This page will assist you in locating secondary source materials to aid you during the appellate writing and oral advocacy process. The main focus of this tab will be to focus on using empirical, non-legal, and administrative matrials as secondary support for your argument.

Since 'secondary sources' merely refers to sources other than the law itself - the statutes, cases, and rules created by government entities- it is a broad category of resources. Legal secondary sources help explain and interpret primary law and include treatises, law review articles, encyclopedias, etc.

It is important not to overlook the efficiencies and advantages of secondary sources. Law review and journal articles on particular subject matters can assist you in quickly understanding the legal landscape of an issue. Treatises, ALR annotations, and other secondary sources can also help you understand and explain basic legal principles. Throughout this guide you will see links to many of these commonly referenced secondary sources.

In addition to those traditional secondary resources with which you may already be familiar, appellate advocacy provides the opportunity to include empirical support, interpretive administrative materials, and non-legal materials in order to advance your legal argument. These material can often help moot court participants advance policy arguments and distinguish their team's table of authorities from others in the competition.