Not all case law is published.  Generally, appellate court decisions that may be used in the future to set precedent are published (reported) in a series of print books (case reporters) specific to that court.  Attorneys use published case law as a means to argue before a court, which interprets the law. For more about the print reporter system see the following document.  

WestLaw is one of the largest publishers of legal documents and research in the United States. For the widest coverage, begin most legal research for business topics or cases or secondary law reviews in this database. 

The following videos show how to research the most often requested types of legal information.

Please note that these videos list Kathy Gaynor as the liaison to Law/Legal Studies. Kathy is no longer employed at the library. For help, on the left navigation menu please use the library's Ask A Librarian service or contact one of the subject librarians. 

Log in to Westlaw 

If you want to search for a specific case or law review articles on a topic, start with Westlaw, our largest database of legal documents and research. For more legal resources, please see the Law/Legal Studies at Webster University Libraries research guide.

Pratice Areas in Westlaw

You may also browse or search for documents in a legal practice area. 

1. Click the Practice Areas tab at the top of the database home page
2. If you want to search both federal and state materials, click the link at the right on the search bar. (Shown as "All Federal" in image 1 below.)
3. Select the checkbox for each jurisdiction that you want to include. In image 2 below, we've checked "All" for both states and federal. Save the filter when prompted.
4. Click one of the practice areas. Image 2, below, shows the Labor & Employment practice area.
5. You must select one of the formats of information to search. We've selected Cases. (I.e. You can not search All Content)
6. WestLaw will display the 10 most recent documents in that format. 
7. To search for your topic, enter a search term in the search box or click "Advanced" for more information about how to search. We've searched for cases that contain the exact phrase "family medical leave" (enclose phrase in double quotation marks).
8. Notice that you may narrow / filter your results using the menu to the left.

Image 1

Image 2

The Legal Information Institute (LII) at Cornell University Law School is a "small not-for-profit group that believes everyone should be able to read and understand the laws that govern them, without cost." They fulfill this mission by "publishing law online, for free, and creating materials that help people understand" the law. Statutes/codes for those studying business law include:
United States

• Federal Law
• U.S. Constitution
• U.S. Code
• C.F.R. - Code of Federal Regulations
  • Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) System is Title 48 of C.F.R.
  • Title 48, Chapter 2 is Defense Acquisition Regulation System - commonly known as DFAR
• U.C.C. -- Uniform Commercial Code
• Supreme Court
• Federal Rules

U.S. States

• State law resources
• State statutes by topic

World -- National and International laws