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Getting started
This library research guide introduces Canadian sources of law, as well as referencing with the Canadian guide to uniform legal citation. This style of legal citation is commonly referred to as the "McGill Guide".
Explore this guide for recommended starting and access points such as databases and websites.
Many of the resources on this guide can also be accessed through these other library research guides.
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Canadian law databases
- CanLII This link opens in a new window
CanLII is a free resource which provides access to court judgements, tribunal decisions, statutes and regulations from all Canadian jurisdictions.
Help resources:
Note that Quicklaw will timeout after 15 minutes of inactivity. Make sure you save your work.
- Quicklaw (Lexis+ Canada) This link opens in a new windowQuicklaw is now available on the Lexis+ Platform.
Canadian legal research database which provides court decisions from all levels, news reports, provincial and federal statutes, journals, and other legal commentary. Includes a case citator and case digests.If using Lexis Advance Pacific on the same browser in the same session, you must click on Sign Out in Quicklaw. Quicklaw will timeout when a session remains inactive for a period of 15 minutes - this timeout period is set by Lexis and cannot be changed.
Help Resources
- Westlaw International This link opens in a new windowFull text access to case law, statutes, reports, journals and law reviews with a focus on United States of America.
Searching Westlaw International defaults to United States content only.
To find Canadian content:
- select 'International Materials' from the home screen
- select 'Canada' under 'Jurisdiction'
- choose a resource type to browse (e.g. Cases), or search those resources, or,
- use the search box at the top of the screen for all Canadian content.
Introductory and helpful resources
- The Canadian Legal Research and Writing GuideBased on The Best Guide to Canadian Legal Research, written and published online by Catherine Best. She started it in 1998. The site grew out of her experience teaching legal research and writing, and her conviction that a process-based analytical approach was needed. She was also motivated to help researchers learn to effectively use electronic research tools.
View more to see Table of Contents1. The Importance of Legal Research
2. Step-By-Step Legal Research Process
3. Use Commentary to Define and Understand the Issues
4. Guidelines for Online Research
5. Researching Canadian Federal and Provincial Legislation
6. Searching Canadian Case Law
7. Restate the Issues and Refine Your Strategy
8. Review and Assess the Case Law
9. Stare Decisis and Techniques of Legal Reasoning and Legal Argument
10. If You Get Stuck
11. When to Stop
12. Preparing a Legal Memorandum
13. Legal Citation
Appendix 1: Sample Memorandum of Law
Appendix 2: Suggested Textbooks
Appendix 3: Glossary
Canadian law resources
- Home
- Citation style guide
- Case law
- Legislation
- Encyclopedias and commentaries
- Books, journals and dictionaries