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PLA 3106: Legal Research & Writing

This guide is dedicated to the Legal Research and Writing course.

Executive Law

The Florida administrative agencies create rules and regulations which interpret or enforce Florida laws. These rules and regulations are first published chronologically and subsequently published in a subject arrangement.

Florida Administrative Code Annotated. 1986-  (UWF Library Law Collection KFF 35 1986 A22)
Online Versions:
Florida Department of State  http://laws.flrules.org/
Westlaw
  1997-

Constitutional Law

Florida Statutes (UWF Library Law Collection KFF 30 A1 F55).
The Florida Constitution is printed in the index volume of the Florida Statutes. The latest edition of the statutes is in the Reference Collection and older editions are in the Main Library book stacks. (For more information about the Statutes, see Florida Legislation section below.)
Online Versions:
Florida, American Law Sources Online  http://www.lawsource.com/also/usa.cgi?fl
LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe
Online Sunshine
http://www.flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode+Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes
Westlaw

Legislative Law

West's Florida Session Law Service. Annual. (UWF Library Law Collection KFF 30 1970 A2)
Contains recent enactments of the Florida legislature. These volumes are published during each session of the legislature.
Online Versions :
LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe

Online Sunshine
  http://www.leg.state.fl.us


Westlaw
Laws of Florida. 1846-1903 (Special Collections), 1904-  (UWF Library Law Collection KFF 25 A3)
Laws passed by the Florida legislature are published at the end of each session in this work. Recent legislation is first published individually as a pamphlet. Sample citation: 1845 Fla. Laws 118.
Online Versions:
Online Sunshine
http://www.leg.state.fl.us
Westlaw
  1987-

Florida Statutes. 1941-  (UWF Library Law Collection KFF 30 A1 F55)
The latest edition is in the Reference collection and older editions are in the Main Library book stacks. This work provides a subject arrangement of the general and permanent laws of Florida.  Florida Statutes Annotated, 1943-, (UWF Library Law Collection KFF 30 1970 A2) contains the laws of Florida arranged in subject (or chapter number) order. This work also includes citations to state and federal decisions relating to each statute.
Online Versions:
Online Sunshine. 1993-  http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes
LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe.  1997-
Westlaw  1997-

Judicial Law

Judicial power in Florida is vested in a Supreme Court, district courts of appeal, circuit courts and county courts. Decisions from these courts are published chronologically and later published in a subject arrangement.

Florida Cases (a subset of Southern Reporter). volumes 1-current (1941-current)(UWF Library Law Collection KF 134 F582)
The official printed versions of Florida Opinions are also available in the Southern Reporter, 1887-1941. 2d Series, 1941-2003  (UWF Library Law Collection KF 135 S82). Sample citation: 190 So. 2d 253.  An extremely important finding aid to Florida case law is West's Florida Digest (UWF Library Law Collection KFF 47.1 F552) which indexes the cases by name and also provides brief summaries of cases.
Online Versions:
Florida State Courts
  http://www.flcourts.org
Supreme Court, District Courts of Appeal, Circuit Courts  Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe
Westlaw  1997-

Florida Rules of Court, State. Annual. (UWF Library Law Collection and Reserve KFF 529 A22)
Includes the current procedural court rules essential to state and federal practice. The rules and regulations, and by-laws of the Florida Bar are also provided in this work. See also Florida Rules of Court, Federal (UWF Library Law Collection and Reserve KFF 529 A23) and  the rules volumes of the Florida Statutes Annotated (UWF Library Law Collection KFF 30 1970 A2)
Online Versions:
Florida Legal Resources
http://www.law.ufl.edu/lic/links/florida/
Florida Rules of Procedure  http://www.flabar.org/newflabar/links/flrules.html
Florida State Courts  http://www.flcourts.org
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe
Westlaw  1997-

Florida Bar Journalhttp://www.floridabar.org
Provides an overview of the court system in Florida, a directory of lawyers, and employment opportunities.