# Frix Blog: notes on legal work

> Guides on legal research, citators, dockets, judges and running a small firm. Every case and statute mentioned links to its record in the free Frix Law Library.

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/blog
RSS: https://www.frixlaw.com/blog/feed.xml

## Guides

- [How to find a statute and confirm it is current](https://www.frixlaw.com/blog/how-to-find-a-statute-and-confirm-it-is-current.md): How to locate a federal or state statute, tell the code from the session laws, read effective dates and amendment history, spot repealed or superseded sections, and check the regulations underneath it.
- [How to read a federal court docket: PACER, RECAP and what the entries mean](https://www.frixlaw.com/blog/how-to-read-a-federal-docket.md): How to decode a federal case number, what the common docket entries are, how to find the operative complaint or a ruling quickly, and how to read filings free through RECAP and the Frix Law Library.
- [A legal research workflow for solo attorneys and small firms](https://www.frixlaw.com/blog/legal-research-workflow-for-solo-and-small-firms.md): A repeatable six-step research process for lawyers without a research department: frame the question, find a way in, expand through citing references, check the citator, confirm statutes, document it.
- [How to research a judge before a hearing](https://www.frixlaw.com/blog/how-to-research-a-judge-before-a-hearing.md): What to look for when researching a judge, where the public sources are, how to read prior rulings and financial disclosures, and when a disclosure raises a recusal question.
- [How to verify AI-generated legal citations before they go in a brief](https://www.frixlaw.com/blog/ai-legal-research-verify-citations.md): Why language models fabricate case citations, what happened in Mata v. Avianca, and a verification checklist that catches hallucinated authority before a judge does.
- [How to check whether a case is still good law](https://www.frixlaw.com/blog/how-to-check-if-a-case-is-still-good-law.md): A step-by-step method for confirming a case has not been overruled, reversed or limited, using KeyCite, Shepard's or a free citator, and what red and yellow flags actually mean.

## Articles

- [What an AI phone assistant should do for a personal injury firm](https://www.frixlaw.com/blog/ai-phone-intake-for-personal-injury-firms.md): What good intake looks like for a personal injury practice: the questions that matter, after-hours calls, conflicts, escalation, the line an AI assistant must never cross, and how to evaluate one.
- [What a citator is: KeyCite, Shepard's and automated citators explained](https://www.frixlaw.com/blog/what-is-a-citator-keycite-shepards-explained.md): A citator tells you every later authority that cited a case and what it said. This explains how Shepard's and KeyCite work, what the signals mean, and how automated citators differ.

## Comparisons

- [The best free legal research tools in 2026](https://www.frixlaw.com/blog/best-free-legal-research-tools.md): An honest roundup of free case law, statute, regulation and docket sources, with a comparison table covering coverage, citator, dockets and cost, and notes on where each one falls short.