LEGAL RESEARCH Meaning and
Definition
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Legal research refers to the process of gathering and analyzing legal information, statutes, case law, regulations, and other legal materials in order to find answers to legal questions, interpret and understand legal principles, or support legal arguments. It involves the systematic exploration and investigation of legal sources to gain a comprehensive understanding of legal issues.
Legal research is a vital aspect of the legal profession as it enables lawyers, judges, legal scholars, and law students to ascertain the state of the law and apply it to specific legal scenarios. The objective of legal research is to find authoritative and relevant legal sources that can be relied upon to support legal arguments or inform legal decisions.
The process of legal research typically involves utilizing various sources, including primary and secondary legal materials, databases, legal publications, and online resources. Primary sources comprise actual laws, court decisions, and regulations, while secondary sources include legal commentary, treatises, and legal dictionaries. To conduct effective legal research, one must employ critical thinking skills, analytical ability, and logical reasoning to locate, evaluate, and interpret legal information accurately.
Legal research often involves examining the legislative history, precedent-setting cases, statutory interpretation, and understanding the nuances of legal terminology. It is an essential skill for legal professionals to ensure accurate and up-to-date legal advice, support legal arguments, draft legal documents, create legal strategies, and make well-informed decisions within the legal system.
Etymology of LEGAL RESEARCH
The term "legal research" comes from the combination of two words: "legal" and "research".
The word "legal" originated from the Latin word "legalis", which means "pertaining to the law". It can be traced back to the Latin word "lex", meaning "law", which further derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*leg-", denoting "to collect or gather". The evolution of "legalis" in various languages eventually led to its usage in English to refer to anything related to the law.
"Research", on the other hand, comes from the Middle French word "recercher" and the Old French word "recherchier", both meaning "to seek, to search for". These words have their roots in Latin, where the prefix "re-" indicates intense force or repetition, and "cercher" means "to search".
