Internet Legal Research
An essential part of Hospitality Law is learning to comfortably research legal
issues on the internet. This will develop the skill to examine legal issues in the students’
lives after this course is completed. The act or research itself trains students to analyze
legal issues (to think like a lawyer).
The FIU Library on-line is the primary source for this research, although other
databases and searches on the general internet may sometimes be helpful. General
sources, such as Wikipedia, or particular sources, such as law school libraries or
information posted by internet sites for law firms, will provide a first point of information
on topics. Legal information from these sources is unverified as to accuracy.
A reliable source of legal information is found on the FIU Libraries on-line. The
following procedures will allow access:
1. From either my.fiu.edu or myhospitality.fiu.edu site, or from the course website
for any FIU Hospitality Management course, click on the link to “Libraries.” Or,
go directly to the library homepage at library.fiu.edu.
2. On the FIU Libraries page you must click on the “Log In for Access” link
located on the right side of the yellow bar in the middle of the screen (unless
you are on the FIU campus connected to a FIU computer or wireless service).
3. Enter your FIU username and password on the “Log In for Access” page.
4. When the FIU Libraries page reappears, on the yellow bar in the middle of the
screen, click Find.
5. Type “Lexis” into the white search box located on the right side of the screen or
select A-Z, then “L.”
6. Use LexisNexis/ Nexis Uni to find Cases and Law Reviews (journal articles).
LegalTrac is also useful for finding law reviews. Use search terms to find Cases
or Law Review articles.
7. LexisNexis/ Nexis Uni also give you access to a legal encyclopedia, American
Jurisprudence 2d, by selecting “A Publication,” then typing AmJur in the shite
box to the right and clicking below on American Jurisprudence 2d. Use search
terms to find topics in the encyclopedia. .
8. Once you are in the LexisNexis database, enter your search terms into the search
box at the top of the screen. Enter as much information as possible. It is preferable
to enter the entire case citation [see the Case List for this course], however, if you
do not have the complete citation, enter what you have. For example if only the
two parties are known, enter that (party1 v party2). Then click the search button.
9. On the following screen, if you have entered the complete citation, you should be
taken directly to the case. However, if you entered only the partial citation, you
may have to click “Cases” on the left side of the screen or use some of the other
search limiters to view the cases that are associated with the terms you entered.
10. You might also search in the Lexis-Nexis database for things besides cases, such
as news, company information, etc. To do this, enter your keywords (ex. Hotels,
travel, etc.) into the search box on the main page and use the limiters on the left
side of the screen on the results page.
11. You might search for non-legal Hospitality Industry publications in other library
databases by following this path from the library homepage: Find > A-Z List >
issues on the internet. This will develop the skill to examine legal issues in the students’
lives after this course is completed. The act or research itself trains students to analyze
legal issues (to think like a lawyer).
The FIU Library on-line is the primary source for this research, although other
databases and searches on the general internet may sometimes be helpful. General
sources, such as Wikipedia, or particular sources, such as law school libraries or
information posted by internet sites for law firms, will provide a first point of information
on topics. Legal information from these sources is unverified as to accuracy.
A reliable source of legal information is found on the FIU Libraries on-line. The
following procedures will allow access:
1. From either my.fiu.edu or myhospitality.fiu.edu site, or from the course website
for any FIU Hospitality Management course, click on the link to “Libraries.” Or,
go directly to the library homepage at library.fiu.edu.
2. On the FIU Libraries page you must click on the “Log In for Access” link
located on the right side of the yellow bar in the middle of the screen (unless
you are on the FIU campus connected to a FIU computer or wireless service).
3. Enter your FIU username and password on the “Log In for Access” page.
4. When the FIU Libraries page reappears, on the yellow bar in the middle of the
screen, click Find.
5. Type “Lexis” into the white search box located on the right side of the screen or
select A-Z, then “L.”
6. Use LexisNexis/ Nexis Uni to find Cases and Law Reviews (journal articles).
LegalTrac is also useful for finding law reviews. Use search terms to find Cases
or Law Review articles.
7. LexisNexis/ Nexis Uni also give you access to a legal encyclopedia, American
Jurisprudence 2d, by selecting “A Publication,” then typing AmJur in the shite
box to the right and clicking below on American Jurisprudence 2d. Use search
terms to find topics in the encyclopedia. .
8. Once you are in the LexisNexis database, enter your search terms into the search
box at the top of the screen. Enter as much information as possible. It is preferable
to enter the entire case citation [see the Case List for this course], however, if you
do not have the complete citation, enter what you have. For example if only the
two parties are known, enter that (party1 v party2). Then click the search button.
9. On the following screen, if you have entered the complete citation, you should be
taken directly to the case. However, if you entered only the partial citation, you
may have to click “Cases” on the left side of the screen or use some of the other
search limiters to view the cases that are associated with the terms you entered.
10. You might also search in the Lexis-Nexis database for things besides cases, such
as news, company information, etc. To do this, enter your keywords (ex. Hotels,
travel, etc.) into the search box on the main page and use the limiters on the left
side of the screen on the results page.
11. You might search for non-legal Hospitality Industry publications in other library
databases by following this path from the library homepage: Find > A-Z List >
click the box labeled “All Subjects” under the Browse & Filter Heading > click
Hospitality & Tourism Management. Start with one of the “Best Bets,” located at
the top of the list that appears. Hospitality & Tourism Complete is highly
recommended.
12. You may reach April Lafferty, Hospitality Librarian, at 305-919-4165 or
[email protected]. Or, contact the FIU Library front desk or Online Librarian to
assist you. Telephone 305-919-5718 if necessary.
13. The only way to learn to use internet legal research is to do it.
Hospitality & Tourism Management. Start with one of the “Best Bets,” located at
the top of the list that appears. Hospitality & Tourism Complete is highly
recommended.
12. You may reach April Lafferty, Hospitality Librarian, at 305-919-4165 or
[email protected]. Or, contact the FIU Library front desk or Online Librarian to
assist you. Telephone 305-919-5718 if necessary.
13. The only way to learn to use internet legal research is to do it.