Lexis for Criminal Law

Lexis-Nexis AcademicCriminal Justice Tutorial

Your client has been charged with solicitation for allegedly attempting to buy drugs from an undercover officer. Find out if the New York Court of Appeals considers the charge appropriate.

Case Scenario:

This is the screen you first see.

You need to know the case citation here, or the party names. It’s better to bypass this

screen and go directly to U.S. Legal

(left toolbar).

Constructing Your Search

Legal Topics = Headnotes

Headnotes are summaries of the law, written by Lexis attorney-editors.

More on why Headnotes are so importantin framing your search is explained in the next few slides.

The Court of Appeals is the highest court in New York State and the court

with the greatest authority, followed by the Supreme Court (this is unusual!).

You want to stick with Court of Appeals cases unless there are none, which is

usually not the case. If you do the search correctly, you should find at least

one relevant Court of Appeals case.

To print the list of Court of Appeals

cases, click the PRINT icon to the right.

To print the LIST OF CASES ONLY, select “List” at Document View (for the list of NY Court of Appeals

cases), and “Current Category” for Document Range (Court of Appeals only – NOT all NY cases).

Now, we need to decide which case we

will brief.

The Expanded List allows you to see how your search terms are

used in the case. It gives you a snapshot of your

case to allow you to determine if it appears to be relevant and one you would like to read

in more depth.

Tip: You NEED to read the case; this is only a short cut to help you

decide if you want to read the

case!

You want to pick the case that is BOTH

the most recent, and

most relevant.

You need to balance both requirements.

Headnotes are summaries of the law, written by Lexis attorney-editors. They are not part of the official opinion written by the judge; but they are excellent and vital resources for narrowing in on the key

points of law in the case. HEADNOTES ARE KEY LEGAL RESEARCH TOOLS.

After you have read the Headnotes and have made a decision that the case looks relevant, you need to read the actual opinion of the judge. The opinion is the

official case.

Remember, the Headnotes are simply interpretations of the law in the case, written by attorneys employed by

Lexis.

The OPINION is the official case!

So after all of this, how do you know your case is still good law?

Answer: Shepardize.

The main thing you need to know is if your case has been overruled by a later

case.

This case is ok. A yellow triangle is not fatal.

       -  Warning: Negative treatment is indicated

A red stop sign with an “X” usually means your case is no longer good law.

Find another case using the prior steps.

Now you can print, email, or download your case by choosing

among the icons in the upper rightcorner.

Remember, select

“List” if you want just the list of cases.

If you want the entire

case, select “Full Document.

”

If you are unsure of how to brief a case, check with your professor or use the Library

Criminal Law Subject Guide.

Academic Form Help: Easy Search or Ask a Librarian or Contact Reference: (518) 629-7337

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