Legal Research Guide
8 Common Types of Legal Research
Discover 8 common types of legal research and how each helps build stronger legal arguments.
May 26, 2025
Legal research can feel overwhelming, especially when diving into different types of research. Knowing the right approach is crucial when sifting through case law, analyzing statutes, or interpreting regulations. This guide breaks down the types of legal research to help you work more efficiently, including how to do legal research with AI tools that can speed up your process.
Otio’s AI research and writing partner is one such tool. It is designed to help you research and write faster, freeing your time for more critical tasks.
Table Of Contents
Importance of Legal Research
Legal research is your compass. It gives you precise answers and lets you present your case confidently. Proper research enables you to fight back with strong counterarguments. It’s like having the answers before the test.
Know the Case Inside Out
You can’t wing it in front of a jury. Legal research gives you the knowledge to explain information and evidence clearly. You’ll be ready for any question or statement that comes your way. It helps you maintain a strong image with your client and the court.
Break Down the Issues
Some cases seem like a tangled mess at first. Legal research helps you break down complex issues into manageable parts. You can eliminate unnecessary data and focus on what matters. This makes it easier to handle complications without losing your mind.
Add Value and Strengthen Your Case
A well-researched case shows your hard work and attention to detail. It delivers value by presenting solid evidence and details. Good research lets you anticipate different situations in court and gives you the power to present relevant proof.
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8 Common Types of Legal Research
1. Understanding Doctrinal Legal Research
Doctrinal research, often called “black-letter law” research, is the cornerstone of legal research. It zeroes in on the authoritative texts of the law. Think of it as asking, “What’s the law on this issue?” You’ll dive into statutes, regulations, and case law to get clear answers. This approach demands gathering all relevant primary sources, then interpreting them to state the law accurately. You’ll spend much time in libraries, reading legislation, court decisions, and scholarly works to synthesize principles. The core tasks involve interpretation, like resolving ambiguities in a statute or reconciling conflicting case precedents.
2. Exploring Non-Doctrinal (Empirical) Legal Research
Non-doctrinal research, or empirical or socio-legal research, examines law in context. It doesn’t just stick to legal texts; it investigates how the law operates in society, often using methods from social sciences. This approach is ideal for questions like “How effective is this law in achieving its goals?” or “How do people perceive this legal process?” For instance, you might examine how a domestic violence law is enforced by police and experienced by victims, gathering data through interviews or arrest statistics. Empirical legal research tests whether legal rules work as intended and informs law reform with factual evidence. Many contemporary issues, like assessing racial bias in sentencing, require empirical study to answer meaningfully.
3. Embracing Analytical Legal Research
Analytical research goes beyond mere description to critically evaluate existing law. It involves critical thinking and evaluation of legal rules, often aiming to resolve ambiguities or propose improvements. Analytical research is part of doctrinal work, but digs deeper: Why is the law that way? Is it logically consistent? What are the alternative interpretations? An analytical legal research project might examine a Supreme Court decision and critique its reasoning, suggesting a different interpretation that better fits the statute or precedent.
4. Painting the Picture with Descriptive Legal Research
Descriptive research, as the name implies, seeks to describe legal phenomena accurately and systematically, without evaluation or criticism. It’s like mapping out the current state of affairs. For instance, you might compile and explain the provisions of all current data protection laws in a particular country, or document the historical development of a legal doctrine. The goal isn’t to analyze whether something is good or bad, but to provide a clear picture of “what exists.” Descriptive research often answers “what” and “how” questions, such as “How has the Supreme Court’s stance on free speech evolved?”
5. Comparing with Comparative Legal Research
Comparative research compares legal systems or laws across different jurisdictions or periods. It identifies similarities and differences, often to glean insights or best practices from one system that could benefit another. For example, it examines how two countries regulate hate speech or compares corporate governance codes in the EU versus the US. This type of research is common in academic scholarship and the development of international law or transnational regulations. The complex but rewarding research underscores that the law is not uniform worldwide.
6. Problem-Solving with Applied Legal Research
Applied research is problem-oriented and seeks practical solutions to concrete issues. Unlike “pure” research, which might be theoretical, applied legal research is geared towards application, often directly assisting a decision-maker or solving a client’s problem. For example, suppose a law firm faces a novel issue for a client. In that case, the associates' research is applied study: They’re trying to find the answer to help that client decide, such as whether a particular business practice is legal or what the legal risks are. Features of applied research include a clear statement of the problem, analysis of the law relevant to that problem, and a set of actionable conclusions.
7. Crunching Numbers with Quantitative Legal Research
Quantitative legal research involves quantifiable data, such as statistics on court case outcomes, empirical surveys with numerical results, or datasets like sentencing data, crime rates, and contract clause frequency. It often goes hand in hand with empirical research, where hypotheses can be tested with numbers. For instance, accident statistics before and after a new law can be compared to see if it reduces accidents. Quantitative research requires knowledge of statistical methods to ensure a valid interpretation of data.
8. Going Deep with Qualitative Legal Research
Qualitative legal research, on the other hand, deals with non-numerical data, such as interview transcripts, case studies, or textual analysis of legal materials. Much of doctrinal research is qualitative, as it involves interpreting text. Socio-legal research can also be qualitative, like ethnographic studies of how a community uses dispute resolution, or in-depth interviews with judges about making decisions. Qualitative research provides a rich, detailed understanding, though it may be more subjective and not generalizable in the statistical sense.
8 Tips for Efficient Legal Research
1. Streamline Research With Otio
Research today is a mixed bag, filled with too much content and fragmented tools. Enter Otio, a game changer for researchers, students, and anyone overwhelmed by the digital info overload. Otio is your one-stop AI workspace that collects, extracts, and helps you create with ease. Save everything from tweets to YouTube videos, then let Otio break it into valuable insights. You can even chat with your collected links, just like talking with ChatGPT. Ready to speed up your research and writing? Otio’s got your back.
2. Gather Essential Details About Your Legal Issue
Before you rush to find cases, step back and gather the details of your legal issue. Knowing the who, what, when, where, and how will set the stage for more effective research. This foundation streamlines your process and ensures you don’t miss critical information.
3. Define Your Legal Issue and Goal
Use the details you’ve collected to define the legal issue you’re dealing with. Establishing this early helps you determine what you know and need to learn and which jurisdiction matters. This strategy narrows your search terms and keeps you on track.
4. Understand Precedent in Your Jurisdiction
Not all precedents carry the same weight. Pay attention to whether a precedent is controlling in your jurisdiction or merely persuasive. Know the difference. This helps you gauge the relevance and weight of the cases you find.
5. Know the Types of Legal Sources You Need
Legal research involves three main types of sources: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary sources like case law and statutes are the backbone. Secondary sources like law reviews explain and interpret the law, helping you understand it better. Know what you’re looking for and why.
6. Start With Secondary Sources
Secondary sources are your best friend when starting legal research. They save time by summarizing the law and pointing you to primary sources. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Use the work already done by experts to your advantage.
7. Verify You’re Using “Good” Law
Legal research is useless if the law you’re using isn’t valid. Check that your cases and statutes are still “good” law. Use citators like Casetext’s SmartCite to verify authority. This ensures you’re not using overruled or outdated statutes.
8. Report Your Findings to Check for Gaps
Compile your research into a legal memorandum to spot any gaps. This document helps you see what you know and need to discover. It’s a crucial step that ensures you’re not missing anything important.
Use Cases of Legal Research
The Long Haul of Document Review and Legal Research
Legal professionals spend countless hours examining documents and conducting research. This meticulous work can lead to mistakes and inefficiencies.
Predictive Analytics: The Crystal Ball of Law
Predicting case outcomes or settlement amounts means no walking in the park. Lawyers face the constant challenge of forecasting the likelihood of success in litigation.
Managing the Contract Avalanche
Contracts pile up quickly. Legal teams can find it overwhelming to manage and analyze these documents for compliance and risks.
Automating the Tedious Legal Grind
Legal processes often involve repetitive tasks that consume valuable time. These routine tasks can reduce efficiency and productivity.
Due Diligence in M&A: No Detail Left Behind
Thorough due diligence in mergers and acquisitions demands a comprehensive review of financial, legal, and operational data. Missing details isn’t an option.
E-Discovery: Sifting Through the Digital Haystack
During litigation, e-discovery requires sorting through massive volumes of electronic data, which is expensive and time-consuming.
Staying Ahead of Compliance and Regulatory Changes
Regulations change rapidly, and legal professionals must stay updated to ensure compliance. Falling behind could have serious consequences.
Keeping Clients in the Loop
Providing timely and personalized legal advice to clients is a perpetual challenge. Meeting clients’ demands requires efficient communication.
Locking Down Data Security and Privacy
Legal firms are responsible for handling sensitive client data. Ensuring data security and compliance with regulations is non-negotiable. Struggling with a mountain of information and the endless task of finding what matters? Let Otio be your AI research and writing partner. Our unified workspace helps you gather, analyze, and create with ease. Try Otio for free today!
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Supercharge Your Researching Ability With Otio — Try Otio for Free Today
Legal research often means drowning in a sea of content. Bookmark this, read that later, take notes somewhere else. It's chaos. Otio cuts through it all. This AI-native workspace is your go-to for collecting various data sources from bookmarks and tweets to books and YouTube videos. It’s like having an intelligent assistant that gathers and organizes everything you need in one place.
Let AI Do the Heavy Lifting
Ever wish you had an extra set of hands to sift through all your research materials? Otio can be that for you. With AI-generated notes on everything you bookmark, you can say goodbye to information overload. Like ChatGPT, the tool lets you chat with individual links or entire knowledge bases. Imagine having a conversation with your research materials. You ask questions, and they answer. It's like magic.
Write Faster, Not Harder
When it comes to writing, speed matters. Otio helps you get from a reading list to a first draft faster. It’s like having a co-writer who’s always ready to help. With AI-assisted writing, you can draft outputs using your collected sources. So you spend less time staring at a blank screen and more time writing.
Go Beyond Traditional Research
Why limit yourself to academic papers and search engines? Otio’s web scraping capabilities let you access various data sources. Collect diverse information from bookmarks, tweets, books, and YouTube videos. This feature streamlines the process of curating and analyzing data for research purposes. It’s like having a superpower that makes your research more comprehensive and impactful.
Try Otio and Work Smarter
Legal research doesn’t have to be a slog. Let Otio be your AI research and writing partner. Whether you're a student, a professional, or just someone with a curious mind, this tool can help you work smarter, not harder. So why not give it a try?
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