Publishers of legal research tools add value to their products by pointing to specific sections of other legal material applicable to the subject matter at hand. Moreover, the concept of cross-referencing is embedded in the law. Legal arguments are almost always predicated upon relationships between various areas of the law. Lawyers must identify any statutory law, case law, administrative agency regulation, and legislative history relating to a particular issue. These cross-references also are transferable across jurisdictions.
Experienced researchers use cross-references instinctively.
Usually cross-references appear at the end of the main material, but not always. Many references appear parenthetically within the information. Examine frequently used tools to anticipate the kind of help available. A tool similar to the Texas Transaction Guide will provide forms for areas such as business organization and estate planning and also will incorporate references to statutes pertaining to those areas. The Texas Transaction Guide also incorporates references to annotations and law reviews, as well as to form books published by Matthew Bender.