As an attorney, your most valuable commodity will be your time. Therefore, you should always remember to carefully analyze and plan your legal research projects before you get started so you don't waste your time. Your clients (and your employers) will appreciate your efficiency.
Legal research is frequently a non-linear exercise so a step-by-step guide is not going to work in every situation. However, there are some things you should always consider when conducting legal research:
In addition to the information contained in this Guide, the Law Library also has a number of research guides devoted to specific legal subjects and practice areas. Don't forget to look at those as well.
If you are looking for a research guide on a subject that the Law Library does not have, use an advanced Google search to locate guides. Run a search with the words of your subject, "research guide" as an exact phrase, and restrict the search to the domain .edu.