Legal Research as ADR: The Three Keys Method

This chapter will highlight a simplified approach to legal research. I have dubbed this approach, “The Three Keys Method” and it boils legal research down to engagement with three integral strategies: (1) the use of secondary sources to develop a better understanding of a legal issue, (2) finding effective primary sources of law (especially legislation and case law) for use with said legal issue, and (3) Noting up those primary sources of law (sometimes referred to as “Shepardizing” or “updating”) to determine their validity. Repeated use of this straightforward strategy will lead to better outcomes for the researcher, and it is my hope that the Three Keys Method will encourage more legal professionals, regardless of discipline or experience, to engage with legal research more substantively in their practice. The analysis and suggestions offered in this chapter are based on my own experiences teaching legal research as an instructor and law librarian at the University of Manitoba, in Winnipeg, Canada.