Legal Research Objective Assessment Practice Test

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• Why might legal researchers prefer using Westlaw or Lexis for case law research?
• What does browsing a table of contents help provide?
• Should you consult binding and non-binding cases to ensure your research is on the right track?
• Which branch of government primarily is responsible for making laws?
• When researching with a code on Westlaw or Lexis, what type of search should be avoided?
• Can a statutory code on Lexis or Westlaw lack a newly-enacted law?
• What is a key function of headnotes in a legal case?
• In Lexis, what does searching "unannotated" or "text" on the U.S.C.S. do?
• What should a student do next after creating a research plan for a federal statute?
• What do Shepard's and KeyCite provide a list of?
• Anne must research federal statutes on employment discrimination; why should she consult the index?
• A case from the Supreme Court of North Carolina is published in which West reporter?
• In a research plan, should you start by reading court decisions relating to your client's issue?
• Which of the following statements is true regarding administrative agencies?
• Which authority is NOT binding when defending a state law claim in a trial court?
• Which statement about common law is true?
• What branches of government are responsible for enacting laws known as statutes?
• If all the cases found during one hour of research fall under "Fair/Weak Authority," should you continue researching?
• Each headnote of a case published by Thomson Reuters (West) is assigned at least one what?
• What should you do after identifying a statue on a legal research topic?
• When would you typically consult a legal encyclopedia?
• What are common red flag words found in statutes?
• What happens if the text of a statute and its annotations conflict?
• To classify a judicial decision as "Best" or "Fair/Weak Authority," what should you compare?
• If a student wants to identify names of secondary sources on a legal issue, which method would be effective?
• West's Florida Digest includes headnotes from which courts?
• What should a paralegal do if their research leads primarily to cases with limited authority?
• Should you start your research with secondary sources for each unfamiliar legal issue?
• Which online legal research services are considered the most comprehensive and reputable?
• Which type of laws are created by administrative agencies?
• True or False: The headnotes in West's Key Number System contain direct quotations from the cases.
• Why are treatises considered valuable in legal research?
• Which states are covered by the Southern Reporter?
• Which series of the Southern Reporter contains cases from the state trial court of Alabama?
• Why should a law student review at least one set of pattern jury instructions when researching a federal statute?
• What is the primary distinction between primary and secondary authority?
• If you are in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas in Ohio for a state law battery claim, what is the binding authority?
• What are written opinions of courts published in?
• Which of the following best describes "Statute Z" in the context of punitive damages?
• What is one method to identify the language of an amendment?
• To locate cases where the exact phrase "scope of employment" appears ten or more times, which search string is appropriate?
• A state court has jurisdiction to resolve disputes involving claims based on which types of laws?
• How can you verify the reliability of a secondary source?
• Are the cases in print reporters always available in electronic databases?
• What can result in a reported decision by the Georgia Court of Appeals becoming considered bad law?
• What statement about Presidential statements or messages is correct?
• Which court issued the opinion for a case published in the third series of the Federal Reporter (F.3d)?
• What can you do to reduce the number of irrelevant results when searching for common law negligence cases?
• Which of the following reflects the correct understanding of a case summary?
• Which of the following is NOT a typical segment of cases in Westlaw and Lexis?
• What does the number "Public Law 110-42" signify?
• What does the term exacerbates refer to in legal cases?
• What authority is binding on a U.S. District Court for a breach of contract claim under Alabama state law?
• What information can a careful reading of a statute reveal?
• How are cases organized within each volume of a print reporter?
• What does a red stop sign in Shepard's indicate?
• What is a recommended practice after identifying relevant statutes?
• Is a respected treatise on tort law sometimes binding on a court?
• What principle does the doctrine of stare decisis emphasize?
• Which search would likely yield the best results for understanding the legislative process in Texas?
• When should a legal researcher consider reviewing a headnote?
• Which courts are covered by the Federal Practice Digest?
• How can a court invalidate a state statute?
• Are pattern and non-pattern jury instructions updated to reflect changes in the law?
• Why is it important to identify common red flag words in statutes?
• Is an opinion published in a print reporter typically also available in electronic format on Westlaw or Lexis?
• What type of authority includes legal encyclopedias, articles, and treatises?
• What type of cases are generally binding on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit?
• What should a researcher focus on when evaluating a statute's validity?
• In legal research, what is the significance of keywords?
• What does "not for publication" imply about a case's opinion?
• What should be determined prior to researching a statute's legislative history?
• Is it true that Shepard's is available on Lexis while KeyCite is available on West?
• Which authority is binding in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit regarding the Family Medical Leave Act?
• What is the main purpose of the headnoting system in legal publications?
• Do CLE courses primarily focus on common law issues?
• Which of the following defines secondary authority in legal contexts?
• What should you do at Step 5 of the process for researching a statutory issue?
• Which materials may some courts give weight to?
• How do publishers typically update a hardbound volume of a secondary source?
• What is the primary purpose of reviewing the context around a statute?
• Who has the authority to introduce bills in Congress?
• What should you look for when researching a statutory issue?
• True or False: Cases found on Westlaw and Lexis are divided into fields such as editorial summaries and headnotes.
• If you enter the search string "employment /2 agreement" in the global search box, what will the results include?
• True or False: The headnotes in the classification system on Lexis contain direct quotations from the cases.
• When would it be best to consult multiple parts of a code?
• What is the purpose of punitive damages in a legal claim?
• Is the text of an opinion in an official reporter the same as in an unofficial reporter?
• If you find a legal precedent that is classified as "Weak Authority," what does that generally mean?
• What method should Jeremy use to locate treatises related to landlord liability in the law library?
• What is the implication of a statement being True when asked about federal and state session laws?
• In the case of a conflict between a statute and a supreme court decision, which would control?
• What features of West's Key Number System are accessible online but not in print?
• Which of the following is a common reason to browse the table of contents in legal research?
• Which types of search methods are encompassed in keyword searching as defined in the chapter?
• In what scenario are looseleaf services particularly effective?
• If Rachel identifies a relevant case summary but is short on time, what should she do next?
• In a Georgia state trial court, which authority is binding when addressing a breach of contract claim?
• When arguing a motion to suppress a client's confession in Fulton County Superior Court, which authority matters most?
• What should Annie do to find recent Florida Supreme Court decisions on a leading case from 1999?
• Should you stop researching statutes after finding one that prohibits the conduct in dispute?
• What should be the reason for reviewing secondary sources when researching an unfamiliar legal issue?
• Do encapsulated case citators identify cases that are no longer good law?
• What is a key consideration when interpreting a newly-added law?
• What method is effective for finding federal regulations on Westlaw and Lexis?
• What is the purpose of filtering results after Shepardizing a case?
• Upon finding a relevant case, what should be your next step?
• Does a legal encyclopedia usually discuss a single legal topic in great detail?
• If a case is tagged with a red stop sign on Shepard's and red flag on Westlaw, should you rely on it?
• In which judicial setting would the authority from other panels be binding?
• How are federal and state session laws arranged?
• When determining if cases are designated "not for publication," what should Peter look for in Westlaw and Lexis?
• In a Boolean search on Westlaw and Lexis, which connectors can a researcher use to link terms in a search string?
• How can one find cases that have interpreted a federal regulation?
• What is the significance of a case being labeled "non-precedential"?
• In Michigan, can punitive damages be recovered for a common law negligence claim after Statute Z was enacted?
• Which search method should you perform to find cases that mention the word "outrageous" along with both phrases "intentional infliction" and "emotional distress"?
• True or False: Westlaw and Lexis process a natural language search and a Boolean search in the same manner.
• Which resource typically provides a more detailed analysis of a legal topic than an encyclopedia?
• If Dylan has found a statute prohibiting unfair competition, what else should he research?
• Which of the following segments on Lexis are written by commercial editors?
• What does it indicate if a bill has been assigned a public law number?
• What must a federal agency possess to adopt enforceable regulations?
• Which reporter publishes decisions from the United States District Courts?
• After performing keyword searches on Westlaw and Lexis, what is the next step?
• Does the Official Code of Georgia Annotated organize Georgia statutes by the date of enactment?
• Which statement is true regarding the Federal Register?
• Which of the following best describes secondary authority?
• Why is it necessary to look for statutory definitions during research?
• Which of the following is correct about the Code of Federal Regulations?
• Which search would return the most results for determining if a tenant must keep a property safe or sanitary on Westlaw and Lexis?
• When researching statutes, what is a key step to take?
• When utilizing Westlaw and Lexis, what is a common feature pertaining to search results?
• Which of the following is NOT a common tool used in legal research?
• How is case law typically developed?
• Should you trust all statutes without questioning them if they are listed in a code?
• How does the United States Code organize federal statutes?
• What search string should be used to find all variations of "contributory negligence"?
• When reading a statute, should the tabulation of sub-sections be ignored?
• Do unofficial reporters have the same content as official reporters?
• Why should you use Shepard's or KeyCite on a relevant case?
• What is the name of the highest court in most states?
• Which states are covered by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit?
• Is a respected and reliable secondary source considered to be the actual law?
• What is one effective way to locate relevant sections in a treatise?
• What does a federal or state annotated code contain?
• What does the common law encompass?
• What is the significance of a case having been cited over 100 times in a legal research context?
• What might a compiled legislative history contain?
• Which is true about individual sections of a code?
• Which of the following statements is true regarding federal statutes and research?
• Does the Key Number System on Westlaw organize statutes by topic?
• What is another name for the United States Court of Appeals?
• When trying to find sections on punitive damages in a legal treatise, which two methods should be considered?
• Which method can help a researcher identify relevant case law on a legal issue?
• True or False: West's Key Number System and the Lexis Legal Topic Digest are the only available classification systems for cases.
• If a statute is tagged with a red exclamation point in Shepard's, should an argument be developed based on it?
• What does an A.L.R. annotation cover?
• What should you consult when researching with a print code?
• Which of the following describes the difference between a criminal and civil statute?
• Which method can be used on both Westlaw and Lexis to locate relevant Key Numbers and topics?
• Is the effective date of a legislative bill always the same as the date it becomes law?
• What is true regarding the creation of pattern jury instructions by U.S. Courts of Appeals?
• Which of the following is a fundamental difference between criminal and civil law?
• Which of the following is included as primary authority in legal research?
• As a summer associate researching a fraud claim under Texas law, which step should follow reviewing secondary sources?
• For what purpose may judges refer to legislative history materials?
• Courts create what type of law?
• Are cases designated "not for publication" by a federal circuit court generally binding?
• What is the primary purpose of statutes?
• If a statute conflicts with a state supreme court decision, which prevails?
• What is meant by the date of enactment?
• What source should Sarah consult to research the Americans with Disabilities Act?
• Which statement is true regarding a natural language search compared to a Boolean search?
• What type of authority do treatises such as "Corbin on Contracts" represent?
• What is the primary benefit of using comprehensive legal research services?
• In which ways may Congress or a state legislature invalidate a statute?
• What type of law encompasses both state statutes and common law?
• In legal research, what is the purpose of a caselaw classification system?
• When conducting legal research, what approach is typically preferred after identifying primary sources?