It is usually a good idea to start your research with secondary sources: books and articles written by legal scholars and practitioners who are experts in their field. They are considered "secondary" sources because they are not primary sources of the law (i.e. cases, statutes, and regulations). Secondary sources summarize, explain, analyze primary law, often providing important historical context and information about areas where the law is unsettled.
Don't reinvent the wheel by trying to piece together the case law, statutes, and regulations governing a particular topic yourself - start with secondary sources and see if an expert has already done that work for you!
Secondary sources specifically written for in-house counsel, also known as corporate counsel:
Corporate Counsel's Guides (Westlaw)
A collection of guides on a variety of topics, such as Corporate Counsel's Guide to Employment Contracts, Corporate Counsel's Guide to Intellectual Property, Corporate Counsel's Guide to Privacy, and many more.
Corporate Counsel Guidelines (Westlaw)
Covers topics such as attorney-client privilege, ethical issues for inside counsel, individual rights and liabilities of corporate counsel, and more.
Corporate Counsel Guides: Practice Basics (Bloomberg)
A introduction to what an in-house lawyer is and does
In-House Counsel's Essential Toolkit (Bloomberg)
Covers corporate compliance and ethics, corporate governance, employment law, general businses contracts, intellectual property, and litigation.
You can also browse for treatises and deskbooks by practice area on Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg. These platforms have different secondary sources, so it is a good idea to check all three! The best secondary source for your research problem might be on a database that you do not habitually use.
Scroll down to view secondary sources By Topic and then select the practice area that you are interested in, such as:
Once you have selected a practice area, filter the results by Publication Type > Texts & Treatises (in the menu on the left side of the screen) for a more focused list of treatises, deskbooks, and practice guides.
Lexis Treatises, Guides & Jurisprudence
Scroll down to view secondary sources by Practice Area and select the area that you are researching in, such as:
Scroll down the page to view books and treatises grouped by topic, including
You can also find state-specific secondary sources on Westlaw and Lexis.
Scroll down to where secondary sources are organized By State and select the state you are researching. Filter results by Publication Type > Texts & Treatises to focus on books. This is where you will find the popular Washington Practice Series, for example, with volumes covering most aspects of Washington state law.
Lexis Treatises, Guides & Jurisprudence
Scroll down to where secondary sources are organized by State and then select the state that you are researching. For Washington, deskbooks published by the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) are available here.
Use the Georgetown Treatise Finders to find recommended treatises for specific areas of law. These guides are published by the Georgetown Law Library. Guides are organized by area of law (for example, Health Law and Policy Treatises or Intellectual Property Treatises). Focus on the titles listed under "In-Depth Resources". Icons next to the title will tell you whether it is available on Westlaw, Lexis, or Bloomberg. Look for the titles with the gold medal - those treatises are considered especially authoritative in their field.
