Step 1: Secondary Sources - Other Sources

Other Sources

Legal Newspapers

  • Newspapers/magazines are a valuable source of both background information and recent legal developments.
  • Help identify current legal issues and trends.
  • Include information about the legal community and recent cases.

General Newspapers

  • University of Toronto E-Resources has many many newspapers available. See the Robart's Library Newspaper Research Guide for links to hundreds of current and historical newspapers from Canada and around the world

Legal Newspapers:

  • Lawyer’s Weekly
    K12 .A9692 LAW Bora Laskin Law Periodical Stacks (Last 6 months in print).
    Also available on LexisNexis/Quicklaw (1990-.)
  • Law Times
    K12 .A9946 LAW Bora Laskin Law Periodical Stacks (Last 6 months in print).

Legal Research Network Papers

  • For timely discussion of current legal issues go to the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN)
  • These works are not peer reviewed however they are generally written by scholars and experts prior to formal publication.

Legal Blogs

  • Blogs are online self published commentary on legal issues.
  • Blogs are a useful tool for current awareness and commentary and exchange of ideas by experts in the law field, such as academics, practitioners and law librarians.
  • Blog entries may include background information, case commentary, research tips and resources and/or links to full text material.
  • As with any publication, be sure to consider the authority and quality of the blog. Information found on blogs is not authoritative and subject to change. Make sure to confirm all information.

Canadian Law Blogs List

  • An current directory of those blogging about the law in Canada; includes hundreds of blogs; is searchable and arranged by subject and area of law.

Wikis

Legal Wikis are online collaborative websites that contain a collection of legal information.

Examples of legal wikis are:

  • Wikipedia – is a free online, collaborative encyclopedia. One of most well known wikis, it has numerous pages on legal topics.
  • Legal Tree - is the most prominent Canadian legal wiki; it includes articles on many legal topics authored by lawyers and experts.
  • Wex – provided by the Legal Information Institute (LII) of Cornell Law School. It is a public access collaborative legal dictionary and encyclopedia; however, authors and articles are pre-screened by the institute.
  • Jurispedia (the shared law) – is a legal wiki that is sponsored by a number of law faculties from around the world. It has over 1600 articles on various law topics.

As with any publication, be sure to consider the authority and quality of the wiki. Information found on wikis is not authoritative and subject to change. Make sure to confirm all information.

Legal Directories

These are directories to members of legal profession and contain such information as lawyers, firms, legal services offered, addresses, phone numbers, and email.

  • Canadian Legal Directory. Toronto: J.H. Wharton, 1911-. Published Annually.
    KE211. C36 Bora Laskin Law Reference A – Current Edition.
  • The Canadian Law List. Agincourt, Ont.: Canada Law Book, 1949-. Published Annually.
    KE211. C37 Bora Laskin Law Reference A – Current Edition.
    Online: The Canadian Law List Website
  • Lexpert – Canadian Legal Directory
  • Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory.
  • Ontario Legal Directory. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998-. Published Annually.
    Print: KE214. O57 Bora Laskin Law Reference A – Current Edition.

Law Society, Bar Association, Trial Lawyers Association Websites

Law Society, Bar Associations and Trial Lawyer Association websites contain information about current legal topics; they also often have current awareness tools such as Listservs, blogs, and newsletters.

Law Firm Newsletters

Many law firm websites contain articles, press releases, bulletins, newsletters and blogs about current legal topics and cases at their firms.