I am currently a third-year law student at a Tier 2 law school and have completed a few litigation internships where I was frequently assigned legal research tasks. While I am comfortable finding judgments on SCC Online and Manupatra using basic keywords, I often spend hours going through dozens of cases without being confident that I have identified the leading authorities on the issue. Many times, after submitting my research, my senior points out an important judgment that I completely missed.
The problem is that I know how to search for judgments, but I do not know how experienced lawyers approach legal research strategically. I am unsure how to identify the landmark cases, distinguish between binding and merely persuasive precedents, and determine whether a judgment is still considered good law. I also find it difficult to know when I have researched enough and can confidently stop searching.
My question is: When you are assigned a completely unfamiliar legal issue, what is your step-by-step approach to identifying the most relevant and authoritative case law?
