Using Legal Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
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Two of the most basic reference sources that many researchers use to familiarize
themselves with the terms, concepts, and topics found in law are legal dictionaries
and encyclopedias.
Legal dictionaries provide definitions and usage of terms found in law. Certain words
phrases, and Latin maxims commonly used in the legal profession are also included.
Words and Phrases, while technically not a legal dictionary, contains an alphabetized
list of words or phrases that have been judicially defined in state and federal court cases.
Legal encyclopedias provide more in-depth information on particular subject areas of
law. They can be an excellent starting point for learning about a legal topic that is
unfamiliar to the researcher. They contain a broad-based, general discussion about
the law in a specific subject area and include references to relevant statutes, cases,
and regulations.
Legal dictionaries and encyclopedias are used in the same way as their generalized
equivalents. The researcher simply looks up the word or phrases to be defined in an
alphabetized list of entries or the topic in the index volumes, usually found at the end
of the set, to find the section or sections under which his/her topic of interest is discussed.
SELECTED LEGAL DICTIONARIES AT ULV LAW LIBRARY
- Black's Law Dictionary, 8th ed., Bryan A. Garner, editor in chief.
St. Paul, MN: West Group, 2004.
- Location: Law Library Reference Stacks
Call No.: KF156 .B532 2004
- A Dictionary of Law, Consisting of Judicial Definitions and Explanations of Words,
Phrases, and Maxims, and an Exposition of the Principles of Law, by William C. Anderson.
Union, NJ: Lawbook Exchange, 1998. (Reprint of 1889 edition.)
- Location: Law Library Reference Stacks
Call No.: KF156 .A58 1998
- Modern Dictionary for the Legal Profession, by Gerry W. Beyer and
Kenneth R. Redden; editor Margaret M. Beyer. Buffalo, NY: W.S. Hein, 2001.
- Location: Law Library Reference Stacks
Call No.: KF156 .B49 2001
- Words and Phrases. St. Paul, MN: West Pub. Co., 1964.
- Location: Law Library Reference Stacks
Call No.: KF156 .W56
LEGAL DICTIONARIES ON THE NET
- Duhaime's Law Dictionary
- A glossary of legal terms in "plain English."
- International Law Dictionary
- Contains definitions of international legal terms and acronyms. Allows users to browse by
letter and includes hypertext links to related terms and links to other Internet sites.
- Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law
- A search-only dictionary on Martindale-Hubbell's website that includes 10,000 definitions of legal terms.
- Nolo's Law Dictionary
- A "plain English" glossary of legal terms on the Nolo Press website.
LEGAL ENCYCLOPEDIAS AT ULV LAW LIBRARY
- American Jurisprudence, Second Series (Am. Jur. 2d)
- Published by Thomson West, this multi-volume set covers broad areas of American law. It
is organized alphabetically by legal topics and provides citations to case law, relevant
forms sets, practice sets, and A.L.R. annotations.
Location: Law Library Reference Stacks
Call No.: KF154 .A42
- Corpus Juris Secundum (C.J.S.)
- Published by West Group, this multi-volume set also
covers broad areas of American law. It is organized alphabetically by broad titles similar
to those in digests and provides citations to cases, the U.S.C.A., and West's key number
references. It also functions as an annotated dictionary of legal terms, words, phrases,
and maxims (1st series also available).
Location: Law Library Referenece Stacks
Call No.: KF154 .C62
- California Jurisprudence, Third Series (Cal. Jur. 3rd)
- Published by Thomson West, this multi-volume
set covers broad areas of California law. It is organized alphabetically by legal topics and
provides citations to cases, Attorney General opinions, law review articles, and A.L.R.
annotations (earlier editions also available).
Location: Law Library Reference Stacks
Call. No.: KFC 80 .C33
N.B. Other Specialized Legal Dictionaries and Encyclopedias are also available.
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Posted: 1 Oct. 2004; rev. 10 Oct. 2007.
