Alabama Legal Research: Primary Resources

This lesson will familiarize the user with Alabama's primary sources, including the state constitution, statutes, administrative regulations, and case law. Among other things, this lesson addresses how a bill becomes law in Alabama, five ways to find Alabama statutes, and six ways to find Alabama cases with the West Digest System. The lesson discusses print and online sources, including researching primary law with free online services. This lesson does not cover secondary sources, such as treatises and law review articles.

No prior knowledge of Alabama legal research is necessary to follow this lesson.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify some of the primary resources for Alabama primary legal research.
2. Explain why research of primary resources should begin with the Alabama Constitution.
3. Discuss how Alabama statutes are enacted and organized.