Explain the Meaning of Legal Research

Because in quantitative research, researchers use a number of statistical methods and generalizations to determine the meaning of the data. This was the dominant strategy for conducting research in social law. Quantitative methods often test or verify existing theories or hypotheses. Descriptive research attempts to systematically describe a situation, problem, phenomenon or behaviour. A description is about making complicated things understandable and simple. It also helps researchers follow a consistent logic in research and prepare them for potential challenges. Methodology is also an important way to play reliable and valid knowledge and explore the relationship between theory and practice. Judges often write opinions that non-lawyers cannot easily follow. The legislator does the same with laws. If you`re researching a legal topic and you`ve hit a wall, it may be in your best interest to talk to a lawyer.

Consider contacting a lawyer in your area who can research the law for you and represent you in court if necessary. Legal research is an important part of the modern legal education system. Legal education performs several related functions: the acquisition of theoretical knowledge, practical training and general education that contributes to correct legal reasoning, effective communication and ethical responsibility. Legal research can facilitate the achievement of these objectives by placing the law in a broader intellectual context. Before you start researching laws and court opinions, you must first define the scope of your legal research project. There are several key questions you can use to do this. Qualitative research involves a more explicit evaluation or interpretation or critical evaluation of a problem. With regard to case law, the qualitative method is used to analyse legal principles or legal theories or doctrines and to examine existing legal theses and cases in the light of proposals or doctrines. Similarly, a corporate lawyer can conduct legal research to determine whether a proposed new policy would expose the company to liability.

This may include research on building codes, labor laws, or federal environmental regulations. Second, tests of statistical significance give researchers additional credibility when it comes to the interpretations they make and the confidence they have in their results. The results of qualitative research are generally open, which is difficult to generalize: many qualitative research papers are doctrinal in nature. Observation, interview, case study, investigation, analysis are the most common method of qualitative research. Another important classification is between qualitative and quantitative research. Legal research is known to take a lot of time and effort, and accessing online legal research databases can be expensive. Therefore, with due regard to ethical concerns, law firms and other practitioners may turn to external legal research providers to outsource their legal research needs. [8] On the other hand, research methodology refers to the set of methods that guide reflection in a particular field of study.

A methodology is a justification or justification for the research approach and deals with the overall strategy or approach of the research activity. One of the traditional classifications is basic and applied research. You must provide relevant, VAC-level advice and design documents effectively. All of these investigations into factual and legal issues require legal knowledge, skills, rigor, and preparation for lawyers to effectively represent clients.10 Knowing where to start a challenging legal research project can be challenging. But if you already understand the basics of legal research, the process can be considerably simpler, if not faster. As a result, empirical or interdisciplinary legal research has emerged as an independent type of jurisprudence in law schools in Western countries to study law in broader social and political contexts. This empirical and interdisciplinary legal research uses a number of methods applied in the humanities. According to Epstein and King, it seeks to explain various aspects of the legal system, the legislative and judicial process, and the nature and function of law in society. Legal research also deals with “the understanding and internal consistency of legal concepts and argumentation.

Don`t throw your net too far when it comes to legal research, i.e. you should focus on the jurisdiction involved. For example, is your case about federal or state law? And if it is the law of the state, which state? You can find a case in a California state court that goes straight to the point, but it won`t be very helpful if your legal project involves New York law. In day-to-day practice, lawyers must identify and analyze facts, identify the legal context in which facts occur, identify legal issues, and apply relevant legislation to facts. They should link the central legal and factual issues and identify the legal, factual and other issues raised in the documents. So if that`s the primary law you want, it makes sense to look at it first, right? Not so fast. While you need primary sources of law to support your case, in many cases it is much easier – and a more efficient use of your time – to start your research in secondary sources such as how-to guides, articles, and legal articles.