Secondary materials, such as encyclopedias, practice guides, and treatises can be excellent tools for getting started on your legal research. They give an overview of the law in a particular area and often provide very practical tips.
Resources like the Pennsylvania Law Encyclopedia and Summary of Pennsylvania Jurisprudence contain articles on a variety of legal topics and are good sources to begin research in an unfamiliar area of law. Other resources, like Goodrich Amram 2d Procedural Rules Service and Standard Pennsylvania Practice 2d are useful when researching court practice and procedure.
Some of the resources in this guide may include forms. For a greater list of form sets, see the Pennsylvania Forms guide.
Some of the resources published by LexisNexis and West/Thomson Reuters may be available on the library's Lexis and Westlaw computers. Information on electronic access is included on this guide when available.
Helpful subject specific practice materials from publishers such as Bisel, Lexis, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, and West/Thomson Reuters are also available. Search the Jenkins' catalog for a list of treatises. Additionally, West's Pennsylvania Practice Series is a useful collection of treatises divided into subjects like family law, mortgages, torts, workers' compensation, and more.
Jenkins has created subject specific research guides that may include additional resources. These guides include Pennsylvania Family Law, Pennsylvania Power of Attorney, and Pennsylvania Real Estate & Landlord Tenant Law. See our full list of guides for additional suggestions.