On the Atlas: five reference resources for the working lawyer

Some resources earn their place by being opened repeatedly. A citation needs checking. An unfamiliar subject needs an outline before the detailed research can begin. A matter needs a practical starting document. This week’s Atlas discoveries revisit five reference resources through those everyday uses, including a free citation guide and subscription publications with different approaches to organising legal knowledge.

Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC): the detail that makes a source findable

The Australian Guide to Legal Citation is a standard reference for Australian legal citation, available free online. Its Atlas entry is a useful bookmark for the moment a familiar citation rule meets an unfamiliar source. Consistency has a practical purpose here: it helps the reader locate the material and understand what has been cited. Check the current guide and any relevant court or publisher requirements when preparing a document.

Explore Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC) on the Atlas

By Lawyers: organised around the matter

Logo: By Lawyers; image used in its Atlas listing.

By Lawyers is a subscription library of practical guides, matter plans, forms and precedents for Australian practice. Its publications organise commentary and documents around the stages of a matter. That structure is the reason to explore it: some research questions are really questions about what happens next in a file. Examine the relevant publication’s scope and currency, then assess any precedent against the circumstances of the particular matter.

Explore By Lawyers on the Atlas

Halsbury’s Laws of Australia: finding the outline before the argument

Halsbury’s Laws of Australia is an encyclopaedic statement of law across Australian jurisdictions. It is a paid reference resource. For a practitioner entering an unfamiliar subject, an organised overview can help establish the concepts and vocabulary needed for further research. The Atlas profile is a starting point for exploring that kind of resource. Follow the underlying authorities and check the currency of the treatment relevant to the question.

Explore Halsbury’s Laws of Australia on the Atlas

LexisNexis Practical Guidance: a practical route through a topic

LexisNexis Practical Guidance offers practice notes, precedents and workflow guidance across Australian practice areas. Its Atlas entry belongs in this selection because it approaches legal information through the work a practitioner is doing. Explore the coverage of the practice area that matters to you and the terms of access. A useful reference product should be assessed against a real question from practice, with the answer checked against primary sources where required.

Explore LexisNexis Practical Guidance on the Atlas

The Laws of Australia: a subject-led reference shelf

The Laws of Australia is a topic-based legal encyclopaedia covering Australian jurisdictions. Its subject organisation provides another way into a question when the reader needs to understand the wider field before examining a narrow issue. The subscription resource is worth discovering alongside the other reference formats in this selection. Review the relevant topic and its authorities, paying attention to the jurisdiction and the date of the material being consulted.

Explore The Laws of Australia on the Atlas

The right reference shelf contains resources that answer different kinds of questions. The linked Atlas profiles distinguish these publications and provide a route to further information about access. Begin with the task that sent you looking.

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