Legal Treatises by Subject : Introduction & Index

Browse by Subject

Introduction

Quick start: use the complete subject index to the left or the tabbed alphabetical index above to find treatises on your topic.

Treatises--books on legal topics--are a good place to begin your research  and save you time by providing explanation, analysis, and references to the most relevant primary sources. 

Treatises range from single volume overviews to extensively detailed multi-volume sets. They may come in the form of bound books updated with pocket parts or looseleafs with easily replaced pages. Some treatises are intended for law students while others are meant for practicing lawyers. 

If you need help finding a relevant treatise, this guide will provide you with some of the most useful titles in each subject. Where available, it is noted if the treatise is available on Lexis or Westlaw. Please keep in mind that this availability may change without notice.

Using Treatises

Treatises are subject-specific secondary sources that provide overviews and citations in more depth than typical legal encyclopedias like AmJur and CJS. Thus, the best time to use them is when you are unfamiliar with an area of law and need to learn the basics or, because of their depth and range, you are looking for an answer to a nuanced question in some area of law and aren't sure where to start.

Electronic Resources

The library has access to numerous treatises electronically via our subscription databases. Current Vanderbilt Law Students, Staff & Faculty are able to access these resources with their network ID & password. See a reference librarian for additional details.

Accessing Sources in Lexis

If you are unfamiliar with accessing sources in Lexis Advance or would like a refresher in doing so, please visit this brief guide.

Accessing Sources in Westlaw

If you are unfamiliar with accessing sources in Westlaw or would like a refresher in doing so, please  visit this brief guide .

Accessing Sources in Bloomberg Law

If you are unfamiliar with accessing sources in Bloomberg Law or would like a refresher in doing so, please  visit this brief guide .

Accessing Sources in Hein Online

If you are unfamiliar with accessing sources in HeinOnline or would like a refresher in doing so, please  review these HeinOnline Tutorials .

Author Credit

This guide was created jointly by the Vanderbilt Law Librarians. It is currently maintained by Mariah Ford. Content adapted with permission from several sources

• the Harvard Law Library Legal Treatises Guide with the kind permission of author Meg Kribble.
• John Marshall School of Law Treatise Finder
• Santa Clara Law Library Treatise Finder by David Brian Holt
• Georgetown Law Library Treatise Finder
  • Some annotations are adapted from this source.