The process of researching follows the same general model no matter what jurisdiction you are practicing or working in. The differences are in terms of nomenclature and titles of specific primary and secondary resources.
Brand New Area of Law
Your issue will often comprise areas of law you have never studied. It is hard to really understand your issues without first understanding the broad brushstrokes. The best place to start is not necessarily case, statute or regulatory research - the best place to start is with a secondary source. They can range from Nutshells on large topics to very narrow multivolumed treatises on specific areas of law. Secondary sources are great because they (i) lay out the broader narrative of the topical area, (ii) give the elements for causes of action or legal processes, and (iii) lay out all the pertinent statutes, regulations and cases.
Good Working Knowledge of the Area of Law
When you have a good knowledge of an area of law, you will know most of the details, law and cases. This is when you need to trawl through the statutes, regulations and cases for law that can bolster your position. When searching on Westlaw or Lexis, always remember to limit your search to your jurisdiction. Remember to think about the terms you are searching for beforehand and consult a thesaurus. An index (in print or on WEXIS) is always the best place to start, as it will delineate the appropriate legal terminology. Statute and regulatory schemes have word indexes. Digests also have descriptive word indexes.
The link below provides you with a list of resorces available to you while on Coop.
Please be aware that there are certain restrictions on some of these.
For example, Lexis and Bloomerg are the only two of the major databases that can be used if you are in a law firm or corporate workplace.
Although there are many places one could find free legal information, the sources below seem to be the most reliable and intuitive.