Finding Laws in LegalTrac: Overview

After exploring this guide you will be able to locate legal databases in the library and find relevant laws by:

• Locating and identifying relevant laws within law reviews retrieved from the Gale OneFile: LegalTrac database
• Using the Subject Guide Search in the Gale OneFile: LegalTrac database
• Researching relevant laws using Google

More Information

For this discussion you need to find one law or public policy that has impacted the counseling profession. To find laws or policies we will be searching in Gale OneFile: LegalTrac. Gale OneFile: LegalTrac contains articles about Federal and State Cases, Laws and Regulations, and Legal Practice.

1. From the Walden Library Home Page click the blue Articles by Topic button

2. Click on Public Policy & Administration in the center of the page. 

Note: For some research purposes, it is essential to use resources outside of your chosen area of study.

3. Under Legal Databases click on Gale OneFile: LegalTrac.

Log in with your myWalden email and password. 

4. Once the database has opened, click Subject Guide Search.

5. Type the keywords you chose from the list into the search box. Click the magnifying glass to search.

In this example we are using the keyword: 

child abuse

6. Locate your search term. Typically it will be the first term in the list. Click the plus sign next to the word Subdivisions.

7. Select either Cases or Laws, regulations, and rules. 

In this example, click on Laws, regulations, and rules.

8. On the right-hand side, enter your keywords. In this example, we will use the terms counsel* OR mental health in the Search within results box. The OR in between the keywords is a boolean term that will search for either the word counsel* or mental health. 

Note: The * asterisk is used to find any ending of the word.

The words Search with results will be displayed inside the search box before typing in the keywords.

9. In the results list, choose an article to review. To view the full-text article, click on either the title or PDF page(s) option.

In order to find a case or a legal decision, you may need to browse more than one article. Legal decisions will appear at the beginning of the article, in the text, or after the conclusion. 

Skim the article to find the law listed within the document. Below are State and Federal Law and Case Law examples of what the laws look like in the article you retrieve from Gale OneFile: LegalTrac.

Once you select a State and Federal Law and Case Law, you will need to find the actual law by searching in Google. The articles do not contain full documentation of the laws. The next box will provide directions on searching for State and Federal Law and Case Law through Google.

State and Federal law examples:

Case law examples:

In order to find the case (legal decision) look up the party names (State v. Wilkerson) or the state or federal law (42 C.F.R 483.13(c)(2) (2009) or NEV. REV. STAT. 8 200. 5092(2) (2011)), in Google. You will frequently find the full text of the case in US Court or state court sites, or in websites such as FindLaw. 

State and Federal law search result example:

1. Go to Google. Search using the state or federal law.

For Example:

42 C.F.R 483.13(c)(2) (2009)

2. Click search and review the results. You should see the laws referenced in several different websites. In the image result below, the federal law is listed in Legal Information Institute provided by Cornell University Law School. 

Case law search result example:

1. Go to Google, and search using the case law.

For Example:

Franz v lytle

2. Click search and review the results. You should see the laws referenced in several different websites. In the image result below, the case law is listed in leagle.com. 

Click on the search button in the Google search box below to see a federal law search results list:

Please Note: * Remove [section] from any searches