1L Resources, Tips and Tools: Legal Citation

Citation management tools (such as Westlaw Drafting Assistant, Lexis for Microsoft Office for Law Schools and Zotero) can help you format, manage and organize case (and other) citations. 

Brief/opinion-checking tools (such as Westlaw QuickCheck and Lexis Brief Analysis) attempt to identify additional relevant authority. 

Examples of these tools are: 

• Westlaw Drafting Assistant
• Westlaw QuickCheck
• Lexis for Microsoft Office for Law Schools
• Lexis Brief Analysis
• Zotero

NOTE: None of these tools are fail safe.  Often, these tools will generate lists of sources that the tools did not recognize.  BLS law students still need to use legal citation manuals and to evaluate sources for possible inclusion in briefs or other legal documents.

The Interactive Citation Workstation (ICW) will help you to learn citation rules that you will use when you clerk for a law firm or a court and later, when you practice law. You can choose exercises to master either The Bluebook's citation rules or ALWD Guide's citation rules. To access the ICW, log in  to Lexis, and click on the nine dots on the top left corner of the screen to select: Interactive Citation Workstation.

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation:

The Bluebook is the citation manual used in a majority of Brooklyn Law School classes. It is recommended that all students buy the most recent edition of The Bluebook (21st ed.) or subscribe to the online version. BLS Library provides additional citation manuals in the first-floor Reserve collection for occasions when patrons may need to use alternative citation formats.

Bluebook Guides & Companion Tool:

ALWD Guide to Legal Citation: 

Legal Style Manuals:

Citation Form for Briefs and Legal Memoranda: This online exercise is designed to help users learn the rules of proper citation form for briefs and legal memoranda.  The authors revised this lesson to correspond to the 21st ed. of The Bluebook. CALI login required.

Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (LII 2020 ed.): Great online summary that provides examples.

Bluebook Guide: Georgetown Law Library's comprehensive guide to Bluebook citation, including how to cite cases, statutes and other legal research sources.

Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations: Web-based service that allows you to determine the full titles of many abbreviated, English-language legal publications (and selected foreign legal publications).