Case citators generally require you to begin your search with a case name but some case annotators will also allow you to search for cases by topic or legislative reference. Having decided which cases to look at, a report series is the place to go for the full text of the case. Indexes to law reports can also be used to find cases by topic and are especially useful in specialised reports series. More specialised secondary material can help explain cases and legislation and even give some idea of likely changes in the area. Journal articles and reports of law reform bodies are especially useful.
Some journals publish their own cumulative indexes, which are useful in specialist areas.
To find references to case notes and articles in a number of journals at once, use a bibliographic index. There are many indexes available, including indexes to law reform commission reports, treaty indexes etc. Once you have a reference, unless it's to a well known and mainstream journal or series, you'll probably need to use a library catalogue to find out whether the journal is held. If not, your library may arrange to get it elsewhere or it may be on the Internet. Because law changes so quickly you'll need to use a current awareness publication to update your research.