Welcome to the Securities Law research guide. This guide is intended to as a first steppingstone for research of securities law issues. It outlines authoritative corporate law in the U.S., as well as other helpful resources. Securities law is governed primarily by a few federal laws, but these laws intersect with state corporate law. To learn more about state and federal corporate law, see USD Law's Corporate Law Research Guide.
Lexis has a Securities Law page that allows users to search only relevant cases, statutes, secondary materials, and other helpful resources. This can be done with a text search or by topic.
Westlaw has a Securities Enforcement & Litigation page. It functions similarly to the Lexis page.
Bloomberg Law has a Securities Practice Center, with extensive resources, including news, federal and state materials, and other practical guidance.
The basic securities law research methodology is similar to other areas of legal research:
1. Establish the facts.
2. Identify the issues.
3. Locate authority.
4. Evaluate authority - make sure to evaluate for credibility, objectivity, accuracy, scope, and currency.
Repeat steps 1-4 as necessary to complete research and analysis of issues.
5. Develop conclusions and recommendations.
6. Communicate research results and recommendations.
This guide was written in March 2022 by USD Law student Lilly Walker.
