how to cite a lawyer in mla

by Reagan Wiza I 6 min read

How to cite a law mla How do you cite a law? Most legal citations consist of the name of the document (case, statute, law review article), an abbreviation for the legal series, and the date. The abbreviation for the legal series usually appears as a number followed by the abbreviated name of the series and ends in another number.

Full Answer

What is a proper MLA citation?

Oct 07, 2020 · Double space between the title and the first line of the text. Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number. Number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.

How do I quote a state law?

Oct 07, 2020 · How do you cite a public law? Public law number (P.L.) and title, if provided. Statutes at Large (Stat.) volume and page, date, and enacted bill number, if known. Database name (Text from: United States Public Laws) Web service name (Available from: LexisNexis® Congressional) Date accessed by the ...

How to create a MLA citation?

Oct 07, 2020 · How do you cite a law journal MLA? Include the volume number (“vol.”) and issue number (“no.”) when possible, separated by commas. Finally, add the year and page numbers. Author (s). “Title of Article.”. Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Year, pages.

How do you cite something in MLA format?

Apr 04, 2022 · See " Documenting Legal Works in MLA Style " on the MLA website. Government Document From a Website Known Author Cite the author of the publication if the author is identified. Otherwise, start with the name of the national government, followed by the agency (including any subdivisions or agencies) that serves as the organizational author.

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How do you cite a law in MLA?

A basic citation would include the title of the code as displayed on the site, the title of the website as the title of the container, the publisher of the website, and the location: United States Code. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text.Apr 5, 2017

How do you cite a law in legal writing?

There are generally four elements in a citation to a statute in the United States Code:The title number.The abbreviation of the code used (here, U.S.C.)The section symbol (§) followed by a space and the section number containing the statute.The year of the code. (optional if citing to the current code - Bluebook R.Aug 30, 2021

How do you in text cite a case law in MLA?

In-text. The citation for a court case includes the name of the case, which is usually the principle people or groups involved in the proceeding. You should italicize the name of the case in the signal phrase or citation and abbreviate "versus" as "v." (without the quotation marks).

How do you cite a law in an article?

Most legal citations consist of the name of the document (case, statute, law review article), an abbreviation for the legal series, and the date. The abbreviation for the legal series usually appears as a number followed by the abbreviated name of the series and ends in another number. For example: Morse v.Nov 2, 2021

Do Lawyers Use MLA or APA?

Don't Know Which Citation Style You Need to Use?Anthropology - use ChicagoLaw & Legal Studies - use Bluebook, Maroonbook or ALWDBusiness - use APA, Chicago or HarvardMedicine - use AMA or NLMChemistry - use ACSMusic - use Turabian or ChicagoCommunications - use MLAPhilosophy - use MLA or Chicago9 more rows•Apr 12, 2022

How do you cite a law in the Philippines?

Legislation. Citation format: , No. , (), (), Book , p.

How do you cite a law case in an essay?

Citations WITH neutral citationThe components of a typical case citation including a neutral citation are:case name | [year] | court | number, | [year] OR (year) | volume | report abbreviation | first page.Neutral citations can be found by checking the case on one of the big commercial databases, or on BAILII.More items...•Apr 12, 2022

How do you cite in a paper MLA?

MLA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the page number from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken, for example: (Smith 163). If the source does not use page numbers, do not include a number in the parenthetical citation: (Smith).Feb 15, 2022

How do you cite a legal document in Chicago style?

Name of Government & Issuing Agency, Title of Publication, Author(s) First-name Last-name. Publication/Report Number, Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.Dec 28, 2021

How do you cite a legal citation from a website?

A citation to an internet web page generally contains the following information: (1) the author, (2) the title of the web page, (3) the title of the website, (4) the date and time, and (5) the URL.

What is a legal citation example?

Typically, a proper legal citation will inform the reader about a source's authority, how strongly the source supports the writer's proposition, its age, and other, relevant information. This is an example citation to a United States Supreme Court court case: Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 480 (1965).

How do you cite a law?

Most legal citations consist of the name of the document (case, statute, law review article), an abbreviation for the legal series, and the date. The abbreviation for the legal series usually appears as a number followed by the abbreviated name of the series and ends in another number. For example: Morse v.

How do you cite an executive order MLA?

MLA. List the government and the president as authors. Start with “United States,” followed by a comma. Then type “Executive Office of the President” as the author.

Do I have to cite a definition MLA?

Yes. Cite an entry in a print dictionary like a section of a larger work. Include the page number in the “Location” element of the MLA style template: “Content.” Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed., Merriam-Webster, 2003, p.

What citation style is used in law school?

Don’t Know Which Citation Style You Need to Use?Anthropology – use ChicagoLaw & Legal Studies – use Bluebook, Maroonbook or ALWDCriminology – use APA or ChicagoPolitical Science – APSAEducation – use APAPsychology – use APAHistory – use Chicago or TurabianReligion – use MLA or Chicago

How do you cite a legal case in text?

The APA Style Blog indicates to put the case name in italics for the in-text citation. If the name of the law is not available, some authors only include the legal citation in parentheses the text – e.g. (18 U.S.C. § 2258) – but exclude the source from the References list.

How do you cite a court case in MLA?

Name of the Court. Title of Case. Title of Reporter, volume, Publisher, Year, Page (s). Database Name or Title of Non-Publisher Website, DOI or URL.

How do you cite a presidential executive order?

Here’s the basic format for an executive order reference: Exec. Order No. xxxxx, 3 C.F.R.#N#…#N#Reference Format

Formatting

Note: All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

Tips

Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. You do not need to capitalize words such as: in, of, or an.

Government Document From a Website

Cite the author of the publication if the author is identified. Otherwise, start with the name of the national government, followed by the agency (including any subdivisions or agencies) that serves as the organizational author.

Government Document in Print

Title of Document: Subtitle if Given. Edition if given and is not first edition, Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Publication Date.

Court Decision

Government Entity as Author. Name of the Case. Date of the Decision. Title of Container, Publisher, URL (if online).

Statute

Government Entity as Author. Name of the Public Law. Title of Container, Date, Pages. Publisher, URL (if online).

Unenacted Bill or Resolution

Government Entity as Author. Name of the Bill or Resolution. Title of Container, URL. Congressional session, Bill/Resolution number, last status.

What is legal information institute?

The Legal Information Institute, a nonprofit associated with Cornell Law School, publishes an online guide to legal citation geared toward practitioners and nonspecialists instead of academics. Those working in law are introduced to the conventions of legal citation during their professional training.

Where is the executive order number printed?

After a president signs an executive order, the Office of the Federal Register gives it a number. It is then printed in the Federal Register and compiled in the Code of Federal Regulations. Executive orders usually also appear as press releases on the White House Web site upon signing.

Can you cite a dissenting opinion?

Sometimes, Supreme Court justices write dissenting opinions that accompany the published majority opinion. They are part of the legal record but not part of the holding—that is, the court’s ruling. If you cite only the dissent, you can treat it as the work you are citing:

What is legal style?

Legal style is a highly complex shorthand code with specialized terminology that helps legal scholars and lawyers cite legal sources succinctly. It points specialists to the authoritative publication containing the legal opinion or law, regardless of the version the writer consulted.

What is the law of the sea treaty?

Law of the Sea Treaty. Civil Rights Act. Code of Federal Regulations. When a legal source is contained within another work—for example, when the United States Code appears on a Web site that has a separate title—follow the MLA Handbook and treat the source as an independent publication (27). That is, style the title just as you would in prose—in ...

What is a legal case in MLA?

For example, a legal court case refers to a document that includes decisions made by the jury in settling a specific dispute. In practice, court cases contain parties involved in conflicts, judges who made the decision, a summary of the case, and the decision taken. Then, other details may include the year when the occurrence took place and the court’s name. In turn, students cite information from legal cases, which comes from the lowest to the highest court.

What is a reporter in a court case?

Reporters of court cases refer to institutions presenting references. For instance, students can find both official and unofficial reporters. In practice, one should use official law reporters when citing a court case in MLA 8. Moreover, writers can include reporter’s full names or abbreviations.

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MLA Style

  • Students and scholars working outside the legal profession and using MLA style should follow the MLA format template to cite laws, public documents, court cases, and other related material. Familiarize yourself with the guidelines in the MLA Handbook, section 2.1.3, for corporate author…
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Commonly Cited Sources

  • A few examples of using MLA style for commonly cited legal sources follow. 1. United States Supreme Court Decisions 2. United States Supreme Court Dissenting Opinions 3. Federal Statutes (United States Code) 4. Public Laws 5. Federal Appeals Court Decisions 6. Federal Bills 7. Hearings 8. Executive Orders 9. State Court of Appeals, Unpublished Decisions 10. State Senate …
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United States Supreme Court Decisions

  • Where you read the opinion of a United States Supreme Court decision will dictate how you cite it in MLA style. Legal-citation style, in contrast, points to the opinion published in the United States Reports, the authoritative legal source for the United States Supreme Court’s decisions, and cites the elements of that publication. For example, the case Brown v. Board of Education is commonl…
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United States Supreme Court Dissenting Opinions

  • Sometimes, Supreme Court justices write dissenting opinions that accompany the published majority opinion. They are part of the legal record but not part of the holding—that is, the court’s ruling. If you cite only the dissent, you can treat it as the work you are citing:
See more on style.mla.org

Federal Statutes

  • In MLA style, it will generally be clearest to create an entry for the United States Code in its entirety and cite the title and section number in the text, especially if you are referring to more than one section of the code. If an online search directs you to the web page for a specific section of the United States Code, it would not be incorrect to cite the page for that section alone. For ex…
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Federal Appeals Court Decisions

  • It is customary to title court cases by using the last name of the first party on each side of the v. You may also wish to shorten a long URL, as we have done here.
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Executive Orders

  • After a president signs an executive order, the Office of the Federal Register gives it a number. It is then printed in the Federal Registerand compiled in the Code of Federal Regulations. Executive orders usually also appear as press releases on the White House website upon signing.
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Constitutions

  • If a constitution is published in a named edition, treat it like the title of a book: References to the United States Constitution in your prose should follow the usual styling of titles of laws: But your in-text reference should key readers to the appropriate entry: If the title does not indicate the country of origin, specify it in the entry:
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Writing For Specialists: A Hybrid Method

  • A writer using MLA style to document a legal work for a specialized readership that is likely to be familiar with the conventions of legal documentation may wish to adopt a hybrid method: in place of the author and title elements on the MLA format template, identify the work by using the Bluebookcitation. Then, follow the MLA format template to list publication information for the ve…
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