Law Commons^™

The History Of The West Virginia Code, Robert W. Kerns Jr.

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Statutory Law, Kathleen Klepfer, Alexis Fetzer

Law Faculty Publications

This chapter describes the sources of law created by the legislative branch of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The materials include the laws enacted by the Virginia General Assembly, the publications in which those laws are found, and the resources available to assist in interpreting the legislative enactments.

The cardinal rule in Virginia statutory construction is that the statute expresses the intention of the lawmakers. Therefore, it falls upon the courts to ascertain the General Assembly’s intent where that intent becomes important in the application of statutory materials. When researching Virginia statutes, certain principles of interpretation and application must be kept …

A Guide To Legal Research In Virginia, Joyce Manna Janto

Law Faculty Publications

The primary goal of this new edition of A Guide to Legal Research in Virginia is to expand coverage in several chapters and to add a new chapter covering legal ethics materials. This edition also notes changes in the URLs for many Virginia government websites. Most of these changes are likely based on changes in administrations and technological upgrades. The researcher should be aware that there is a lack of consistency among Virginia government web addresses. Changes in the operation and coverage of the major legal databases are noted where appropriate. Today, Virginia practitioners have a wide variety of resources, …

Clear Legal Drafting: What's Holding Us Back?, F. Reed Dickerson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Book Review. Dale, William, Legislative Drafting: A New Approach, Reed Dickerson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Legal Research--Computer Retrieval Of Statutory Law And Decisional Law, David T. Moody

Vanderbilt Law Review

Legal research presently involves a considerable amount of any lawyer's time and efforts largely because it is a slow and tedious process. Searching for a pertinent legal point can prove to be time-consuming and often fruitless. Moreover, it is here that chance plays one of its largest roles in the law.' An important legal point may exist,yet the researcher may fail to find it although he exercises a great degree of diligence. All lawyers must recognize this problem and the fact that it is becoming more acute with the passage of time. Something needs to be done to facilitate legal …

The Diseases Of Legislative Language, Reed Dickerson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In this article Professor Dickerson examines some of the most basic problems facing the legislative draftsman in his attempt to obtain clarity in statutes. He discusses the "diseases" of ambiguity, over-vagueness, over-precision, over- and under-generality and obesity, and distinguishes them from useful devices with which they are often confused.

How To Write A Law, Reed Dickerson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Legislative Drafting: A Challenge To The Legal Profession, Reed Dickerson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.