3 What Is Legal Research?
Theresa Buller
Legal research is the ability to find, evaluate and use sources of legal information to:
- solve a legal problem;
- suggest reform of the law;
- compare the laws of different jurisdictions;
- understand the role of law in society.
“Lawyers are expected to know the law when they come to Court. In presenting an argument, a lawyer is expected to have researched the law and not simply be depending on other’s statements whether in textbooks or of researchers. It is the lawyer’s duty to assist the Court in determining the law applicable.”[1]
- Duncan Webb, Kathryn Dalziel and Kerry Cook Ethics, Professional Responsibility and the Lawyer (3rd ed, LexisNexis, Wellington, 2016) at [14.11]. ↵
