Research Services
The law librarians at the Mabie Law Library provide extensive legal reference services. If you need help locating materials, or assistance with your research projects, the librarians here at Mabie are available to help.
You can reach us in a variety of ways:
Phone: 408-554-4472
Email: lawref@scu.edu
IM: sculawlibrarian
The reference desk is staffed seven days a week, or you can stop by our offices to speak with us, or make an appointment.
Information Services
The Information Desk is located on the first floor just inside the main entrance to Mabie Law Library. Some of the services we provide include checking out library material, placing holds and searches, reserving conference rooms, collecting fines and selling library cards. Information staff can also answer general and directional questions about the library and campus as well as other services available to you. The Information Desk is staffed during regular business hours and can be reached at (408) 554-4072 or lawcirc@scu.edu.
Research Guides
Research Guides have been created for all the first year classes and on several other topics that may be of help.
- 1L Guide for Orientation
- 1L Guide on Civil Procedure
- 1L Guide on Contracts
- 1L Guide on Criminal Law
- 1L Guide on Property
- 1L Guide on Research, Analysis and Exam Prep
- 1L Guide on Torts
- How to find previous exams
- How to Read a Legal Citation
- Introduction to United States Law
- Self-Guided Library Tour
- Study Aids Online
Locating the Law
The law librarians at the Southern California Association of Law Libraries have created a wonderful, and concise, guide to legal research that includes California, Federal, and International legal materials. All of these documents are in PDF format. You will need Adobe Reader to view them.
These are selected chapters from this e-book. If you would like to view the entire book you can access it via the SCALL website.
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Chapter 2 - How to read a legal citationThis chapter will describe citations to cases, statutes or codes, and law reviews and treatises. A short discussion of legal citation manuals and a list of common abbreviations are also included in this chapter.
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Chapter 3 - Basic legal research techniquesThis chapter is intended to serve as a guide for public librarians assisting users who have legal reference questions.
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Chapter 5 - California LawThe state of California has done a great job of making its primary sources of law widely available via the Internet. In addition, legal publishers publish a multitude of secondary sources1 in print and in online databases. This abundance of information has made researching California law easy for some and overwhelming for others. For those without a legal background (and most with one), it is always advisable to start with a secondary source.
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Chapter 7 - Federal LawThis chapter provides brief descriptions of the legislative process and the federal judiciary and focuses on the primary sources of federal law (i.e., cases, statutes, and regulations). Included are references to both print and Internet sources.
