Legal Research: Florida
Sections
See also
Home Pages
It is recommended that an attorney be consulted when an interpretation of the law is
needed.
Where to Start
Start with the legal encyclopedia for explanations about general principles
of law and appropriate references to statutes and cases:
Fl.Jur.2d - Florida Jurisprudence, Second Edition
Reference KFF 80 .F56
The encyclopedia provides narrative discussion of topics with references to specific
cases and statutes in the footnotes. The set includes several finding aids:
- General Index
- Words & Phrases
- Table of Cases
- Table of Laws & Rules - with cross-references to topics from specific provisions
of:
- U.S. Constitution
- Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
- National Housing Act
- Social Security Act
- U.S. Code Annotated
- U.S. Public Laws
- Code of Federal Regulation
- Federal rules (Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Evidence)
- Code of Judicial Conduct
- Florida Constitution
- Florida Statutes
- Florida Laws
- Florida Administration Code
- Florida rules (Appellate Procedure, Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure,
Probate, etc.)
- Florida Administrative Orders of the 9th, 11th, and 15th Judicial Circuits
- Florida Attorney General Opinions
- Uniform Commercial Code
- Restatement Second
Individual volumes include:
- a Scope statement describing the chapters contents
- a Federal Aspects statement showing the application of federal
law
- a Treated Elsewhere statement indicating what is covered in
other topics
- Research References giving you access to national texts and
local texts and practice publications, annotations from American Law Reports
(ALR), and forms
- boldfaced headings such as Comments, Cautions,
Illustrations, Observations, Practice
Guides, Recommendations, and Reminders
calling your attention to matters of particular significance
- a West's Digest Conversion Table which may be used to find
where various West's Digest topics and key numbers are cited in the Research
References in the Florida Jur 2d articles in this volume
- an Index at the end of the volume covering topics discussed
in the volume
Other guides to Florida legal research:
West's Florida Law Finder
Reference KFF 61 .W47
"A new topical reference guide for coordinated research providing comprehensive references
to the following West publications:
- West's Florida Statutes Annotated
- Florida Practice Series
- Florida Digest
- United States Code Annotated
- Corpus Juris Secundum
- Federal Publications
- Key Number Publications
- Texts & Treatises"
Florida Code Research Guide
Reference KFF 40 .F56 1999
Statutory Guide to:
- Fla Jur 2d
- West's Fla Digest
- ALR 5th, 4th, 3d, 2d & Federal
- Am Jur 2d
- CJS
- Fed Proc L Ed
- Forms
- Proofs
- Trials
- Texts
Guide to Florida Legal Research
Reference KFF 75 .R45 1994
- Constitutions & Other Organic Law
- Legislative Materials
- Judiciary & Bar
- Administrative & Executive Branch Materials
- Electronic Research
- Encyclopedias
- Periodicals
- Treatises & Practice Manuals
- Forms
See also general guides to legal research
in the UCF Library's Reference Collection at REF KF240 and online.
Definitions
Florida Statutes Definitions Index
Florida Documents Ready Reference LEG.D3: D33/ (shelved next to Florida Statutes)
Words and Phrases volumes are included in:
Florida Jurisprudence, Second Edition
Reference KFF 80 .F56
Florida Digest, Second Edition
Reference KFF 47.6 F55
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Legal abbreviations
A guide to other abbreviations is available online.
Fla.
Fla.Stat.
Reference KFF 30 .A2 F55
F.L.W.
Florida Law Weekly
Reference KFF 47 .F54
So.
Reference KFF 51 .A1 1887
So.2d
Reference KFF 51 .A1
The UCF Library only has the Florida Cases volumes for So.2d
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Current Laws & Regulations
Laws currently in effect arranged by subject
Fla.Stat.Ann. - Florida Statutes Annotated (West)
Reference KFF 30 1970 .A2
Florida Documents Ready Reference AG 5: S 8/
Regulations currently in effect arranged by subject
Fla.Admin.Code - Florida Administrative Code Annotated
Other Florida Codes, Regulations & Ordinances
Orange County Code of Ordinances
Orlando Code of Ordinances
provides searchable regulations of a dozen Florida counties and over 150 Florida cities.
provides searchable regulations of over 10 Florida cities.
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Laws & Regulations by Year
Finding the citation for a popular act
If you don't know whether a named law is state or federal, consult
Shepard's Acts & Cases by Popular Names, Federal & State
Reference KF 80 .S5
Official names of Florida laws
can also be found by looking in the index of the
Florida Statutes under the
heading "Short Titles".
Florida Documents Ready Reference AG 5: S 8/
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Laws arranged by year
See also Documenting Florida Legislative Intent.
provides access to current and historical information.
Laws of Florida - arranged chronologically
Florida Statutes - arranged by subject
Online version (1997+)
Florida Documents AG 5 .S8/ (1927, 1941-43, 1951+)
Indexes to Special and Local Laws
shelved with the current
Florida Statutes in Documents Ready Reference
Index to Laws of Florida, Special & Local Laws, 1971-
Florida Documents LEG.D5: L41/
Index to Special & Local Laws, 1845-1970
Florida Documents SS 5: L4/845-970
includes Laws of Florida Territory (1822-1845) and the Florida Constitutions of 1838,
1865, 1868, and 1885.
Records of the States of the United States of America:
Florida
Issued by the State Records Microfilm Project as a joint enterprise of the Library of
Congress and the University of North Carolina.
Microfilm F 311 .U5 (36 reels)
An index is located on a separate reel in this set. The index includes coverage of other
states, but only the Florida materials are held by UCF.
Includes
- legislative records such as the journals of the Legislature (1822-1869, 1912)
- ordinances & statutory law (1821-1877)
- Duval's Compilation of Public Acts (1839)
- Thompson's Digest (1847)
- constitutional records (1810-1868)
- administrative records (1827-1850)
- executive records (1845-1874)
- Supreme Court Record Book (1825-1845)
- legislative/executive records (1764-1783)
- records of the rudimentary State (1810-1817)
Other material regarding Florida history
is also included on these microfilm reels.
Revisions and Compilations of Florida Statutes
"The laws of general application of the territory of Florida and of the State of Florida
have either been compiled unofficially or revised under authority of law and adopted
as official statutes in the following publications:"
- Duval's Compilation of Territorial Laws, 1840 (compilation) [see
microfilm]
- Thompson's Digest, 1847 (compilation) [see
microfilm]
- Bush's Digest, 1872 (compilation) [not available at UCF]
- McClellan's Digest, 1881 (compilation) [not available at UCF]
- Revised Statutes, 1892 (R.S.) (revision enacted as law) [not available
at UCF]
- General Statutes, 1906 (G.S.) (revision enacted as law) [not available
at UCF]
- Revised General Statutes, 1920 (R.G.S.) (revision enacted as law) [not
available at UCF]
- Compiled General Laws, 1927 (C.G.L.) (unofficial compilation) [Florida
Documents AG 5 .S8/]
- revision of 1940 (beginning of the continuous revision system) [not
available at UCF]
- Florida Statutes 1941 (F.S. 1941) (adoption of the official 1940 revision)
[Florida Documents AG 5 .S8/]
- Florida Statutes 1949 (F.S. 1949) (consolidation of 1941 statutes and
supplements printed during 1943, 1945, and 1947) [not available at UCF]
- and Florida Statutes (biennial ,1951-1999; annual, 2000+) [Florida
Documents AG 5 .S8/]
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Bill Citators
Use the Senate or House bill number identified from Laws of Florida to locate:
- Status of the bill
- Bill sponsor
- Linked, identical, similar, or compared bills
- Brief description of the bill
- Chronological history
- Citations to pages in the House and Senate Journals
- Dates of action for committees through which the bill passed
- Staff analyses and committee reports
Bill Information "Citator" (Florida Senate)
- Statistics
- History of Senate Bills
- History of House Bills
- Introducer/Sponsor Report
- Subject Index
- Statute/Constitution Citations
- Vetoed Bills
NOTE: The Online Sunshine entries for
specific bills provide direct links for various versions of the bills,
committee amendments, floor amendments, bill analyses, and vote history.
Final Legislative Bill Information
Florida Documents LEG.D3: H49/ (1988-2001)
History of Legislation
Florida Documents LEG.D2: H49/ (1972, 1975-1987)
For earlier dates (1969+) and other information, see the State Archives.
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Chronological announcements of proposed and adopted changes to
rules and regulations
Florida Administrative Weekly
Florida Administrative Code Archive
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Cases: Reporters, Digests, and Citators
Reporters
provide the published text of the reported decisions from specific courts.
Digests
are subject indexes with summaries of court cases. Explanations of topics are not given,
but references to reporters are provided.
Citators
identify subsequent references to previous court cases and are used to help determine
if a case's decision is still valid.
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Finding a Case by Name, Citation, or Subject
Already have the citation for a case?
Need to find the citation for a popular case?
To distinguish a commonly cited popular case from other cases with similar names, consult:
Shepard's Acts & Cases by Popular Names, Federal & State
Reference KF 80 .S5
"A compilation of popular names by which federal and state acts and cases have been
referred to or cited together with an identification of... each case in terms of
the volume and page reference where the text of the decision may be found."
Searching by party names or keywords for a case?
Search using
Federal & State Cases in the LexisNexis Academic database, or use
the appropriate digest covering the court, as identified in the sections below.
Shepard's Florida Case Names Citator
Reference KFF 59 .S48
"Table of Cases" volumes are included in:
Florida Jurisprudence, Second Edition
Reference KFF 80 .F56
Florida Digest, Second Edition
Reference KFF 47.6 .F55
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Reporters
Reporters provide the published text of the reported decisions from specific courts.
Online access (LexisNexis Academic)
reports the decisions of the Florida Supreme Court from 1846 through 1948 in 160 volumes.
American Decisions
Reference KF 133 .A66
volumes 44-95 include select cases from volumes 1-12 of Florida Reports (1868-1887)
American Reports
Reference KF 133 .A66
volumes 7-58 include select cases from volumes 13-21 of Florida Reports (1868-1887)
Online version (search by
citation, e.g. 183 So. 846)
Online version (search by keyword and date)
Reference KFF 51 .A1 (1887-1941)
reports the decisions of the Supreme Courts & District Courts of Appeal in Alabama,
Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.
So.2d - Southern Reporter, Second Series
Online version (search by
citation, e.g. 773 So.2d 524)
Online version (search by keyword and date)
Reference KFF 51 .A1 (1941+;
Florida Cases)
reports the decisions of the Supreme Courts & District Courts of Appeal in Alabama,
Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. The UCF Library only has the print volumes for Florida
Cases.
Fla. Supp. - Florida Supplement (vol. 1-50, 1952-1981)
Fla. Supp. 2d - Florida Supplement, Second Series (vol.
1-50, 1983-1992)
reports selected opinions of lower courts of record and state commissions from 1952
to July 1992. The cases can be Shepardized (
Fla. Supp. and
Fla. Supp. 2d), but the publications are not available at UCF. The publications
are available elsewhere in Orlando at the law school libraries of
Barry University and FAMU.
Fla. L. Weekly - Florida Law Weekly
Online version (ask at the Research Assistance Desk to be
logged on for in-library online access;
1995+)
Reference KFF 47 .F54 (1997+)
reports Florida appellate court and Supreme Court decisions. The UCF Library does not
have print or online access to
FLW Supplement or
FLW Federal.
Search for cases by volume and page citation:
Florida Law Weekly Supplement
reports Florida circuit and county court decisions, and miscellaneous reports of
the proceedings of other public agencies. The cases can be Shepardized, but FLW
Supplement is not available at UCF. The publication is available elsewhere in Orlando
at the law school libraries of
Barry University and FAMU.
Florida Law Weekly Federal
reports Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. District and Bankruptcy Courts
in Florida, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit.
Search for cases by volume and page citation:
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Digests
Digests are subject indexes with summaries of court cases. Explanations of topics are not
given, but references to reporters are provided. See also
federal digests.
Florida Digest, 2d (1935+)
Reference KFF 47.6 F55
Florida Digest (1846-1980)
Reference KFF 47.6 F55
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Citators
Citators identify subsequent references to previous court cases and are used to help determine
if a case's decision is still valid.
Shepard's Florida Citations
Reference KFF 59 S54
includes sections for citations to:
- Florida Reports
- Florida Supplement & Florida Supplement 2d Series
- Opinions of the Attorney General of Florida
- Florida Law Weekly (Supreme Court and District Courts of Appeals)
- Southern Reporter (Florida Cases)
- Southern Reporter, 2nd Series (Florida Cases)
- U.S. Constitution
- U.S. Code
- U.S. Statutes at Large
- Federal Court Rules
- Federal Sentencing Guidelines
- Florida Constitutions (1885 and 1968)
- Florida Administrative Code
- Florida Annotated Statutes
- Florida Laws
- Florida Miscellaneous Superseded Court Rules
- Florida Court Rules
- Florida Standard Jury Instructions
KeyCites
online access available via the Westlaw database; restricted access; ask at the Research
Assistance Desk
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Florida Courts
Supreme Court
- High Profile Cases
- Argument Calendars & Briefs
- Argument Webcasts
- Court Documents
- Court Orders
- Death Warrant Cases
- Docket On-Line
- Hurricane Information
- Judicial Qualifications Commission Cases
- Opinions & Rules
- Press Information
- Press Releases
- Reporters Handbook
- Reports & Studies
- RSS Feed
- Rules of Court
- Trial Court Statistics
- Yearly Schedule
"When court is in session, WFSU-TV offers live coverage online, on local cable,
and by satellite."
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Appellate and County Courts
- Judges
- Clerk's Office
- Oral Arguments (Sep 2005+)
- On-Line Dockets (1985+)
- Opinions (May 2001+)
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Court Statistics
- Circuit Criminal Defendants
- Circuit Criminal Counts
- Circuit Criminal Special Proceedings
- Family Court
- Circuit Civil
- Probate
- County Criminal Defendants
- County Criminal Special Proceedings
- County Civil
- Traffic
Statistical Reference Guide to Florida's Trial Courts
Florida Documents SUP.A 7: (2001+)
Report of the Florida State Courts System
Florida Documents SUP.A 2: C58/ (1982-1983, 1988-1990)
Florida Judicial System Statistical & Program Activity Report
Florida Documents SUP.A 3: J82/ (1980-1981)
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Rules of Court
See also Federal Rules of Court
Florida Rules of Court: State
Reference KFF 529 .A22
Florida Rules of Court: Federal
Reference KFF 529 .A24
including:
- Florida Rules of Civil Procedure
- Florida Rules of Judicial Administration
- Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure
- Florida Probate Rules
- Rules of Traffic Courts
- Florida Small Claims Rules
- Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure
- Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure
- Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators
- Florida Rules for Court-Appointed Arbitrators
- Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure
- Florida Rules for Certification and Regulation of Court Interpreters
- Rules of The Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to The Bar
- Rules Regulating The Florida Bar
- Code of Judicial Conduct
- Judicial Circuit Courts -- Administrative Orders & Local Rules
- Florida Supreme Court Manual of Internal Operating Procedures
- Florida Bar--Lawyer Regulation
- Rules of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
- Rules of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Florida
- Rules of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- Rules of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida
- Rules of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- Rules of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida
Florida Statutes Annotated (West)
Reference KFF 30 1970 .A2
Volumes 30-35A provide annotations for Florida rules.
- Florida Rules of Civil Procedure
- Florida Rules of Judicial Administration
- Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure
- Florida Probate Rules
- Florida Rules of Traffic Court
- Florida Small Claims Rules
- Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure
- Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure
- Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure
- Criminal Jury Instructions
- Civil Jury Instructions
Changes to Court Rules (Florida Supreme Court)
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Citators - Florida Rules
Shepard's Florida Citations
Reference KFF 59 .S54
KeyCites
online access available via the Westlaw database; restricted access; ask at the Research
Assistance Desk
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Administrative Decisions
See also Federal Administrative Decisions.
Case Search (Florida Division
of Administrative Hearings)
a searchable database for administrative hearing cases (1975+). Results sometimes include
docket information with pdf copies of documents filed for the case. Searches can be
restricted by various criteria, including:
- Case Suffix - over 30 options, including:
- CON - Certificate of Need
- DRI - Development of Regional Impact
- EC - Ethics Commission
- EF - Environmental Fees
- EPP - Electrical Power Plant Siting
- MA - Medical Arbitration
- PL - Professional Licensure
- RP - Proposed Rule Challenge
- Agency - over 50 options, including:
- authorities
- commissions
- departments, e.g., Department of Education
- districts
- offices
- planning councils
- Division - over 300 options, including:
- Board of Landscape Architects
- Board of Regents
- Florida Elections Commission
- Orange County School Board
- South Florida Water Management District
- University of Central Florida
Case Search (Office of the Judges
of Compensation Claims)
a searchable database of workers' compensation cases (1950+). Results sometimes include
docket information with pdf copies of documents filed for the case.
FCR - Florida Compensation Reports
Official Decisions of the Florida Industrial Commission, Workmen's Compensation Division
FL Documents IND 3: C65/ (1952-1976)
from 1FCR 1 through 9 FCR 383 (IRC Order 2-2925, Florida Industrial Relations Commission)
- Cases Reported
- Text of Decisions
- General Digest Analysis
- Specific Digest Analysis
- Digest of Decisions
Florida Agency Resources
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Attorney General Opinions
Florida Attorney General Opinions
Indexes to Opinions
- Index to Reports of the Attorney General's Opinions, 1961-1975, and
A Citator to Sections of the Florida Constitution and Florida Statutes Cited
- Florida Documents AG.B 6: D6/961-975
- Index to Opinions Issued and Published by the Attorney General of Florida,
1975-1977, and A Citator to Sections of the Florida Statutes and the Florida
Constitution Cited
- Florida Documents AG.B 6: D6/975-977
Earlier opinions (1845+) are available elsewhere in Orlando at the law school libraries
of
Barry University and FAMU.
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Legal Forms & How-To Guides
See also general legal forms and Florida
consumer guides to legal help.
"are designed for use by everyone, but are especially helpful to individuals who wish
to represent themselves (pro se) in court matters related to family law."
- 12.900-12.909 - Petitions, Answers & Supporting Documents
- 12.910-12.919 - Service
- 12.920-12.929 - Procedural
- 12.930-12.939 - Discovery
- 12.940-12-949 - Motions
- 12.980-12.989 - Special Cases
- 12.990-12.999 - Judgments & Orders
Florida Jur Forms : Practice-Oriented Forms for Florida Legal
& Business Transactions...
Reference KFF 68 .F55
- Real Property
- Personal Property
- Leases
- Consumer Protection
- Contracts
- Business Enterprises
- Estate Planning
- Family Law
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Uniform Commercial Code
Florida Statutes Annotated (West)
Reference KFF 30 1970 .A2
Uniform Commercial Code Forms - 4 volumes
- Chapter 670. Article 4A. Funds Transfer
- Chapter 671. Article 1. General Provisions
- Chapter 672. Article 2. Sales
- Chapter 673. Article 3. Negotiable Instruments
- Chapter 674. Article 4. Bank Deposits and Collections
- Chapter 675. Article 5. Letters of Credit
- Chapter 676. Article 6. Bulk Transfers
- Chapter 677. Article 7. Warehouse Receipts, Bills of Lading & Other Documents
of Title
- Chapter 678. Article 8. Investment Securities
- Chapter 679. Article 9. Secured Transactions; Sales of Accounts and Chattel
Paper
- Chapter 680. Article 2A. Leases
Trawick's Florida Practice and Procedure
Reference KFF 530 .T73
Trawick's Florida Practice and Procedure: Forms
Reference KFF 530 .T733
Florida Treatises and Legal Practice Series
Some texts and practice series dealing with specific topics in Florida law can be located
through the
UCF Library Catalog, including:
Ehrhardt's Florida Evidence
Reference KFF 540 .F56
Florida Appellate Practice (Padovano)
Reference KFF 555 .P32
Florida Civil Practice (Padovano)
Reference KFF 80 .F467
Florida Civil Procedure (Berman)
Reference KFF 80 .F46
Florida Criminal Defense Trial Manual
Reference KFF 575 .B37 (5 volumes)
Florida Family Law Practice Manual (Schackow)
Reference KFF 94 .A6 S27 (4 volumes)
Florida Personal Injury Law & Practice with Wrongful Death Actions ((Sawaya)
Reference KFF 539 .P4 S38
Florida Probate Code Manual (Smith)
Reference KFF 144 .A6 S6 (4 volumes)
Florida Wills, Trusts, and Estates: Cases & Materials
Reference KFF 144 .F554 2007
Trial Handbook for Florida Lawyers (Hicks)
Reference KFF 538 .H6
- How to Start a Business in Florida
- How to Form a Corporation in Florida
- How to Make a Florida Will: With Forms
- How to Form a Limited Liability Company in Florida
- How to Win in Small Claims Court in Florida
- Land Trusts in Florida
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Articles: Journals and Law Reviews
See also general legal journals & law reviews.
"contains the full text of documents from all law reviews published by schools located
in or affiliated with the state of Florida."
A list of other indexes to articles in legal periodicals is included in UCF's guide
to "
Legal Research: General".
Barry Law Review (Barry University)
Business Law Review (University of Miami)
Entertainment & Sports Law Review (University of Miami)
Florida Bar Journal
Florida Coastal Law Review (Florida Coastal School of Law)
FIU Law Review (Florida International University)
Florida Journal of International Law (University of Florida)
Florida Law Review (University of Florida)
Florida State University Law Review
Florida Tax Review (University of Florida)
International & Comparative Law Review (University of Miami)
ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law (Nova Southeastern University)
Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law (Florida State University)
Journal of Law & Public Policy (University of Florida)
Journal of Technology Law & Policy (University of Florida)
Journal of Transnational Law & Policy (Florida State University)
Nova Law Review (Nova Southeastern University)
St. Thomas Law Review (St. Thomas University)
Stetson Law Review (Stetson University)
University of Miami Inter-American Law Review
University of Miami Law Review
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Guides, Tips, and Frequently Asked Questions
How do I translate the numbers and letters to find a case?
The first number is the volume and the last number is the beginning page of the case
in that volume. The
abbreviation in the middle identifies
the name of the publication.
Example: 773 So. 2d 524
The report of Gore v. Harris, decided by the Florida Supreme Court in 2000, begins on
page 524 in volume 773 of the
Southern Reporter, Second Series.
What's the difference between the circuit and district courts?
In
Florida, the circuit courts
are the trial courts at the local level, and the district courts (e.g., 5th District
Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach) are the appellate courts between the circuit courts
and the Florida Supreme Court. In the
federal court
system, the names are reversed; the district courts are the trial courts within
each state (e.g., U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division)
and the circuit courts (e.g., U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit in Atlanta) are the
appellate courts between the district courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Where else in Orlando can I find legal materials?
Be sure to ask at the UCF Library's Research Assistance Desk, just in case the title
you're seeking is available in the UCF Library as part of some other material, but is
not listed individually in the catalog. Two local law schools have some materials not
found at UCF:
Why are huge sections of pages missing from the Southern
Reporter, Second Series?
The UCF Library does not have a print version of the complete
Southern Reporter,
Second Series. We only have the
Florida Cases version, which extracts
the pages from the full set. The page numbering from the full set is retained, so the
page number citations in
Florida Cases match the page numbers in
Southern
Reporter, Second Series. For example, the
Florida Cases volume for 868
So. 2d is missing pages 9-497 and 702-1191 because those pages deal with states other
than Florida, but the case reported on page 1192 of
Florida Cases is still
able to be cited as 868 So. 2d 1192. To retrieve the text of cases from other states
reported in
Southern Reporter, Second Series, use the
LexisNexis Academic database.
How do I find the Florida Lemon Law?
You have to first figure out that it is called the Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement
Act. In the index of the Florida Statutes, look under the heading "Short Titles" for
a list of the laws in Florida with official names. The "Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement
Act" begins at Chapter 681.10 in the
Florida Statutes. If you don't know whether a named law is state or federal, consult
Shepard's Acts and Cases By Popular Names, Federal & State... [Reference KF80.S5].
In this instance, the search was easier on the Internet than in standard sources because
the unofficial name "
Florida Lemon
Law" appears in descriptions on some agency websites.
Where is the law that created Disney World?
You've got to do a little research into the history of Walt Disney World first. You
could read through some of the books about Disney World, such as
Vinyl Leaves
[GV 1853.3 .F62 W344 1992], but another possible source is the UCF Library's subscription
to the
Orlando
Sentinel; conduct a search and then scan the headlines for likely articles, such
as "Disney World Through the Years", September 29, 1996. The facts you need to find
are the year 1967 and the official name of the area created: Reedy Creek Improvement
District. Next, search the index of the 1967 Special Acts volumes of the
Laws of
Florida [Florida Documents SS5:L3/] for "Reedy Creek". The 100-page law that gave
Disney tremendous independence from Orange and Osceola Counties is Chapter 67-1965.
NOTE: The Florida Legislature passes General Laws each year that usually end up codified
in the Florida Statutes, but the Special Acts are not included in the Florida Statutes.
Some information about the
Reedy Creek Improvement District
is available online.
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Consumer Guides to Legal Help
See also Florida lawyer directories
provides consumer pamphlets and tips in English and Spanish.
- Pamphlets
- Civil
- Credit
- Family
- Immigration
- Intellectual Property
- Legal Services & Client Protection
- Real Property
- Wills, Trusts & Estates
- Tips
- Automobile
- Civil
- Contracts
- Credit
- Fraud
- Real Property & Lease
- Pamphlets to aid people affected by hurricanes or other natural disasters
- Living Will forms
provides information about organizations offering legal help to moderate and low income
Floridians
- Consumer - debt collection, bankruptcy, utilities, tax, ...
- Education - special education, discipline, suspensions, ...
- Family & Juvenile - domestic violence, divorce, custody, foster care, ...
- Housing - landlord-tenant problems, public housing, foreclosures, ...
- Individual Rights - civil rights, prisoners' rights, ...
- Migrant & Farmworkers - workplace, child labor, health & safety
- Seniors - nursing homes, elder issues
- Disability - rights of people with disabilities
- Employment - job discrimination and work-related problems
- Health - Medicaid, Medicare, mental health, ...
- Immigration - immigration & naturalization problems
- Life Planning - wills, guardianships, estates, ...
- Public Benefits - social security, welfare, food stamps, ...
- Community Education - miscellaneous topics
- Local Self-Help Centers - listed by judicial circuit
- Family Law Forms
- Family Law Rules & Opinions
- Free or Low-Cost Legal Aid
- Probate
- Small Claims
- Lawyer Referral
- Mediator Search
- Guardianship
- a non-profit law firm serving the legal needs of low income and senior Floridians
in central Florida
- serves eligible clients in twelve counties: Brevard, Citrus, Flagler, Hernando,
Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Putnam, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia
- Public Benefits for the Homeless
- Lucha: A Women's Legal Project
- Asylum Project
- Detention Project
- Unaccompanied Children Project
"We provide civil legal assistance to low-income residents, the working poor, children
and disadvantaged groups with special legal needs in Orange County, Florida. Assistance
is provided primarily in the substantive areas of family, juvenile, housing, consumer,
welfare/income maintenance, health, education, and immigration law."
provides free legal services to eligible Seminole County residents with their civil
legal problems in the following areas: Family Law, Housing, Guardianship, Consumer Law,
Education Legal Seminars, Adopt a Nonprofit Organization, Employment Law.
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Directories
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Lawyers - Directories
See also general lawyer directories and
consumer guides to legal help.
"provides referrals to attorneys who will conduct an initial one-half hour office consultation
for $25."
Florida Bar Journal - Annual Directory Issue in September
Identifies individuals eligible to practice law in Florida and members of the Judiciary.
Search by:
- name
- location - state & city (or "Out of Country")
- sections & divisions (e.g., Criminal Law, Elder Law, Labor & Employment Law,
Trial Lawyers, etc.)
- board certified attorneys by specialization area
- other affiliates and associates
- authorized house counsel
- certified foreign legal consultants
- Florida registered paralegals
- law faculty affiliate members
- Alphabetic Order
- County
- Regional
- Specialty
- Statewide
- Salary Charts Comparing Firms in a Florida city
- Dollars Per Billable Hour Charts
- Hours/Pro Bono Chart
- Associates/Partner Chart
- Women/Minority Percentage Chart
- Summer Associate Salary Chart
- Benefits Chart
Book of Lists (Orlando Business Journal)
Reference Oversize HC 108 .O7 B4 (1986+)
annual list of largest companies in Central Florida, including a list of the largest
law firms
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Law Schools - Directories
See also general law school directories and
Florida law reviews.
Law Schools - Orlando
Other Florida Law Schools
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Looking for something else? Ask for assistance at the UCF Libraries' Research
Assistance Desk or contact Ask A Librarian.
Prepared by: Rich Gause,
Government Documents Librarian
URL of this page: http://library.ucf.edu/govdocs/legal/florida.asp
Last updated October 13, 2011 9:30:37 AM
