LibGuides: Massachusetts Legal Research: Massachusetts Secondary Sources

Finding Secondary Sources Online

Use the Online Resources page to find secondary sources on Lexis and Westlaw.

General Research Guides

Handbook of Legal Research in Massachusetts, 5th ed. by Select chapters authored by BC Law Librarians

Massachusetts Practice Materials

Massachusetts Practice Series. by St. Paul: West Group. 36 titles; 81 vols.
Call Number: Law Permanent Reserve KFM 2480. M8; also Law Massachusetts Collection KFM 2480 .M8
Pocket part supplements.
Although its coverage is extensive, this set is not a legal encyclopedia but rather a series of treatises on Massachusetts law written by leading experts in the field. Content includes substantive analysis of the major areas of Massachusetts law along with forms and trial practice volumes. The set includes a two-volume subject index.
Massachusetts Practice is also available on Westlaw in the MAPRAC database.
MCLE materials
Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Materials include regularly updated loose-leaf volumes, single volume guides, and MCLE program materials. Treatise-type works can be found on Lexis and Westlaw. To find print materials, add "MCLE" to your keyword search in the Catalog.

See box above for information on electronic access to the entire MCLE Library, including recorded programs in audio or video format.

MCLE Online Pass

The BC Law community of current students, faculty and staff have access to all MCLE (Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education) content via the new OnlinePass product. The MCLE Online Pass contains content from over 500 continuing education programs, the full-text of more than 400 e-books and over 2,000 hours of audio or video files of course content.

Click here to watch a video explaining how to use the MCLE Online Pass database.

Follow this link to access MCLE Online Pass from the BC Law Library's database list.

Jury Instructions

Massachusetts Civil Jury Instructions

These publications provide model jury instructions for civil and criminal trials in Massachusetts.

Bar Journals

Boston Bar Journal.
Call Number: Law Periodicals B; Current issues at the Information Desk
Publication Date: Vol. 1-, 1957-
Massachusetts Law Review
Call Number: Law Periodicals M; Current issues at the Information Desk
Publication Date: Vol. 63-, 1978.
Westlaw provides selective coverage in the MALR database since 1989.
These three journals are excellent sources of analysis and commentary on Massachusetts case law and statutes, as well as articles dealing with general issues of Massachusetts law. The Massachusetts Law Quarterly changed its title to the Massachusetts Law Review in 1978.

Other Important Massachusetts Secondary Sources

Handbook of Massachusetts Evidence by Mark S. Brodin and Michael Avery
Call Number: Law Permanent Reserve KFM 2940 .Z9 L4 1999
Publication Date: Annual edition
Massachusetts Proof of Cases by Marc Perlin, Davalene Cooper, and Gabriel V. Mottla
Call Number: Law Permanent Reserve KFM 2940 . M6
Publication Date: Annual edition
Previously titled Mottla's Proof of cases in Massachusetts. Note that Massachusetts does not have Rules of Evidence similar to the Federal Rules of Evidence. Instead, it still uses common law rules for evidence. As a result, a legal researcher should consult one of these well-regarded treatises for assistance with evidence issues.
Massachusetts Administrative Law and Practice by Michele E. Randazzo and John R. Hitt
Call Number: KFM2840 .L49
Publication Date: 2014

Legal Newspapers

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.
Call Number: Law Microforms Cabinet 3, Drawer 4
Publication Date: Vol. 1-, 1972- .
Current issues at the Information Desk
A weekly newspaper devoted entirely to the Massachusetts legal system and to the practice of law in Massachusetts. It features news articles and analysis of legal developments, as well as abstracts of recently reported cases from throughout the Massachusetts court system.

Available online; search in the Catalog to see vendors.

Procedural Forms

Massachusetts Standardized Civil Practice Forms. by Garrity, Paul and James A. Frieden.
Call Number: Law Permanent Reserve KFM 2930 .A65 G37 1986
Publication Date: 1986-. 4 vols.
Massachusetts Pleading and Practice: Forms and Commentary. by Swartz, Edward M. et al.
Call Number: Law Permanent Reserve KFM 2935 .A65S9
Publication Date: 1974-. 7 volumes.
These two sources provide analysis of the Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure, as well as examples of forms used in conjunction with those rules. Both sets are arranged by Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure number, but there is also a subject index for each set.

Trial Practice

Handbook of Civil Procedure in the Massachusetts District Courts. 2nd ed. by Perlin, Marc G. and John M. Connors.
Call Number: Law Permanent Reserve KFM 2930 .P48 1990
ISBN: 094059904X
Publication Date: 1990.
Annual cumulative supplements.
A useful starting point for someone researching an issue of civil procedure as applied in the Massachusetts District Courts.
Trial Handbook for Massachusetts Lawyers. 3rd ed. by Swartz, Edward M.
Call Number: Law Permanent Reserve KFM 2938 .S5 1999
Publication Date: 1999.
Annual cumulative supplements.
A single-volume survey of Massachusetts trial practice, from pretrial discovery to closing statements and jury instructions.