- useful Law Assignment tips!

Legal research is one of the hardest parts to master throughout your uni life. The skills you learn are important for both doing problem question assignments as well as essays. That's why we have compiled a concise summary of the most useful resources we have come across, along with some tips on how to search for the information you need.

Useful tips for searching:
- Use quotation marks for phrases
- Use search operators such as AND, OR, NOT
- Use wildcards such as *, !, especially where there may be different forms of the word

	Resource	Description
Cases	LexisNexis Australia, as well as the US and UK sites	The best place for finding cases and their full text versions. They have a CaseBase feature where some important cases are summarised.
	FirstPoint	Less hits for cases than LexisNexis, but most of the important ones are there. Usually accompanied with a short summary. Good for getting PDF copies of cases.
	Westlaw	Good for finding overseas cases.
	AustLII	Law firms hate it, but it is loved by academics. Search engine is not user‑friendly. However, this is the official source for High Court of Australia cases.
Journals	Westlaw	A very good resource for finding articles published in overseas journals, and has a very intuitive interface.
	JSTOR	A huge index of articles and journals in almost all subject areas, not just law. However, it contains mostly US articles.
	Hein Online	Similar to JSTOR. Between JSTOR and Hein Online, you will usually find the articles you need. However, the search function is very unintuitive.
	AGIS/Informit	Focuses mainly on Australian issues. A bit of a hit and miss in relation to useful articles, but there is often a hidden gem if you are persistent. Not everything is in full‑text, but use the ones that are not as leads for future research.
	SAGE Publications	Has a very good search engine with a mix of both local and international content.
	Google	Searching on Google can provide a good lead for finding useful journal articles. Don't forget that Google now also searches books, so you have more information at your fingertips.
	Institutions relevant to the subject area	Some legal institutions have their own database of relevant articles. For example, the Taxation Institute website has a whole database of tax seminar papers and essays which are not indexed anywhere else.
	LexisNexis	Not the best for Australian journals, but you will have better luck with the US and UK sites.
Legislation	ComLaw	The official site for Australian federal law. Has both PDF and HTML copies, and usefully links each Act to subordinate legislation and regulations made under that Act.
	AustLII	The quickest and easiest way to browse any Australian federal or state legislation. However, sometimes it might be outdated, and be wary of spelling errors.
	LawLex	Very useful for tracking the progress of legislation in Parliament, as well as tracking start dates for new and amended legislation. Also indexes regulations and bills.
Commentary	CCH	A wide range of topics is available on CCH, and is regularly updated. Easy to navigate and good for gaining a broad overview.
Commentary	LexisNexis	Has numerous sources of commentary, the most useful being Halsbury's Laws of Australia.

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How to answer Law Problem questions

Answering problem questions in assignments is just like how you would answer it under exam conditions, albeit in a much longer and more detailed fashion. Sometimes, you may need to do legal research to find relevant cases. In this regard, you should read our legal research section above. You may also find our free sample problem question useful. We have outlined some tips for you below:

Introductions and conclusions – Make sure you have an introduction and conclusion. A strong introduction should foreshadow your arguments but should not contain substantive legal argument. Your conclusion should concisely summarise all the findings. Ensure your conclusion answers the question posed.
Headings – Make generous use of headings and sub‑headings. If possible, number these headings for ease of reference. This saves you from wasting your word limit and repeating yourself.
Apply the law – Do not simply quote the case, legislation or book without applying it to the problem. It is always better to apply the legal proposition directly to the issue.
Structure and flow – Make sure your legal argument flows and is logical throughout your whole answer. Lecturers are not marking your answer based on discrete parts, but on the whole assignment’s logical presentation of ideas. Avoid legalese if possible.
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How to answer Law Essay and Research questions

Essay and research questions require thoughtful analysis of the question. You may also find our free sample research essay useful.

Research – Keep the scope of your research manageable. If you cast your search too wide, you’ll be inundated with articles that are similar but not exactly what you need. A useful tip is to check the references and citations in a relevant article, then use those to find other related articles.
Headings – As with answering problem questions, make sure you use as many headings and sub‑headings as you need to. Number them if possible for ease of reference. This helps maintain the structure and flow of your essay.
Take a stand – A well‑written essay should present both sides of the argument comprehensively before explaining why you have taken a particular stand. Cover both arguments and then take a side, to show the marker that you have thought through your argument before presenting it.
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Citation guide

Proper citation is expected in all law assignments. While it can be tedious, it is more important than you think. Lecturers expect students not to take shortcuts when doing citations. Easy marks, and a good impression of your assignment, can be gained by following the proper citation rules.

Helpfully, the Melbourne University Law Review Association has published the Australian Guide to Legal Citation, which is a comprehensive guide detailing the proper rules for legal citation. It is very easy to follow and can be downloaded online here.
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First Year Subjects:

Contract Law Notes, Criminal Law Notes, Legal Professional Conduct Notes

Second Year Subjects:

Property Law Notes, Administrative Law Notes, Business Associations Law Notes

Third Year Subjects:

Litigation Law Notes, Evidence Law Notes, Federal Constitutional Law Notes

Elective Subjects:

Commercial Law Notes, Intellectual Property Law Notes, Legal and Social Theory Notes

Subject	Sample Summaries	Purchase
Contract Law Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents
Criminal Law Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents
Legal Professional Conduct Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents
Property Law Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents
Administrative Law Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents
Business Associations Law Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents
Litigation - Civil Procedure Law Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents
Litigation - Criminal Procedure Law Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents
Evidence Law Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents
Federal Constitutional Law Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents
Commercial Law Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents
Intellectual Property Law Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents
Law and Social Theory Summary Notes Revised: Recently updated for	Summary 1 Summary 2 Table of Contents

- useful Law Assignment tips!

Exam Tips

Assignment Tips

Reading Tips

Legal research

How to answer Law Problem questions

How to answer Law Essay and Research questions

Citation guide