Welcome to the Prepare to Practice 2023 Resource Guide! 

This guide highlights the resources and practice tips from the Prepare to Practice 2023 lunch-and-learning training. 

Law Practice Tips

• Understand the research project. 

Assigning attorneys and clients may not provide everything you need to complete your research. If you begin researching and realize you don't understand the facts or issue or you discover you are missing relevant information, ask follow-up questions to improve your understanding of the research assignment. It is better to ask for clarification rather than wasting client and firm time.

• Clarify expectations & deadlines.

Clarify assigning attorney and/or client expectations and deadlines for the research project. For example: How should you communicate your research results e.g., verbally, via email or legal memorandum? How much time should you spend researching? Are there any deadlines you should be aware of for the project? 

• Manage your time.

Time is money in the legal industry. Understand how you should bill your time and if your employer has a standard format you should follow. Make sure you are tracking the amount of time you spend on a client's matter and keep detailed notes about what work you've completed for the client. This will help you provide accurate time entries and descriptions of the billable work you've completed for the client. 

• Know the research resources available to you.

Ask about the research resources available to you, including any specialized databases, and make sure you obtain passwords, if needed. Remember to ask about any database subscription limitations to ensure you understand how you can use the research resource.

• Continuing access to your academic research accounts.

Recent graduates and continuing students have access to their Bloomberg Law, Lexis+, and Westlaw Precision academic accounts. Ask your employer before using your academic account or any other law school resources as your employer may prefer you only use its resources. 

• Think About Your Research. 

Before you start searching, take a few moments to think about your research topic. Identify the jurisdiction (i.e., federal, state, or local), controlling source of law (i.e., cases, statutes, regulations, or some combination of these sources), and important facts. Having this information before you begin research will help you frame the legal issue and select the best starting point for your research. 

• Research is an iterative process.

If you are not familiar with your topic, use a secondary source to begin your research to learn helpful background information and find key primary sources. Use multiple search strategies, including Boolean searching and post-search filtering to find all the relevant law for your research issue. Expand and validate your research using legal citators (e.g., Shepard's and KeyCite). Review your results for additional key terms, relevancy, and refine your research question as you go. Remember to ask yourself - Has your research provided an adequate answer for the legal issue in your jurisdiction? 

• Contact the Ruth Lilly Law Library.

We are an available resource for students and McKinney alumni. If you are unsure how to start a research project or what database to use, please reach out. We are happy to help! Email lawlref@iu.edu or call 317-274-4026.