Page 47 - Judgment Enforcement Course

Judgment Enforcement – The Step-by-Step Course

One more thing – The Law Library

Like I said, this is a knowledge-intensive business.
So, you’ll sometimes be using the law library. Just
about every courthouse in the country has one in a
fairly close proximity. Find out where yours is.

Why do we need to use a law library?

Just as an auto mechanic has his books that he refers
to when he needs to fix a Mazda for the first time, or
Jag, or a Mustang, we have great resources too.

Truth: Every time I get in the car to head to the law library, I groan inwardly. But when I
leave the law library, I invariably have what I need to solve a problem, and there’s a smile
on my face and, yes, a skip in my step.

Starting out, you probably won’t need the local law library. You’ll have this course and
mentoring, and you’ll be able to ask questions and look things up for yourself quite easily.
Forms aren’t that tough to fill out once you do them once or twice.

But later you may get into some depth with a larger case, and you’ll need additional help.
Most law librarians are over educated and under worked. They can’t give legal advice, but

then can direct us to really great resources, such as:
✓ Cool legal templates that we can plug in when we need them

✓ Clear explanations of law
✓ Case law

✓ Coffee

(Actually, I’m not sure about the coffee, but the rest is terrific.)

What is case law?
Case law is the individual cases—, “So and So versus So and So” –where the

appellate court has ruled about what a particular law means. Case laws
interpret and set forth the rationale for a particular law. It sets a precedent,
which becomes a kind of “common law.” Courts usually depend on what was decided
before about a law.

37 | P a g e