# Legal Research Methodology

> SKILL: Legal Research Methodology

- Skill: `nickgallick/legal-research-methodology` (Agent Skill)
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- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: nickgallick (https://skillmd.com/u/nickgallick)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/nickgallick/legal-research-methodology

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# SKILL: Legal Research Methodology
**Version:** 1.0.0 | **Domain:** Legal Research, Citation Verification, Iowa Law Sources

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## Primary Sources (Always Prefer — Never Cite Secondhand)

### Federal Statutes
- **congress.gov:** Full text of all federal laws, legislative history, amendment history
- **uscode.house.gov:** Official US Code (codified version of all federal statutes)
- **govinfo.gov:** Official GPO publications including Statutes at Large (uncodified session laws)
- **Verify:** Check the amendment history at congress.gov — many statutes have been amended post-publication

### Federal Regulations
- **ecfr.gov:** Electronic Code of Federal Regulations — CURRENT text with all amendments
  - CFTC regulations: 17 C.F.R.
  - FinCEN regulations: 31 C.F.R.
  - SEC regulations: 17 C.F.R.
  - IRS regulations: 26 C.F.R.
- **federalregister.gov:** Proposed and final rules with preamble (the preamble explains regulatory intent — critical for understanding what the rule is supposed to do)
- **regulations.gov:** Filed regulatory comments and agency responses

### Federal Case Law
- **courtlistener.com (Free):** Full text of federal court opinions, including district, circuit, and Supreme Court. Searchable by party name, citation, or keyword. Most recent opinions available same day.
- **PACER (pacer.uscourts.gov, $0.10/page):** Official federal court filing system — get the actual complaint, motions, and orders in any pending case
- **Google Scholar (scholar.google.com):** Case law search, limited but free. Good for quick lookup by party name.
- **Supreme Court:** supremecourt.gov (slip opinions, argued cases, orders)

### CFTC-Specific
- **CFTC orders and advisories:** cftc.gov/LawRegulation/CFTCOrders
- **CFTC no-action letters:** cftc.gov/LawRegulation/DoddFrankAct/registrationno-action
- **CFTC enforcement:** cftc.gov/LawRegulation/Enforcement
- **CFTC proposed rules:** cftc.gov/LawRegulation/FederalRegister/ProposedRules
- **LabCFTC primers:** cftc.gov/LabCFTC/Resources

### SEC-Specific
- **SEC enforcement:** sec.gov/litigation/litreleases.htm
- **SEC guidance (Corp Fin):** sec.gov/corpfin/guidance
- **SEC no-action letters:** sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&type=no-action
- **SEC EDGAR:** sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar (company filings, including Reg A+ offering circulars)
- **SEC FinHub:** sec.gov/finhub

### FinCEN-Specific
- **FinCEN guidance:** fincen.gov/resources/statutes-and-regulations
- **FinCEN advisories:** fincen.gov/resources/advisories
- **BSA E-Filing:** bsaefiling.fincen.treas.gov
- **FinCEN regulations:** 31 C.F.R. Part 1022 (MSB rules) at ecfr.gov

### Iowa-Specific
- **Iowa Code:** legis.iowa.gov/law/iowaCode (full text, all chapters, searchable)
- **Iowa Administrative Code:** legis.iowa.gov/law/iowaAdministrativeCode (implementing regulations)
- **Iowa Legislature:** legis.iowa.gov (bills, session history, committee reports)
- **Iowa Supreme Court and Court of Appeals:** iowacourts.gov (opinions, searchable)
- **Iowa AG opinions:** iowaattorneygeneral.gov (formal opinions interpreting Iowa law — highly persuasive to Iowa courts)
- **Iowa Secretary of State:** sos.iowa.gov (business filings, form library)
- **Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals:** dia.iowa.gov (contest registration, health/safety)
- **Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission:** irgc.iowa.gov (gambling licensing and enforcement)
- **Iowa Division of Banking:** idob.iowa.gov (money transmitter licensing, banking regulation)

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## Secondary Sources (Use for Context — ALWAYS Verify Against Primary)

### Law Review Articles
- **SSRN.com:** Social Science Research Network — largest repository of legal academic papers. Most are free. Search: "prediction markets regulation," "CFTC event contracts," "Howey test digital assets"
- **HeinOnline:** Subscription service (expensive) — full text of every law review. Check if university library has access.
- **Google Scholar (legal opinions vs. articles):** Has both case law AND academic articles — distinguish between them

### Legal Blogs (High Quality, Crypto-Specific)
- **Coin Center Policy Analysis:** coincenter.org/category/analysis — free, rigorous
- **a16z Crypto Legal/Policy:** a16zcrypto.com/tag/regulatory — high quality from major VC's legal team
- **Variant Fund Writing:** variant.fund/writing — "Sufficient Decentralization" framework author
- **Debevoise & Plimpton Crypto Blog:** Sophisticated law firm crypto updates
- **Willkie Farr crypto commentary:** Crypto enforcement defense specialists

### Commercial Legal Databases (If You Have Access)
- **Westlaw (Thomson Reuters):** Comprehensive, expensive. Includes KeyCite (citator) — critical for verifying whether a case has been overruled
- **LexisNexis:** Similar to Westlaw. Includes Shepard's Citations (citator)
- **Bloomberg Law:** Strong for regulatory monitoring

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## Verification Protocol — The Five Checks

**ALWAYS do all five before citing any legal authority:**

### Check 1: Read the Actual Text
Never cite a statute or regulation based on a summary. Read the actual text at legis.iowa.gov or ecfr.gov. Summaries miss nuances, exceptions, and definitions that change the meaning entirely.

### Check 2: Check for Amendments
Statutes change. A 2020 analysis of a 2019 statute may be outdated if the statute was amended in 2021.
- For federal statutes: check "Actions" tab on congress.gov for the bill history; check the current text at uscode.house.gov
- For Iowa statutes: legis.iowa.gov shows effective date and amendment history for each section
- For regulations: ecfr.gov shows the current effective text with amendment dates

### Check 3: Verify the Case Is Still Good Law
Before citing a case, verify it hasn't been overruled, reversed, or distinguished into uselessness.
- **Free tool:** CourtListener has a basic citator function — check whether courts have cited the case negatively
- **Westlaw KeyCite / LexisNexis Shepard's:** The gold standard — instantly shows if a case has been overruled (red flag), limited (yellow flag), or distinguished
- **Manual check:** Google "[case name] overruled" or "[case name] reversed" — quick sanity check

### Check 4: Check for More Recent Authority
A 2018 case may have been superseded by a 2023 case on the same issue. Always search for the most recent authority on any legal question.
- Loper Bright (2024) supersedes all prior cases relying on Chevron deference
- Jarkesy (2024) supersedes prior cases allowing SEC administrative civil penalty proceedings without jury trial
- SEC v. Ripple (2023) creates new authority on programmatic token sales

### Check 5: Check the Regulatory Environment (Not Just the Law)
The law on paper and the law in practice can differ. Before relying on a statutory exemption:
- Has the agency issued guidance saying they disagree with your interpretation?
- Has the agency brought enforcement actions against similar structures?
- What did the agency say in the preamble to the final rule about the scope of the provision?
- Post-Loper Bright: agency guidance is persuasive but not binding — but it signals enforcement risk

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## Iowa-Specific Research: Step-by-Step

**Question: Does Activity X require registration with the Iowa DIA under §99B.5?**

1. Go to: legis.iowa.gov → Chapter 99B → §99B.5
2. Read the full text (not a summary)
3. Check: when was §99B.5 last amended? Look at session law history.
4. Check Iowa Administrative Code for any rules implementing §99B.5: legis.iowa.gov/law/iowaAdministrativeCode → search "99B" or "contests"
5. Check Iowa AG opinions: iowaattorneygeneral.gov → search "games of skill" or "contests"
6. Check Iowa Supreme Court/Court of Appeals for any cases interpreting §99B.5: iowacourts.gov
7. Call Iowa DIA directly: 515-281-7102 — ask if Activity X requires registration and document the response in writing (follow up the call with an email summary to create a record)

**This sequence — statute → implementing regulations → AG opinion → case law → agency call — is the complete Iowa legal research process for any question.**

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## Citation Format for Counsel's Work

**Statute:** Iowa Code §99B.5(2) (2026)
**Federal statute:** Commodity Exchange Act §5c(c)(5)(C), 7 U.S.C. § 7a-2(c)(5)(C)
**Federal regulation:** 31 C.F.R. § 1022.320 (SAR filing requirement for MSBs)
**Case:** *ForecastEx LLC v. CFTC*, No. 23-cv-3112 (D.D.C. 2023), aff'd No. 23-5248 (D.C. Cir. 2024)
**CFTC no-action letter:** CFTC Staff Letter No. 14-130 (September 26, 2014)
**CFTC enforcement order:** In re Polymarket, CFTC Docket No. 22-09 (January 3, 2022)
**FinCEN guidance:** FinCEN Guidance FIN-2019-G001 (May 9, 2019)
**SEC guidance:** SEC Framework for "Investment Contract" Analysis of Digital Assets (April 3, 2019)

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*This is legal research and intelligence, not legal advice. Consult qualified legal counsel before taking action.*