Research

The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers: A Legal Toolkit for Independent Producers

* You have an idea you want to pitch to a production company; how do you safeguard your concept?
* There's a painting in the background of your independent film; is it necessary to clear the rights?
* The screenplay you and a friend wrote gets optioned; how do you split the proceeds fairly?
* How do you get a script to popular Hollywood actors or deal with their agents?
Find quick answers to these and hundreds of other questions in The Pocket Lawyer for Film and Video, the next best thing to having an entertainment attorney at your beck and call. Written by a TV-producer-turned-entertainment-lawyer, this no-nonsense reference provides fast answers in plain English: no law degree required! The Pocket Lawyer is designed to help producers reduce legal costs by providing the vital information needed to make informed decisions on the legal aspects of film, video, and TV productions.

Film and video production is a litigation lighting rod: actors get hurt, copyrights are infringed, and contracts are broken. Big-budget producers have lawyers on retainer, but many independent filmmakers are left legally exposed. Arm yourself with the practical advice in this book. You will not only avoid common pitfalls, but become empowered in your daily work. Too many otherwise competent producers turn over every aspect of the deal negotiations to their lawyers and agents. This book explains the principal deals common to every production, putting producers back in the co-pilot seat with their representatives.

The format is carefully designed for quick reference, so you get the answers you need, fast. Features include:
* Clause Companion: explains the meaning and impact of typical contract clauses, taking the headache out of reading them.
* F.A.Qs: instantly answers the most commonly asked legal questions.
* Warnings: alerts you to critical areas and common mistakes.
* Pro-Tips: advice on unions, escrow accounts, etc. for producers who want to distribute their video widely.

Key features
* Avoid legal pitfalls with this quick reference guide: get instant answers
* Written in plain English for filmmakers, not lawyers
* Three books in one: a handy manual on film contracts, a step-by-step guide to critical legal issues on and off the set, and a quick reference on copyright and intellectual property issues

ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citation, 3rd Edition

Basic Legal Research: Tools And Strategies

Legal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law

If you take it step by step, the United States legal system is not nearly as intimidating as it is reputed to be. With a little expert guidance from a couple of attorneys (Stephen Elias and Susan Levinkind), you can learn what's in a law library and how to use it, how to seek and understand statutes, regulations, and cases, how to explore online resources, practice your legal skills in the library, and even write a reputable legal memorandum. It's not as easy nor as immediately gratifying as buying an ice-cream cone, but with a modicum of patience, dedication and average smarts, you can research and understand the law without years of legal training and without emptying your bank account onto some lawyer's shiny desk.

The text is approachable and easy to read. The authors' sensible approach takes the fear out of entering a law library, reassuring you that you needn't be a lawyer to be there and that the librarians are generally eager to please. By helping you formulate your legal questions (is the issue federal or state, civil or criminal, procedural or substantive?), narrowing your focus through legal indexes, and pursuing the appropriate resources, statutory laws, and relevant cases, the authors bring clarity and structure to the task. Nolo Press is famous for stripping the law of its daunting armor and making it accessible to the interested layperson. This guide to legal research is up to the usual high Nolo Press standards. It's a great boon to those who want to check out the law for themselves. --Stephanie Gold

And suddenly, legal reseach was made simple!

Excellent for anyone searching for information in a real or virtual law library (including paralegals, law students, legal assistants and journalists), Legal Research outlines a systematic method to find answers and get results.

In plain, readable English, Attorneys Elias and Levinkind explain, with plenty of examples and instructions, how to:

Legal Reasoning And Legal Writing: Structure, Strategy, And Style

Drafting Contracts: How and Why Lawyers Do What They Do

The Process of Legal Research

With a proven-effective process approach that has made this book a continual best seller, The Process of Legal Research, Seventh Edition, offers comprehensive coverage in a format that is pedagogically rich, meaningfully organized, and surprisingly concise.

Written and organized to explain and show the process of Legal Research, The Process of Legal Research, Seventh Edition, includes:

a thorough introduction to the process of Legal Research

extensive illustrations and examples
one continuous in-text example that illustrates how to research a complex problem

a focus on best-research practices how to choose the most appropriate source and media for various types of inquiries

integrated coverage of electronic research

extensive, well-researched problem sets on a CD included with the book

With updated sources throughout, the Seventh Edition features:
expanded coverage of non-Lexis/Westlaw on-line sources
chapter-by-chapter templates for each type of research

an updated and streamlined continuous research problem, with some explanatory material moved to sidebars

enhanced discussion of the links between legal research and legal analysis

a new author website that offers research tutorials

This long-time leader in the field shows no signs of slowing down. Examine your complimentary copy to find out why The Process of Legal Research, now in its Seventh Edition, leads the pack.

Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing (West Legal Studies Series)

Paralegals in training, those in practice and law students will greatly appreciate the wealth of information contained in Legal Research, Writing and Analysis. This book is written in laymenÂ’s terms with concepts clearly illustrated through numerous examples and hypotheticals. The material will prepare readers to perform tasks ranging from the drafting of interoffice legal memoranda summarizing research and analysis of issues involved in a clientÂ’s case to the preparation of drafts of appellate court briefs. Readers will become familiar with such subject areas as conducting statutory and case law research and analysis, identifying key facts in a case, conducting counteranalysis and identifying issues. There is no other book available that covers as many areas of legal research, writing and analysis and in such an in-depth manner.

Legal Research in a Nutshell (Nutshell Series)

The Internet has dramatically affected the way legal research is conducted, but finding and using legal resources effectively remains an essential skill for lawyers. This comprehensive but succinct guide covers major primary and secondary sources, including major web resources such as THOMAS and PACER as well as online databases and library materials. Discussion includes coverage of legislative history, administrative law, practice and specialized resources, and research in international and comparative law.

Legal Research And Writing for Paralegals

Legal Research and Writing for Paralegals offers students a lucid, well-organized introduction to legal research and writing. Designed and written specifically for paralegal students, the fifth edition of this widely acclaimed text continues to be an exemplary teaching and learning tool.

Among the attributes that have contributed to the success of this text:
comprehensive overview of research and writing skills, reinforced by illustrations and exercises.
integration of writing strategies into each research chapter to demonstrate the link between the two processes.
thorough coverage of electronic research, including a chapter on Internet research as well as fee-based services such as Lexis and Westlaw. Tips throughout the text demonstrate how to most effectively use electronic resources.
descriptive charts and diagrams that help students understand complex topics.
Practice Tips in each chapter offer realistic and helpful suggestions for workplace success.
Internet Assignments help students learn how to navigate through cyberspace. These questions, which can be made state specific, require students to access relevant Internet sites and locate information.
thorough explanations of proper citation form for both ALWD and The Bluebook and updating and validating legal authorities.
samples of legal writing, such as a case brief, letters, a court brief, and a legal memorandum.
in-depth Instructor s Manual that includes an overview of the text, sample syllabi, tips on teaching strategies, chapter-by-chapter resource information, answer keys for all assignments, and a test bank.
Thoroughly updated to reflect changes in legal research sources and techniques, the Fifth Edition includes:
updated information on legal writing. new sample pages.
new discussion questions.
new questions requiring readers to access pertinent Internet sites to locate information, mirroring what paralegals do in practice.
ethics alerts now included in each chapter, providing a quick and concise ethics tip relating to the information in that chapter.
Chapter 9 on Updating and Validating the Law is now more concise, reflecting the fact that updating is now done nearly exclusively electronically.
Legal Research and Writing for Paralegals, Fifth Edition, designed to focus on issues paralegals face on the job, provides an excellent introduction to the science and art involved in legal research and writing.