How to Find:
CASES BY SUBJECT

The best way to locate case law on a particular subject is to consult secondary sources. Some examples of secondary sources are law reviews and legal encyclopedias. Secondary sources include summaries and/or in-depth discussions of a topic which will provide background and context for cases.

Westlaw Campus Research
Click on the Law tab at the top of the page. Click either the Basic Search or Advanced Search tab, type in words that describe the topic of the cases you are seeking. Under Select Databases and Encyclopedias and Law Reviews, click on the radio buttons next to American Jurisprudence 2d, American Law Reports and/or Journals and Law Reviews and click the Search button. 

LexisNexis Academic 
Click on Legal tab in the red band at top of page. Enter words that describe the topic of the cases you are seeking in the top box using either the "Terms and Connectors" or the "Natural Language" option. Use the drop-down menu and the other options to refine your search. Click Search. 

LegalTrac
Click on Basic Search or Advanced Search and enter words that describe the topic of the cases you are seeking. Click Search.

American Law Reports
KF 132 A (5th floor, shelf numbers 21 and 22) 
Along with a continuing series of articles that collect and analyze court cases decided on a particular point of law,  American Law Reports provides references to statutes, digests, texts, treatises, law reviews and legal encyclopedias. There is a good multi-volume index with references to all included topics.

American Jurisprudence 2d
KF 154 A42 (5th floor, shelf number 31)
A legal encyclopedia that contains a summary treatment of most legal topics with supporting state and federal cases. A multi-volume index provides references to the appropriate volume in which most topics can be found.

Treatises and other books
Search the UMass online catalog by Keyword or Subject to find recent books on your topic. Often there will be relevant case references found there.