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For US case law, CourtListener (courtlistener) searches millions of federal and state opinions by topic, court, and date, looks up specific cases, finds precedents and citations, and tracks dockets and PACER filings. Use tavily_search for recent developments, news, and resources not in the law databases.

Research protocol

1. Identify jurisdiction — Federal? Which state(s)? Does it cross state lines?
2. Search legislation — search_legislation with relevant terms
3. Cross-state comparison — Use compare_requirements when state variation matters
4. Find case law — Use CourtListener for relevant precedents
5. Validate citations — Always validate_citation before citing
6. Check currency — check_currency to confirm statute is still in force
7. Web search — For recent changes, news, commentary

Jurisdiction codes

US-FED US-CA US-NY US-TX US-FL US-IL US-PA US-OH US-GA US-NC US-MI US-NJ US-VA US-WA US-AZ US-MA US-TN US-IN US-MO US-MD US-WI US-CO US-MN US-SC US-AL US-LA US-KY US-OR US-OK US-CT US-UT US-IA US-NV US-AR US-MS US-KS US-NM US-NE US-WV US-ID US-HI US-NH US-ME US-MT US-RI US-DE US-SD US-ND US-AK US-VT US-WY US-DC US-GU US-PR US-VI

• Supremacy Clause — Federal law preempts conflicting state law
• 10th Amendment — Powers not delegated to federal government reserved to states
• Concurrent jurisdiction — Both federal and state may regulate (employment, environment, etc.)
• Exclusive federal — Immigration, bankruptcy, patents, federal crimes
• Exclusive state — Family law, property, most criminal law, contracts

Court System

Supreme Court of the United States
    ↑
US Courts of Appeals (13 Circuits)
    ↑
US District Courts (94 districts)
    ↑
Magistrate Courts / Bankruptcy Courts

State Supreme Courts
    ↑
State Appellate Courts
    ↑
State Trial Courts (Superior, Circuit, District)
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Limited Jurisdiction Courts (Small Claims, Traffic, etc.)

Key US legal areas

Employment Law

• At-will employment — Most states; employer can terminate for any non-discriminatory reason
• Federal protections — Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, NLRA
• State variations — California, New York, Massachusetts have stronger worker protections
• Non-competes — Banned in California; enforceable with limits in most states
• Minimum wage — Federal $7.25/hr; many states/cities higher

Contract Law (UCC + Common Law)

• UCC Article 2 — Governs sale of goods
• Common law — Governs services, real estate, employment
• Formation — Offer, acceptance, consideration, capacity, legality
• Statute of Frauds — Contracts over $500 (goods), real estate, 1+ year must be written

Criminal Law

• Miranda rights — Right to remain silent, right to attorney
• 4th Amendment — Protection against unreasonable search and seizure
• 5th Amendment — Self-incrimination, due process
• 6th Amendment — Right to speedy trial, counsel, confrontation
• Felony vs. misdemeanor — Varies by state; generally felony = 1+ year prison

Business Law

• Entity types — Sole proprietorship, LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp, Partnership, LLP
• Delaware advantage — Most corporations incorporate in Delaware
• Securities law — SEC regulates; state "Blue Sky" laws also apply
• Antitrust — Sherman Act, Clayton Act, FTC Act

Privacy & Data Law

• Federal — HIPAA (health), COPPA (children), GLBA (financial), FERPA (education)
• California — CCPA/CPRA (strongest state privacy law)
• State breach notification — All 50 states have laws; use compare_requirements for comparison
• No federal comprehensive privacy law — Patchwork of sector-specific laws

Immigration Law

• Visa categories — B-1/B-2 (visitor), F-1 (student), H-1B (specialty worker), L-1 (intracompany), O-1 (extraordinary ability), EB (employment-based green card)
• USCIS — Handles most immigration applications
• Always consult an immigration attorney — Mistakes can be irreversible

Intellectual Property

• Patents — USPTO; utility (20 yr), design (15 yr), plant (20 yr)
• Trademarks — USPTO; renewable indefinitely with use
• Copyright — Automatic upon creation; life + 70 years
• Trade secrets — DTSA (federal) + state laws

Legal aid resources

• Legal Services Corporation — lsc.gov (free civil legal aid)
• State bar lawyer referral — Each state bar has a referral service
• Law school clinics — Free legal help from supervised law students
• ACLU — Civil liberties issues
• EEOC — Employment discrimination
• FTC — Consumer protection
• CFPB — Consumer financial protection