Lawyering Skills I
Professor Sorkin
Spring 1999
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Research Assignment 3:  Digests and Shepard's Citations
(due Mar. 18, 1999)
 

Digests:

  1. To find cases on the issue of whether a contract is enforceable, what words or phrases might you look up in the Descriptive-Word Index of a digest?

  2. Look up some of the above terms in the Descriptive-Word Index at the end of West's Illinois Digest (preferably the 2d series, though either will work).  Record at least four potentially relevant key numbers below.

      Example:   Topic   Key number(s)  
    (a) Topic   Key number(s)
    (b) Topic   Key number(s)
    (c) Topic   Key number(s)
    (d) Topic   Key number(s)
    (e) Topic   Key number(s)

  3. Look up some or all of the above key numbers in the digest, and try to find relevant cases decided by the Illinois Supreme Court.  If necessary, browse nearby key numbers that look like they might also be relevant, and use Illinois Appellate Court cases if you don't find any supreme court cases.

    Give the complete citations for two relevant cases below.

    (a)
    (b)

  4. Go to the North Eastern Reporter and look up one of the cases that you listed for the previous question.  List the headnote that led you from the digest to the case, along with any other headnotes that seem relevant.  (Start with the headnote that you saw in the digest.)

    Headnote number   Topic   Key number  
     
     
     
     

     

Shepard's Citations:   For the remaining questions, use Shepard's Northeastern Reporter Citations to Shepardize one of the following cases.  Choose the case listed next to the first letter of your last name.

 If your last name
begins with:		 ... then Shepardize this case:
A through C Rehg v. Illinois Dep't of Revenue, 605 N.E.2d 525 (Ill. 1992).
D through H J.F. Inc. v. Vicik, 426 N.E.2d 257 (Ill. App. Ct. 1981).
I through M People v. Hairston, 263 N.E.2d 840 (Ill. 1970).
N through P People v. 1988 Mercury Cougar, 607 N.E.2d 217 (Ill. 1992).
Q through S People v. Johnson, 499 N.E.2d 1355 (Ill. 1986).
T through Z Reda v. Otero, 622 N.E.2d 825 (Ill. App. Ct. 1993).
 

  1. List each of the Shepard's volumes and pamphlet supplements that you need to consult.

    (a)  Bound volumes (give the year for each):

    (b)  Pamphlets (give the title of the pamphlet, the color of the cover, and the date):

  2. Does the case have a parallel citation? If so, record it here.

  3. What is the difference between "case history" citations and "case treatment" citations? (Hint: See How to Shepardize, or consult the page of history and treatment abbreviations near the beginning of any Shepard's volume.)

  4. Record the case history citations (e.g., a [affirmed], cc [connected case], r [reversed], etc.). Include both the letter and the citation for each one.

  5. Record the case treatment citations (e.g., c [criticized], d [distinguished], f [followed], etc.). If there are more than three, then list the ones that seem most important (such as those that question or overrule the cited case).

  6. Based on what you found in Shepard's Citations, is the case still "good law"? Why or why not?