Blog
Notes on legal work.
Guides on research, citators, dockets, judges and running a firm. Written to be useful, with sources you can check.
Guides
How to find a statute and confirm it is current
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a federal or state statute, tell the code from the session laws, read effective dates and amendment history, spot repealed or superseded sections, and check the regulations underneath it.
Read guideHow to read a federal court docket: PACER, RECAP and what the entries mean
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.
Read guideA legal research workflow for solo attorneys and small firms
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.
Read guideHow to research a judge before a hearing
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.
Read guideHow to verify AI-generated legal citations before they go in a brief
Why language models fabricate case citations, what happened in Mata v. Avianca, and a verification checklist that catches hallucinated authority before a judge does.
Read guideHow to check whether a case is still good law
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.
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