Beginner's Guide to Finding Legal Information

Cover of Beginner's Guide to Finding Legal Information

Beginner’s Guide to Finding Legal Information explains how to find legal information in British Columbia. It also provides links to many more self-help resources and guides. This guide is a starting point and is not meant to be exhaustive. It explains the law and legal procedures in general, and is not intended to give legal advice on your particular legal problem.

Contents

• Introduction

Understanding the Law

• How the Law Works in Canada
  • What is legislation?  · What is case law?

Understanding Your Legal Problem

• What Is My Legal Topic and What Are My Rights?
• Which Area of Law Does My Problem Fall Under?
  • General civil law  · Family law  · Criminal law
• How Do I Find the Laws That Concern My Legal Problem?

Taking Action

• Do I Need to Go to Court?
• Which Court Do I Need to Go to?
• How Do I Find Court Forms?
• How Do I Find Case Law?
• How Do I Find Out About Court Procedures?
• Where Can I Find Help with My Legal Problem?

Using Legal Information

• Primary Sources
• Secondary Resources and How to Find Them
• How Can I Tell If a Secondary Resource Is Reliable or If I Should Use It?
• Recommended Secondary Resources
  • Clicklaw website  · Legal dictionaries and glossaries  · Research resources at Courthouse Libraries BC  · Online guides to legal research  · More recommended online resources

Creative Commons

Beginner's Guide to Finding Legal Information © Courthouse Libraries BC 2015 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.