LibGuides: Researching for a MLS Capstone/Seminar Paper or Project: Choosing a Topic / News

News

Legal News
General News

Legal news is a good starting point for topic ideas that are fresh, relevant and haven't yet been written about in many law review articles. Legal news articles from legal news sources often include links to at least some of the primary sources being discussed. The below are general legal news sources, for more specific sources by specialization (e.g., Corporate, Environmental), see the Areas of Specialization page.

Bloomberg Law News
Bloomberg's legal news includes legal newsletters and other coverage.

Law 360 This link opens in a new window
News service for lawyers covering litigation developments, major lawsuits, court decisions, class action developments and large law firm transactions. Law School only. Also available on Lexis+ (Lexis password required).

Watch a video on Law360 prepared by our reference librarians.
Law students: you must access this source using the law school VPN. You cannot access it using any of the campus wifi networks, including Eduroam.
Law.com This link opens in a new window
Legal news website featuring high profile cases, law firm developments, and general articles on the legal profession. Includes: The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, The National Law Journal, The New York Law Journal and The New Jersey Law Journal. Law School only.

Watch a video on Law.com prepared by our reference librarians.
Law students: you must access this source using the law school VPN. You cannot access it using any of the campus wifi networks, including Eduroam.

Lexis Legal News
Includes content from Law360 and Law.com
U.S. Law Week Circuit Splits
Available from Bloomberg Law. Monthly report of new Federal Circuit cases that identify circuit splits.

You may find browsing and researching general news sources to be helpful in selecting an researching your topic. There are a wealth of news resources available at UCLA. The following are some suggestions to get started:

Factiva
Factiva, a "mega" news & business information service, covers nearly 9,000 sources from 152 countries in 22 languages. Factiva also provides stock performance data, company-to-industry comparative reports, market index reports & business press releases. (Click "Factiva" link.)
Google News
You can browse Google News or search using this link or by running a Google search and selecting "News" from the tabs at the top of your search results.
Lexis News
U.S. and major world newspapers and more.

New York Times Digital Edition This link opens in a new window
All current UCLA Law faculty, staff, and students have access to the New York Times Digital Edition. Register at https://www.nytimes.com/passes with your law school email.

ProQuest Newspapers
Includes Alt-PressWatch, Ethnic NewsWatch, GenderWatch, New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal. Also includes the following historical newspapers: New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, and several others.

Legal Blogs

Legal blogs are another good starting point for fresh ideas.

The Justia website provides directories of legal blogs:

BlawgSearch

The following blog can be especially helpful for finding relevant, publishable topics:

Journal of Things We Like Lots
Professors select and review favorite law review articles in this blog-style law review. Useful for identifying current topics of interest and understanding what makes a good law review article.

Browsing Law Reviews

Skimming the tables of contents for law reviews in your area of interest can also spark ideas for topics.

Washington & Lee School of Law provides a ranking tool that allows you to locate the major journals by practice area.