos, Contracts, Court


pleadings, Judgments and orders, Legal opinions, etc

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