CL730 Electronic Legal Research

Module 7 Assignment Document

1. Complete the activity on research by following the steps outlined below.

2. Submit your answer to the research activity (this document) to the Part 1 Dropbox for grading.

3. After you submit your research activity you will then answer the reflection questions and submit your reflection answers to the Part 2 Dropbox for grading.

Part 1: Complete the Research Activity

This assignment is focused on statutory research and will involve research around one particular issue. Your client recently moved a child to Texas in violation of a child custody order which was entered in California in 1999. A new proceeding has been started in Texas. Now you must research the statutes to fully prepare to represent your client. The child lived in California and the court order the client allegedly violated was from California.

Use tolawschool.westlaw.com to research the answers.

1. State statutes:

a) What is the name of the database for California statutes annotated as it appears on Westlaw?

b) Within that database, which onestatute section deals with child custody proceedings occurring in two different states at the same time?

c) Describe the steps you took to find the statute.

d) Summarize the statute as it pertains to your client.

e) Are the annotations (casenotes) any help on discovering the interaction of California and Texas law? How so?

f) Is the statute still "good?" How did you verify this?

g) Is there any pending legislation? How did you verify this?

h) What is the most relevant Witkin section provided by the annotated version of the statute section? [Witkin is a helpful secondary source in California. You'll find the section requested among the annotations to the statute.]

i) What is the database identifier for the session laws in California (either the database ID or the name as it appears when you select it?)

j) What is California's default rule as far as effective dates of laws? How did you find this? [The default rule would kick in if the statute itself did not specify when it would be effective.]

2. Your supervising attorney seems to think there is a federal statute out there somewhere. He advises you could look in the popular name table for Parental . . . something.

a) What is The Bluebook citation to the statute (Hint: it's in Title 28)?

b) Describe step by step how you located the statute:

c) Give your summary of one of the reasons for the law?

d) Describe step by step how you found this information:

e) What is the citation of the Public Law Number of the first version of the Act?

f) Because the actual move occurred in 1999, your supervising attorney wants to look at the version of the federal statute as it existed in that year. Describe how you would research her request.