Library: Management &amp; Leadership at Webster University Library: Business Law

The U.S. federal and Missouri case law reporter system

Not all case law is published. Generally, appellate court decisions that may be used in the future to set precedent are published (reported) in a series of print books (case reporters) specific to that court. Attorneys use published case law as a means to argue before a court, which interprets the law. For more about the print reporter system see the following document.

How/Where is Case Law Published/Reported
A “Reporter” is a series of books in which legal opinions are published. Case reporters are the published opinions of individual courts (jurisdictions). Opinions are placed in reporters in the order they are published. Separate indexes are created to locate cases by legal issue or topic. This document also provides call numbers for U.S. federal and Missouri state print reporters shelved in Emerson Library's reference collection.

Comprensive legal database

WestLaw is one of the largest publishers of legal documents and research. Begin most legal research for business topics or cases or secondary law reviews in the Westlaw (Thomson Reuters) database.

Westlaw (Thomson Reuters)
Combines breadth of news and business information with depth of law-related information to provide a complete view of any issue. Includes full-text of legislation, regulations, court decisions, and law reviews and journals. Also features company profiles, transcripts of news broadcasts, and current and archival news articles.

Watch and learn Westlaw with library videos

Please note that these videos list Kathy Gaynor as the liaison to Law/Legal Studies. Kathy is no longer employed at the library. For help, on the left navigation menu please use the library's Ask A Librarian service or contact one of the subject librarians.

Westlaw (Thomson Reuters) practice areas

If you want to search for a specific case or law review articles on a topic, start with Westlaw, our largest database of legal documents and research. For more legal resources, please see the Law/Legal Studies at Webster University Libraries research guide.

Pratice Areas in Westlaw

You may also browse or search for documents in a legal practice area.

Click the Practice Areas tab at the top of the database home page
If you want to search both federal and state materials, click the link at the right on the search bar. (Shown as "All Federal" in image 1 below.)
Select the checkbox for each jurisdiction that you want to include. We've checked "All" for both states and federal. (See image 2.) Save the filter when prompted.
Click one of the practice areas. Image 2, below, shows the Labor & Employment practice area.
You must select one of the formats of information to search. We've selected Cases. (I.e. You can not search All Content)
WestLaw will display the 10 most recent documents in that format.
To search for your topic, enter a search term in the search box or click "Advanced" for more information about how to search. We've searched for cases that contain the exact phrase "family medical leave" (enclose phrase in double quotation marks).
Notice that you may narrow / filter your results using the menu to the left.

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Additional business law databases

BVLaw (Business Valuation Resources) This link opens in a new window
Full-text of federal and state court decisions and IRS materials on valuation.
Fastcase
A legal research database with U.S. federal and Missouri state cases, statutes, etc. and selected secondary sources, such as journals, treatises, and books. Includes the Missouri Bar Deskbooks for CLE (Continuing Legal Education).
Max Planck Encyclopedias of Public International Law
A comprehensive online resource containing peer-reviewed articles on every aspect of public international law. Written and edited by an incomparable team of over 800 scholars and practitioners, published in partnership with the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, and updated throughout the year, this major reference work is essential for anyone researching or teaching international law.

Free website for US business law resources

The Legal Information Institute (LII) at Cornell University Law School is a "small not-for-profit group that believes everyone should be able to read and understand the laws that govern them, without cost." They fulfill this mission by "publishing law online, for free, and creating materials that help people understand" the law. Statutes/codes for those studying business law include:
United States

Federal Law
U.S. Constitution
U.S. Code
C.F.R. - Code of Federal Regulations
- Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) System is Title 48 of C.F.R.
- Title 48, Chapter 2 is Defense Acquisition Regulation System - commonly known as DFAR
U.C.C. -- Uniform Commercial Code
Supreme Court
Federal Rules

U.S. States

State law resources
State statutes by topic

World -- National and International laws

Library

Management & Leadership at Webster University Library

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