Law Guide Ask Us

Reference Sources

The following resources will assist in answering many basic law-related questions.

Print materials are located in the reference section of the Gerard V. La Forest Law Library, located on the second floor of the Law Building on UNB Fredericton's campus. To find additional reference materials, check the UNB Libraries WorldCat Catalogue.

Legal Dictionaries

If you need to know the meaning of a legal word, use a legal dictionary. Legal dictionaries are available online and in print:

• Barron's Canadian Law Dictionary
  • Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
  • In print on the reference desk
  • In print in the reference section
• Dictionary of Canadian Law
  • In print on the reference desk
• Black's Law Dictionary (American)
  • Westlaw Edge (law students only
    • Go to Westlaw US via the International tab and start typing the title
  • In print on the reference desk
• A Dictionary of Law (Oxford University Press)
  • eBook (available to all students)

Words and Phrases

Words and phrases differ from dictionaries, as they show what the courts have said about a particular term. A words and phrases source will show how courts in different jurisdictions (federal, provincial, international) have defined this term. Online words and phrases include links to these cases so you can see the definition in context.

There are a few words and phrases to choose from:

• Words & Phrases Judicially Defined in Canadian Courts and Tribunals (Canadian Abridgment)
  • Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • In print in the reference section
• Canadian Legal Words & Phrases
  • Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
• Sanagan’s Encyclopedia of Words and Phrases
  • In print on the reference desk

Legal Encyclopedias

Legal encyclopedias contain narrative summaries of the law supported by references to case law and statutes. They are often the best place to start to gain a general understanding of the law in a particular area.

Canadian

• Canadian Encyclopedic Digest
  • Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • In print in the reference section
• Halsbury's Laws of Canada
  • Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
  • In print in the reference section
• JurisClasseur Quebec
  • Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
  • Note that it is in French only, with no English translation.

US and UK

• American Jurisprudence (2d) (American)
  • Westlaw Edge (law students only)
    • Go to Westlaw US via the International tab and start typing the title
  • In print in the reference section
• Corpus Juris Secundum (aka: Corpus Juris) (American)
  • Available via Westlaw Edge (law students only)
    • Go to Westlaw US via the International tab and start typing the title
• Halsbury's Laws of England
  • Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
  • In print in the reference section

Books & eBooks

To search for print and eBooks at UNB Libraries, use UNB WorldCat. UNB WorldCat contains records of materials held at the Harriet Irving, Science and Forestry, Engineering, Hans W. Klohn, and Law libraries.

Items shown as LAW-RESERVE may be requested at the circulation desk on the first floor of the Law Library. Bring the book's call number with you to the desk. Items shown as LAW-STACKS are on the second floor, and LAW-REF materials are on the first floor in the reference section.

If you're looking for an introduction to a legal topic, Irwin Law's Essentials of Canadian Law series can be a great place to start. There are several titles on various legal topics, and they're available in print and as eBooks (click Browse > Books & Journals > Irwin Law > Irwin Law Books).

Journal Articles

The Law Library subscribes to a wide variety of law journals, both online and in print.

If you already know the journal title, year, volume number, and page number for an article, search for the journal's title in the Journals & Newspapers database. If we have access to the journal electronically or in print, it will be listed with the format(s) and dates available with links to those available online. You can also look up the journal title in UNB WorldCat.

Keep in mind that it can be best to start with an index rather than a full-text database. An index is essentially a list of articles by topic. Sometimes the article will be available full-text, but often you'll just be given a citation that you can use to track it down somewhere else.

Full-text Databases

• Index to Legal Periodicals & Books Full Text (1981– )
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective (1908–1981)
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• LegalTrac
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Click Law Reviews & Journals
• Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
  • Click Law Reviews & Journals
• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • Click Articles and Newsletters
• HeinOnline
  • Click Law Journal Library
• CanLII  
  • Click Commentary

Indexes

• Index to Canadian Legal Literature
  • Lexis+ (law students only)
  • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
  • Westlaw Edge (law students only)
• Index to Legal Periodicals & Books Full Text (1981– )
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective (1908–1981)
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database
• LegalTrac
  • Note: this is a hybrid index/full-text database

Cases & Legislation

The Law Library's print collection includes Canadian cases from courts, boards, and commissions, as well as legislation passed by Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments. If you need to find cases or legislation in print, please visit the Law Library on the second floor of the Law Building.

Some resources (Westlaw Edge, Lexis+) are for law students and faculty only. However, all UNB and STU students and faculty have access to Lexis Advance Quicklaw, a comprehensive legal research database that provides access to cases, legislation, journals, newsletters, and other legal commentary.

Canadian

Databases and websites

• Lexis+ (law students only)
• Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
• Westlaw Edge (law students only)
• CanLII  
• Justice Laws   (Government of Canada federal legislation)
• LEGISinfo  (Parliament of Canada)
  • Federal bill information, including status, speeches, links to Hansard debates, full-text versions of bills, and more
  • Coverage: 35th Parl, 1st Sess (January 1994) to the current session
• Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick  
• New Brunswick Acts and Regulations  (NB Attorney General)
  • Includes current legislation, rules of court, the Royal Gazette, the status of bills, and more
• New Brunswick Court Index  (Justice and Public Safety)
• New Brunswick Courts  

• Canadian Abridgment Digests
  • Westlaw Edge (law students only)
  • In print in the reference section
• Canada Digest
  • Lexis+
    • Click Case Summaries > All Canada Digests for a list of topics
  • Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students)
    • Click Case Summaries > All Canada Digests for a list of topics

UK

• Lexis+ (law students only) (UK statutes and case law)
  • Change the jurisdiction in the search box
• Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students) (UK statutes and case law)
  • Change the jurisdiction in the search box
• Westlaw Edge (law students only) (UK statutes and case law)
  • Click the International tab to access UK material
• JustisOne (UK statutes and case law)
• ICLR (Incorporated Council of Law Reporting) (UK case law)
• British and Irish Legal Information Institute  (BAILII) (UK case law and legislation)

US

• Lexis+ (law students only) (US statutes and case law)
  • Change the jurisdiction in the search box
• Lexis Advance Quicklaw (available to all students) (US statutes and case law)
  • Change the jurisdiction in the search box
• Westlaw Edge (law students only) (US statutes and case law)
  • Click the International tab to access US material
• The Legal Information Institute (LII) (US statutes and Supreme Court decisions)
• Justia   (US statutes and case law)

Government Documents

Government departments and agencies publish a great deal of important law-related information. The Law Library's collection of printed government documents is located on the library's third floor. Use UNB WorldCat to search, or ask a library staff member for help.

The Harriet Irving Library also has government documents, which can be located through UNB WorldCat.

For government documents that are available online, try using UNB Libraries' Government Documents Search.

Note: if you include site:canada.ca (and/or site:gc.ca) and filetype:pdf in a Google search, you will retrieve PDF documents from Government of Canada websites. This is a good way to find government reports, as they are usually in PDF format.

Publications

• UNB Libraries' Government Documents Search  
• Government of Canada Publications Search  
• Library of Parliament Research Publications  
• Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Publications  
• New Brunswick Government Websites  
  • Go to the specific department's website for their publications

Hansards/Debates

• House of Commons Debates (Hansard)  
• Debates of the Senate (Hansard)  
• Canadian Parliamentary Historical Resources  
  • Historical House and Senate debates from 1867–1996
• Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Hansards  
• Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Hansards (print)
  • 1931–1979, 1980–1995/1996, 2002/2003–present: third floor, government documents section
  • 1896–1930 (also called Synoptic Reports): Rare Books Reading Room

Journals/Votes and Proceedings

• House of Commons Journals  
• Journals of the Senate  
• Canadian Parliamentary Historical Resources  
  • Historical House and Senate journals from 1867–1997
• Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Journals  
• Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Journals (via UNB Libraries)
• Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Journals (print)
  • 1935–present (with some gaps): third floor, government documents section
  • 1894–1934: Rare Books Reading Room

Committee Reports

• LegisInfo  
• Library of Parliament  
• House of Commons Committee Reports  
• Senate Committee Reports  
• Canadian Parliamentary Historical Resources  
  • Historical House (1877–1993) and Senate (1887–1993) committee documents
• Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Committee Reports  
• UNB Libraries
  • Search the catalogue for committee reports in print

Citing Your Sources

Accurate, properly formatted footnotes and bibliographies are hallmarks of good academic research. When you cite your sources, you acknowledge the source(s) of any ideas you mention in your writing, accurately document your research, and provide your readers with the information they need to track down your sources. Failing to properly cite your sources is plagiarism.

Canadian Legal Citation Guides

• The Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, 10th ed
  • When it comes to citing Canadian legal materials, lawyers and law students use The Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (aka: the McGill Guide).
  • Current edition available in print on reserve (ask at circulation desk)
  • Previous edition available in print on the reference desk
• UBC Law Library's Legal Citation Guide
  • The University of British Columbia Law Library's legal citation guide can help you with common legal citation for most situations

Foreign/International Legal Citation Guides

• The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation
  • If you need to cite American or other foreign legal materials not covered in the McGill Guide, use The Bluebook.
  • Current edition available in print on the reference desk
  • Previous editions available in print in the stacks
• OSCOLA: Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities
  • For UK legal materials not covered in the McGill Guide
  • Current edition available in print on the reference desk
  • Current edition available for free online via University of Oxford Faculty of Law
    • Note: cite international materials with the OSCOLA 2006 "citing international law" section, also freely available online
• Australian Guide to Legal Citation
  • For Australian legal materials not covered in the McGill Guide
  • Current edition available for free online via University of Melbourne Law School