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Difference between revisions of "The Law for Family Matters"
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Because the common law consists of the decisions of judges made over the past several hundred years, the common law is researched by looking at these decisions. These decisions are written down and printed in books. These books, depending on the publisher, are issued on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. (When you see a promotional photograph of a lawyer standing in front of a giant rack of musty, leather-bound books, the lawyer is standing in front of these collections of the case law.) These books, called ''reporters'', are where the past decisions of the courts are available if you need to make an argument about how the law applies to your particular situation. The most important reporter for family law is called the ''Reports on Family Law'', or the RFL for short. You can find collections of case law reporters in the library of your local courthouse or at a law school in your neighbourhood. These libraries are open to the public, although they may have restricted business hours. | Because the common law consists of the decisions of judges made over the past several hundred years, the common law is researched by looking at these decisions. These decisions are written down and printed in books. These books, depending on the publisher, are issued on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. (When you see a promotional photograph of a lawyer standing in front of a giant rack of musty, leather-bound books, the lawyer is standing in front of these collections of the case law.) These books, called ''reporters'', are where the past decisions of the courts are available if you need to make an argument about how the law applies to your particular situation. The most important reporter for family law is called the ''Reports on Family Law'', or the RFL for short. You can find collections of case law reporters in the library of your local courthouse or at a law school in your neighbourhood. These libraries are open to the public, although they may have restricted business hours. | ||
Thankfully, these days almost every important decision is published online as well. This makes research a lot easier and saves a lot of time travelling to and from libraries. CanLII, the Canadian Legal Information Institute | Thankfully, these days almost every important decision is published online as well. This makes research a lot easier and saves a lot of time travelling to and from libraries. [http://canlii.org CanLII], the Canadian Legal Information Institute, has a collection of most cases published since 1990 and a growing number of older cases from all parts of Canada. There are video tutorials on using CanLII effectively, courtesy of [http://www.canlii.org/en/blog/index.php?/archives/70-One-minute-legal-research-A-student-made-video-series.html CanLII's blog] and [http://www.courthouselibrary.ca/training/videos/FindingCasesOnPoint.aspx Courthouse Libraries BC's website]. | ||
The courts also post case law on their respective websites: | The courts also post case law on their respective websites: | ||