F. General Legal Reference Resources
| Author | Ted Tjaden |
| Profession | National Director of Knowledge Management McMillan LLP |
| Pages | 57-65 |
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In addition to textbooks, law journals, encyclopedias, and case law digests, there are a number of general legal reference resources that are useful for legal research:
For first-time legal researchers, the use of reference tools such as legal dictionaries can help explain legal terms and provide useful information. Legal dictionaries usually define legal terms by citing how courts or legislatures have defined them. Some major legal dictionaries include
· Dukelow, Daphne. The Dictionary of Canadian Law. 3d ed. Scarborough, ON: Carswell, 2004.
· Penner, James E. The Law Student’s Dictionary. 13th ed. London: Oxford University Press, 2008.
· Garner, Bryan A., ed. Black’s Law Dictionary. 9th ed. St. Paul, MN: West, 2009.
Law students or other researchers on a budget may wish to consider buying any of the following "abridged" dictionaries which are condensed and cheaper but which still provide definitions and explanations of key legal terms and Latin phrases:
· Dukelow, Daphne & Betsy Nuse. Pocket Dictionary of Canadian Law. 4th ed. Toronto: Carswell, 2006.
· Martin, Elizabeth A. & Jonathan Law. A Dictionary of Law. 7th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
· Yogis, John & Catherine Cotter. Canadian Law Dictionary. 6th ed. New York: Barrons Educational Series, 2009.
Word and phrases dictionaries also define legal terms but differ from legal dictionaries by attempting to provide a fairly exhaustive list of how a particular term has been defined by every court within a jurisdiction. Major words and phrases services include the following sources:
· The Canadian Abridgment: Words and Phrases. Scarborough, ON: Car-swell, 1993. Supplemented periodically. Also available by subscription on Westlaw Canada.
· Sanagan’s Encyclopedia of Words and Phrases, Legal Maxims, 5th ed. Toronto: Carswell, 2009. Looseleaf and available by subscription on Carswell’s online reference library (www.carswellereference.com).
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· Stroud, Frederick. Judicial Dictionary of Words and Phrases. 7th ed. London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2006. Supplemented annually.
· Words and Phrases. Permanent edition. St. Paul, MN: West, 2002. Supplemented periodically.
Abbreviation dictionaries, on the other hand, explain the meaning of acronyms often used in the legal profession for legal resources, such as the acronym "C.C.L.T.," which stands for the "Canadian Cases on the Law of Torts." Many law-related publications, such as the Canadian Abridgment, contain their own "List of Abbreviations" at the front or back of the publication. Alternatively, there are a number of other sources for abbreviations:
· Bieber’s Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations: A Reference Guide for Attorneys, Legal Secretaries, Paralegals and Law Students. 6th ed. Mary Miles Prince, ed. Buffalo, NY: Hein, 2009.
· Noble, Scott. Noble’s Revised International Guide to the Law Reports. 2002 ed. Etobicoke, ON: Nicol Island Publishing, 2002.
· Raistrick, Donald. Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations. 3d ed. London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2008.
· World Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations. Looseleaf. Igor Kavass and Mary Price, eds. Buffalo, NY: Hein, 1991.
There are also several free online legal abbreviation guides:
· Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations www.legalabbrevs.cardiff.ac.uk
· Case Project, University of Leeds Library http://case.leeds.ac.uk/abbreviations.htm
Legal citation guides are also indispensable for legal research and writing since they explain the formats for how to cite case law, legislation, and secondary legal resources. In Canada, the leading style guide is the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (6th ed.) (the "MCGILL Guide") (see Figure 2.6 for a sample entry from the MCGILL Guide), discussed in more detail in Chapter 1, Section D. Some of the basic citation patterns are relatively easy to learn, such as how to cite a typical Canadian case by italicizing the parties’ names, followed by the date and the volume, case reporter, page number, and level of court: Cole v. Hamilton (2002), 58 O.R. (3d) 584 (S.C.J.). Other citation formats are more technical, hence the advantage of having your own copy of the MCGILL Guide if you can afford the cost.
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Figure 2.6
Sample Entry from Rule 6.2.1 (Books - General Form) of Carswell’s Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (6th ed.) ("MCGILL Guide")
[SEE ATTACHED PDF]
Reprinted by permission of Carswell, a division of Thomson Reuters.
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