NALA Legal Research & Citation Methods 4

Question 1

Under the Bluebook, which abbreviation correctly represents the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit?

Accepted Answer

9th Cir.

Answer

The Bluebook abbreviates federal circuit courts of appeals as '[Number] Cir.' in case citations.

Question 2

Secondary sources such as legal encyclopedias, treatises, and law review articles are most useful for:

Accepted Answer

Getting an overview of an area of law and finding primary source leads

Answer

Secondary sources explain and synthesize the law and often point researchers to relevant primary authorities, but they are not themselves binding.

Question 3

Which component of a case citation indicates the specific page within a reporter where a quoted passage appears?

Accepted Answer

Pinpoint (pincite) citation

Answer

A pinpoint citation (pincite) directs the reader to the exact page within the reporter where the cited material appears.

Question 4

A legal assistant finds a 1985 federal district court opinion that appears to support the client's position. Which statement about this authority is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

It is persuasive but not binding, even within the same district

Answer

Federal district court opinions are persuasive authority only; they are not binding even on other judges in the same district.

Question 5

When using Westlaw or LexisNexis to search for cases, a Boolean connector such as '/p' or 'w/p' retrieves documents where the search terms appear:

Accepted Answer

Within the same paragraph

Answer

The '/p' or 'w/p' connector requires the search terms to appear within the same paragraph of the retrieved document.

(NALA) National Association of Legal Assistants Certification Practice Test

(NALA) National Association of Legal Assistants Certification Practice Test

NALA Legal Research & Citation Methods 4