LibGuides: Practical Research and Writing Resources Guide: Practice Materials

Litigation Analytics

Litigation Analytics - Lexis+
Compare Courts & Judges in Federal District Court.
Compare Counsel (law firm & attorney performance in Federal District Court litigation)
Litigation Analytics - Westlaw Edge
Search by Attorney, Law Firms, Judges, Courts, Companies: Damages, Case Types - covers federal and select state dockets and cases

Dockets

Courtlink (Dockets) - Lexis
Dockets for Federal Courts and Select State Courts. Click on link for Court Information and Court Availability for coverage and dates
Dockets (Westlaw)
Docket coverage varies by jurisdiction
Mass. State Court Dockets, Calendars and Case Information
Free. Find information on how to access electronic case information and calendars for the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC), Appeals Court, and Trial Court. You can search court dockets, view oral arguments, find court calendars, access SJC briefs, and more.

Sample Drafting Documents

Commencing an Action: Massachusetts
A Q&A guide to commencing an action in Massachusetts. This Q&A addresses the requirements for drafting and filing initiating papers, serving process, and amending the complaint. Answers to questions can be compared across a number of jurisdictions
Interrogatories: Drafting and Serving Interrogatories (MA)
Litigation Standard Documents (MA)
Subpoenas: Drafting a Subpoena (MA)

Jury Instructions

Massachusetts Criminal Model Jury Instructions for use in the District Court
Other Model Jury Instructions (MA)
Arson of a dwelling house
Eyewitness Identification
Homicide
Inconclusive DNA testing
Roadside Assessments for use in prosecutions for operating under the influence of marijuana
Unlawful cultivation with medical marijuana hardship cultivation registration
Unlawful possession of large capacity weapons and/or feeding devices
Post-verdict contact with jurors
SJC Model Jury Instructions on Implicit Bias
Superior Court Model Jury Instructions
Federal Courts: Pattern Jury Instructions for the District Courts of the First Circuit District of Maine Internet Site Edition Updated 3/6/23 by District Judge Nance Torresen

Trial Practice

Massachusetts Courtroom Advocacy
Massachusetts Courtroom Advocacy sets forth the tips, effective strategies, and practical techniques you need to advocate for your client in court. Featured are chapters on opening statements, introduction of evidence, objections, cross-examination, closing argument, and jury selection, along with extensive guidance on damages and a chapter devoted exclusively to criminal trial practice.

Brief Checking

Lexis and Westlaw provide access to brief checking services--upload documents to run automated checks. Check with your placement for policy advice regarding using these services to check citations and use AI to locate possibly relevant related authority.

Quick Check (Westlaw)
1. Check your work (update older briefs requiring newer authority, check an early draft)
2. Analyze an opponent's work (check quotations & authority, contrary authority)
3. Quick Check Judicial (compares opposing parties briefs--points out issues that neither party cited)
Brief Analysis and Agreement Analysis (Lexis)
1. Analyze a brief or a passage (upload your own brief or an opponent's)
2. Compare multiple briefs (find common and omitted authority, identify the cases and arguments used by opposing counsel)
3. Upload a transaction agreement: Asset Purchase, Stock Purchase or Merger to view relevant clause alternatives and drafting guidance