Case Law Locators are secondary sources that guide you to relevant primary sources, specifically case law. They can come in various forms, from digital databases like Westlaw or Lexis to legal indices such as the Topic and Key Number System, and even annotated legal directories.
Case Law Locators play a crucial role in legal research by providing a structured way to identify and locate pertinent legal decisions, typically by legal topic or issue. They offer brief summaries or annotations, giving you preliminary insight into the cases they catalogue. These tools help you trace the lineage of a legal precedent, understand the application of a statute, or build an argument for a hypothetical client.
Case Law Locators are often incorporated into legal research platforms and databases. You can typically use keywords, legal topics, annotations, and citators to find relevant cases. While these locators can streamline your research process, remember that they do not replace the necessity of reading and analyzing full case opinions. These tools guide you to the law, but interpreting and understanding it is up to you.