LibGuides: Legal Research Basics: Secondary Sources

General Secondary Sources

Substantive Legal Issues

When researching a substantive legal question, consult a subject-specific treatise when possible. The Research Librarians have created a list of recommended treatises arranged by subject to help you select a resource.

Procedural Legal Issues

When researching a federal procedural question, consult one of the following:

California Secondary Sources

Substantive Legal Issues

1. When researching a substantive legal question, start with one of the following general California sources.

California Criminal Law (4th ed.) by B.E. Witkin et al.
California Forms of Pleading and Practice Annotated
California Jurisprudence (3rd ed.)
Summary of California Law (11th ed.) by B.E. Witkin et al.
Witkin also publishes subject-specific treatises on California procedure, evidence, and criminal law. You can search all four at once using the combined index or by adding all four sources to your search.

2. Next, consult a California subject-specific treatise. View a list of our recommended treatises.

Procedural Legal Issues

When researching a California procedural issue, consult one of the following.

The Rutter Group, CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar), and Witkin publish excellent California-specific procedural guides.

1. Rutter Guides

2. CEB Practice Guides

3. Witkin