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MLIC Floor Guide to Materials: American Jurisprudence 2d

This guide describes basic use of specific sets of books in the MLIC, and is best used in conjunction with a mobile phone and the QR Codes you will find near the sets. If you are accessing this guide via the MLIC's app, just select a floor and book set.

Am. Jur. 2d

American Jurisprudence, Second Edition (Am. Jur. 2d) is a multivolume legal encyclopedia offering broad overviews of state and federal legal topics. This is an excellent secondary source for gathering background information; however, it is unlikely you will ever cite to a legal encyclopedia. Rather, use the available case citations and West Topic and Key Number references to locate primary materials within your jurisdiction.

Finding a Relevant Article

To find a relevant encyclopedia article look at the end of this set for the multivolume softcover index. Construct a list of terms identifying your legal issue and then consult the index. The index is organized alphabetically by broad topic (for example, Abandonment) and then breaks down further into narrower topics.

Also note the Table of Laws and Rules at the end of the index volumes. If there is a specific section within the United States Code, Code of Federal Regulations, or any of the Federal Rules that you would like some general information about, look up the section within the Table of Laws and Rules and you will be given a cite to an article addressing it.

Using Am. Jur. 2d

Once you have located the applicable Am. Jur. 2d volume, you will see article entries, organized alphabetically, for the specific legal topics. 

· Outline – Like a table of contents for this article, breaking it down section by section.

· Scope - Details the breadth of coverage of the title.

· Treated Elsewhere – References other Am. Jur. 2d topics and titles that may be relevant and are not included within the article.

· Research References – Includes relevant West Topics and Keynumbers

· § 1 – The first section of the article. A summary of the law (“black letter law”) will be laid out in bold print, followed by a more detailed explanation that includes footnote references to state and federal cases. Also note the useful West Topic and Key Number references.

Updating Am. Jur. 2d

At the back of each bound volume is a Cumulative Supplement. If there are any changes to your topic they will be found here, organized alphabetically in the same manner as the bound volume.