Secondary Sources: Using Treatises

Using Treatises

Using legal treatises is like using any non-law book with a few exceptions. First, for a publication to provide reliable coverage of contemporary issues, it must be updated regularly and accurately to reflect changes in the law. Some form of updating (such as pocket parts, looseleaf filing or period revisions) is valuable and researchers should consult any updated materials. Second, while print is still the standard form of publication, more and more treatises are available online. For example, Westlaw and Lexis provide an increasing number of treatises online (such as Couch on Insurance and Nimmer on Copyright). Online versions of treatise are not necessarily more up to date, but they do allow for full-text searching which may be of value to a researcher.