HOW TO FIND LEGAL MATERIAL IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A CITATION

Listing of:
Back to main page. 		Case citations will have a number followed by an abbreviation then another number. Something like this:
  • 357 A.2d 643
The first number is generally the number on the spine of the volume and the last number is the page. The middle abbreviation is the book that contains the information.

This may vary sometimes if the citation is from a statute. For example:

  • Utah Code Ann. 77-6-104
In this case the abbreviation of the book came first, then the next number is the number on the spine of the book, and the rest of the numbers are found inside the book. With statutes, the first number is generally called a title, and the second number a section. For example:

  • 18 U.S.C. 700
where the first number is the title and the second number is a section. This would be Title 18, United States Code, Section 700.

An list of common legal abbreviations follows. For a more detailed source, check Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations by Mary Prince (published by Hein).

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LIST OF LEGAL ABBREVIATIONS

CASES

   Federal/Supreme Court Cases
	U.S.			United States Reports
	L.Ed., L.Ed.2d		Lawyer's Edition
	S.Ct.			Supreme Court Reporter

   Federal/U.S. Courts of Appeals
	F.			Federal Reporter
	F.2d			Federal Reporter, Second Series
	F.3d			Federal Reporter, Third Series

   Federal/District Court
	F. Supp.		Federal Supplement

   State Cases/Regional Reporter Examples
	A.2d			Atlantic Reporter
	Cal.Rptr.		California Reporter
	N.Y.S.2d		New York Supplement, Second Series
	N.E.2d			North Eastern Reporter, Second Series
	N.W.2d          	North Western Reporter, Second Series
	P.2d            	Pacific Reporter, Second Series
	So.2d           	Southern Reporter, Second Series
	S.E.2d          	South Eastern Reporter, Second Series
	S.W.2d          	South Western Reporter, Second Series

STATUTES
   Federal
	U.S.C.              	United States Code
	U.S.C.A.            	United States Code Annotated
     	U.S.C.S.            	United States Code Service

   State Statute Examples
	Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann.    Arizona Revised Statutes Ann.
	Cal. [subject] Code      California Code
	Mont. Code Ann.          Montana Code Annotated
	N.Y. [subject] Law       Laws of New York Annotated
	Utah Code Ann.           Utah Code Annotated

ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS
	C.F.R.                   Code of Federal Regulations
	F.R.                     Federal Register
	Utah. Admin.R.           Utah Administrative Code

LEGAL ENCYCLOPEDIAS
	C.J.S.                   Corpus Juris Secundum
	Am.Jur.2d                American Jurisprudence 2d

AMERICAN LAW REPORTS
	A.L.R.                   American Law Reports
                              (1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th & Fed Series)
PERIODICAL/JOURNAL EXAMPLES
	Cal. L. Rev.             California Law Review
	Colum. L. Rev.           Columbia Law Review
	Ill. B. J.               Illinois Bar Journal
	Nat.'t L. J.             National Law Journal
	Yale J. Int'l L.         Yale Journal of International Law
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last updated August 14, 2006.

Please send comments and suggestions to Lee Warthen at WarthenL@LAW.UTAH.EDU