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10.2
State Cases: Long Form
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INTRODUCTION
Citation form is very important for attorneys and paralegals. It comes easier to some than others, but once it clicks, it will stay with you. The best advice is to try and try again. First work on your state citations, then federal.
State Citation Form:
The Uniform System of Citation
There is plenty of information provided in the Manual on state citation Bluebook form, but it may be helpful to approach it from a bit of a different angle. Every state citation will be either a long form citation or a short form citation.
STATE CITATIONS: Long Form
A long form citation is a cite that provides both an official and unofficial cite. For example:
Smith v. Jones, 132 Colo. 249, 535 P.2d 570 (1996)
The first cite is the official. In this case, the official publication is the Colorado Reports. But the abbreviation "Colo." also tells us that the case was decided in the highest court in Colorado, the Colorado Supreme Court. The second cite is the regional reporter by West, which is unofficial. Both cites will provide the exact same case, word for word, and are therefore called parallel cites. The only real difference is that the unofficial cite provides additional research tools, such as the Key Number System and headnotes.
Lecture Notes . . .
State Citation Form
As discussed on these pages, a citation is a legal address. An address to a statute. An address to a court rule. Or, as discussed on these pages, an address to a court opinion (also called a case).
Paralegal Perspective . . .
CITATIONS
As a paralegal, there are a few standards that will enable an attorney to very quickly determine your level of ability. One of the most critical 'benchmarks' for a paralegal is citation form. If you create a citation that is nonsense, or incomplete, many attorneys will instantly pigeon-hole you as a less-than-brilliant paralegal. And it will take a lot to regain that attorney's confidence. This isn't to say you can never make a mistake, but citations are so critical to both writing and research that an attorney must have confidence in a paralegal's knowledge. So in this case, the snap judgment may be understandable!
ViewPoint
The Structure of Long Form State Citations
Commonly Asked Questions . . .
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Citations At-a-Glance Sheet
Click Here to view, print, or save the Citations At-a-Glance Sheet for use in completing the exercises for this chapter.
Citation Labs
Be sure to use the Citation Labs as you progress through this chapter. Just click the Labs link at the top of the page. The first Citation Lab you might want to visit is the State Long Form Citation Lab. Just click here.
Exercise Answers
Select the Answers tab above to view answers to the exercises in the textbook.Do not view the answers until you have tried the exercise yourself.