Get Research Help
The seven members of the Teaching & Research (T&R) department provide reference and research assistance to all members of the Boston College Law School community and teach upper-level research courses. All T&R librarians have a J.D. and an M.S. in Library & Information Science.
- Consultations on research and search strategy
- Lexis, Westlaw, and other database training
- Advising on best starting points for legal research
- Advising on identifying and researching paper topics
- Help locating specific legal materials
- Assistance with law review citation checks and source collection
- Research support and consultation for teaching and scholarship
- Training for your research assistants on library resources and procedures
- Research consultations with your students on papers and other class assignments
- Guest lectures on research topics in doctrinal and clinical classes
- Database evaluation and training
For more faculty services, including course reserves, Canvas support, and promotion of faculty scholarship, please visit this page.
Email Us
Email us your research questions to lawresearchhelp@bc.edu and we'll get back to you by the next business. You also can call us at 617-552-2971 during our scheduled reference hours.
Request a Research Consultation
You can request an online or in-person appointment with a research librarian. We can help you get started with a research project or paper, train you on legal databases, give you tips on navigating the Bluebook, or help you locate specific sources. You can choose a specific librarian or the first available.
Below are the current and upcoming research course offerings. All of the research course offerings are listed with their descriptions as well.
Instructor: Laurel Davis, Joan Shear, and Jake Samuelson (3 sections)
Description: Advanced Legal Research (3 credits) offers an in-depth, hands-on experience with the process of legal research. Students use a wide range of legal materials and devise practical techniques and strategies for using these materials competently and effectively. The goal of the course is to create self-sufficient legal researchers capable of analyzing and resolving legal problems effectively. Emphasis is placed on the types of legal sources and research not covered in the first year of law school (e.g., treatises, forms sources, administrative law, statutory research, legislative histories and legal practice materials). Both print sources and free and fee-based electronic sources are explored and critiqued. The course covers Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law, and other electronic sources.
Instructor: Karen Breda & Amy Bruce
Description: Administrative Law Research is a two-credit simulation-based course that qualifies as an experiential course under the ABA requirements. In this course, students will develop legal research skills but also other lawyering skills such as organization and management of legal work, professional ethics, and collaboration. Through the use of realistic fact patterns, we will work together to approach and solve research problems that implicate administrative law. Students will explore the general structure of the administrative state in the U.S. and how to research the materials generated within that structure. This includes how administrative regulations are promulgated, how agency decisions are made and reviewed, and how guidance is issued. The class will focus on immigration, securities, and tax law. However, students will learn skills that they can apply to other heavily regulated areas of practice. Grade will be based on class attendance, participation, and graded assignments.
Instructor: Stephanie Farne
Description: This two-credit course aims to help students build knowledge, skills, and strategy in international and foreign legal research. Students will learn to use a variety of specialized legal research tools, to research treaties, decisions of international courts and tribunals, official documents of international organizations (United Nations, European Union, WTO, etc.), and legislation and court decisions of foreign jurisdictions. Private international law, international and regional human rights systems, trade law, and other select topics will also be singled out for special attention. Students will develop their skills and receive feedback through in-class exercises and simulations. Grades will be based on graded assignments, a presentation, and in-class work. Recommended for students interested in international legal practice and topics, members of the BC Law Review, or Jessup Moot Court teams.
Instructor: All Teaching & Research Librarians
Description: Research Techniques for Law Review offers hands-on experience with the process of and sources for legal research. Students use a wide range of legal materials and devise techniques and strategies for using these materials competently, and efficiently. The goal of the course is to ensure success for new 2L Law Review staff by creating self-sufficient legal researchers capable of a) effectively researching a variety of legal issues and b) performing source collection and cite-checking duties.
This pass/fail course is mandatory for new members of the Law Review staff, unless they take another qualifying research course (as determined by John Gordon and editors-in-chief) during their 2L fall semester.
Instructors: Stephanie Farne and Jacob Samuelson (2 sections)
Description: Advanced Legal Research (3 credits) offers an in-depth, hands-on experience with the process of legal research. Students use a wide range of legal materials and devise practical techniques and strategies for using these materials competently and effectively. The goal of the course is to create self-sufficient legal researchers capable of analyzing and resolving legal problems effectively. Emphasis is placed on the types of legal sources and research not covered in the first year of law school (e.g., treatises, forms sources, administrative law, statutory research, legislative histories and legal practice materials). Both print sources and free and fee-based electronic sources are explored and critiqued. The course covers Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law, and other electronic sources.
Instructor: Amy Bruce
Description: Business Law Research is a two-credit simulation class in which students develop primarily their legal research skills, but also other lawyering skills such as organization and management of legal work, professional ethics, and collaboration. Students will educate themselves on critical research skills for transactional law practice through legal compliance scenarios that apply state, federal, and local law. Students in this class will also develop key business law research skills needed for drafting contracts and working on other important transactional tasks, such as due diligence for business combinations. Most initial research instruction takes place outside the classroom so that students can work on simulations in the classroom and receive guidance from the instructor. There are multiple opportunities for self-evaluation as well as extensive feedback on a regular basis from the instructor.
Instructor: Joan Shear
Description: This two-credit course is designed as an in-depth look at the legal resources and research techniques used in the practice of intellectual property law. Course will cover basic primary sources used in IP law such as the U.S. Constitution, statues, and cases. Course will also cover research tools and techniques unique to IP law such as patent and trademark searching, the activities and publications of the U.S. Copyright Office of the Library of Congress and the Patent and Trademark office of the Department of Commerce. Resources are compared and contrasted to help students learn efficient research skills necessary to be a successful IP lawyer. Ungraded exercises, regular feedback, and multiple opportunities for self-evaluation allow students to track their progress in learning the materials. Course grade is based on participation, effort, and two graded exercises, one of which students will have the opportunity to improve their performance on by doing additional research as directed.
Instructors: All Teaching & Research Librarians
Description: Advanced Legal Research (3 credits) offers an in-depth, hands-on experience with the process of legal research. Students use a wide range of legal materials and devise practical techniques and strategies for using these materials competently and effectively. The goal of the course is to create self-sufficient legal researchers capable of analyzing and resolving legal problems effectively. Emphasis is placed on the types of legal sources and research not covered in the first year of law school (e.g., treatises, forms sources, administrative law, statutory research, legislative histories and legal practice materials). Both print sources and free and fee-based electronic sources are explored and critiqued. The course covers Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law, and other electronic sources.
Instructor: Amy Bruce
Description: Business Law Research is a two-credit simulation class in which students develop primarily their legal research skills, but also other lawyering skills such as organization and management of legal work, professional ethics, and collaboration. Students will educate themselves on critical research skills for transactional law practice through legal compliance scenarios that apply state, federal, and local law. Students in this class will also develop key business law research skills needed for drafting contracts and working on other important transactional tasks, such as due diligence for business combinations. Most initial research instruction takes place outside the classroom so that students can work on simulations in the classroom and receive guidance from the instructor. There are multiple opportunities for self-evaluation as well as extensive feedback on a regular basis from the instructor.
Instructor: Joan Shear
Description: This two-credit course is designed as an in-depth look at the legal resources and research techniques used in the practice of environmental law. Strong emphasis on administrative law and the rulemaking process, legislative history, and government documents. Course will also review basic case law and statutory research. Students are exposed to strategies for using these materials competently, effectively, and economically in the research process to enable them to develop research skills necessary to be a successful environmental lawyer. Ungraded exercises, regular feedback, and multiple opportunities for self-evaluation allow students to track their progress in learning the materials. Course grade is based on participation, effort, and two graded exercises, one of which students will have the opportunity to improve their performance on by doing additional research as directed.
Instructors: Joan Shear
Description: This two-credit course is designed as an in-depth look at the legal resources and research techniques used in the practice of intellectual property law. Course will cover basic primary sources used in IP law such as the U.S. Constitution, statues, and cases. Course will also cover research tools and techniques unique to IP law such as patent and trademark searching, the activities and publications of the U.S. Copyright Office of the Library of Congress and the Patent and Trademark office of the Department of Commerce. Resources are compared and contrasted to help students learn efficient research skills necessary to be a successful IP lawyer. Ungraded exercises, regular feedback, and multiple opportunities for self-evaluation allow students to track their progress in learning the materials. Course grade is based on participation, effort, and two graded exercises, one of which students will have the opportunity to improve their performance on by doing additional research as directed.
Instructors: Stephanie Farne
Description: This two-credit course aims to help students build knowledge, skills, and strategy in international and foreign legal research. Students will learn to use a variety of specialized legal research tools, to research treaties, decisions of international courts and tribunals, official documents of international organizations (United Nations, European Union, WTO, etc.), and legislation and court decisions of foreign jurisdictions. Private international law, international and regional human rights systems, trade law, and other select topics will also be singled out for special attention. Students will develop their skills and receive feedback through in-class exercises and simulations. Grades will be based on graded assignments, a presentation, and in-class work. Recommended for students interested in international legal practice and topics, members of the BC Law Review, or Jessup Moot Court teams.
Instructor: Karen Breda & Amy Bruce
Description: Administrative Law Research is a two-credit simulation-based course that qualifies as an experiential course under the ABA requirements. In this course, students will develop legal research skills but also other lawyering skills such as organization and management of legal work, professional ethics, and collaboration. Through the use of realistic fact patterns, we will work together to approach and solve research problems that implicate administrative law. Students will explore the general structure of the administrative state in the U.S. and how to research the materials generated within that structure. This includes how administrative regulations are promulgated, how agency decisions are made and reviewed, and how guidance is issued. The class will focus on immigration, securities, and tax law. However, students will learn skills that they can apply to other heavily regulated areas of practice. Grade will be based on class attendance, participation, and graded assignments.
Instructor: All Teaching & Research Librarians
Description: Research Techniques for Law Review offers hands-on experience with the process of and sources for legal research. Students use a wide range of legal materials and devise techniques and strategies for using these materials competently, and efficiently. The goal of the course is to ensure success for new 2L Law Review staff by creating self-sufficient legal researchers capable of a) effectively researching a variety of legal issues and b) performing source collection and cite-checking duties.
This pass/fail course is mandatory for new members of the Law Review staff, unless they take another qualifying research course (as determined by John Gordon and editors-in-chief) during their 2L fall semester.