ABSTRACT
The information professional as intermediary is an established concept and applies particularly in the conduct of legal research. A legal information professional usually undertakes research on behalf and for the benefit of someone else and is in fact assisting in the fulfilment of the middle stage in the process of legal research. The three stages of legal research are: identifying and analysing a problem; finding appropriate information to solve the problem; and presenting the results of the analysis and research in an appropriate and effective manner. Academic and vocational lawyers require access to a wide range of legal sources, but a central core, comprising the primary sources of law (legislation and case law) will be common to both. There are five key points to bear in mind before attempting legal research. They include jurisdiction, variations in legal systems, change, unpublished material, and abbreviations.
