Legal Information and Legal Advice

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• Legal advice is interpreting what statutes and case law mean or how it applies to a specific set of facts

Questions

• How do I find out what case law applies to a situation?
• How do I interpret case law relevant to a legal situation?

Examples of Legal Information

• Reading the legal definition of words. E.g.: Community property actions are civil claims that divide the property obtained during a marriage between divorcing spouses.
• Identifying procedural definitions such as who the people are in court and what steps take place. E.g.: A plaintiff is the party who files the complaint or

petition. A defendant is the party against whom a complaint is made. There are three ways to respond to a complaint: file an answer, file a demur, or do nothing. • Showing persons how to find legislation, court rules, and cases as well as other online and print resources. E.g.: California Forms of Pleading and Practice provides templates to help litigate civil cases. Digests identify cases you can use. • Directing patrons to online and print resources which contain court forms and instructions. E.g.: The California Judicial Council Forms are a collection of general use legal forms, which includes various pleadings and discovery forms. Form packets are found on the Court’s website.

Questions

• What is the best resoruce on legal definitions of words?
• What is the best resource on how to understand procedures? (not what the actual procedures are)