How do you learn how to do this....?

I can think of several ways -- one is to be an assistant in an attorney's office. I think there are also certification courses for legal assistants.

You can find a number of books at your library or through interlibrary loan about being a legal assistant.

If it's independant research you want to do (researching because someone has dropped a civil case on someone you know) then everything you will need to know is in any law library (try a university). To find out references for a case (and there's undoubtedly easier ways...this is the only one I know of) look up similar cases (pick some that are 6 years old or so) in the newspaper and then find the original documents. The arguments MAY reference specific laws and other cases pertaining to the material in question.

...and you can always ask the librarian at the law library for help.

[side note: research in the legal field can be more complex than in the scientific field because issues can be overturned on fine points of a case. They aren't repealing the law of gravity any time soon based on various findings -- if you know what I mean. I've only researched for one case (personal interest) so here endeth any advice I can give. I'm not a lawyer and don't work in the legal field.]


The Five Minute Mentor