Water Law Research
Elizabeth Farrell
Research/Instructional Technology Librarian
Fall, 2008
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Getting Started…
Water law can be confusing to research
because an issue may involve looking at
federal and state statutes, regulations and
common law. There also may be
significant overlap with environmental,
land use, and natural resources legal
issues.
So, where do you start?
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Secondary Sources!
Types of Secondary Sources:
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•
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Periodicals – law reviews/journals
Treatises
Legal Encyclopedias
CLE Materials
Current Awareness Tools (Blogs, Newsletters)
Don’t forget – Look for both topical (water) and jurisdictionand geographic-specific (Florida or Eastern U.S.) sources.
Also think about interdisciplinary materials (e.g., science,
engineering, urban planning/land use, geography).
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Check the Catalog!
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Research Strategy
If you’ve found a helpful
resource – mine the
bibliography, footnotes
and endnotes for
additional resources and
other angles to pursue
with your research.
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Treatises
• Lexis & Westlaw have valuable resources
(check both), however….
• There are a number of essential sources
outside LN/WL
• Check for both PRINT and ONLINE
materials
– Have you searched the catalog?
– Have you looked at the available databases?
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Water Law on Lexis
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Water Law on Westlaw
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Water Law on Westlaw
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Water Law on Westlaw
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Checking Interdisciplinary Sources
The FSU Libraries
have a wealth of
databases in nonlaw areas that
might be of interest
in researching local,
national and
international water
law topics.
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Current Awareness Tools
• Great for staying up on the issues and
controversies
• Good source to find paper topics
• Possible tools:
– Newsletters (BNA)
– Mainstream Media, Blogs
– Environmental Advocacy Organizations
• Always check on reliability and reputation
of source
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
BNA Newsletters
Access BNA via the Research Center’s list of databases.
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General/Business News
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Environmental/Water
Advocacy Groups
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Research Tip:
For policy
issues, make
sure you find
different
perspectives on
the issues!
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Other Important Water/
Environmental Law Databases
The Research Center has online (and some
print) access to these resources:
• BNA Environment Reporter
• ELI’s Environmental Law Reporter
• E&E Publications (ClimateWire, Land
Letter, Greenwire)
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
BNA Environment Reporter
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
ELI’s Environmental Law Reporter
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
E&E Publications
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Sources of Water Law
• Water law covers all branches of
government - you may need to research
statutes, regulations, administrative
decisions and cases depending on your
issue.
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Sources of Water Law - Florida
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Agencies often
have a number of
publications
available –
covering general,
legal and scientific
information.
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Sources of Water Law - Federal
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Florida State University College of Law Research Center
Questions?
Florida State University College of Law Research Center