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Top Treatise Finder

This guide suggests the top one or two treatises for each listed practice area.

Introduction

Consulting a treatise at the beginning and throughout your research is a critical step in most legal research projects (see our Visual Overview for a quick refresher on the process). How do you know which treatise to use? We've created this "Top Treatise Finder" to make it easy to locate the top one or two treatises in most legal fields. Of course, not everyone will agree with our selections, so consider asking your supervisor or professor for their preferred treatise(s). 

Our treatise finder focuses on the top treatise in each area of the law. However, there may be a treatise within the area of law you're focused on that's particularly applicable to your question. For example, if your research question focused on searches under the Fourth Amendment, then you should also consider Search and Seizure: A Treatise on the Fourth Amendment in addition to the treatises listed in our finder. 

Top Treatise Finder

Subject

Administrative Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatise

Administrative Law Treatise

Kristin E. Hickman & Richard J. Pierce, Jr.

Access on VitalLaw*

*Type "Hickman" in VitalLaw search bar and select from auto-populated result.

Subject

American Indian Law

Top Treatise

Cohen's Handbook of Federal Indian Law

View on Lexis
Subject

Antitrust

View Our Guide
Top Treatise

An Analysis of Antitrust Principles and Their Application

by Areeda & Hovenkamp

View on Lexis
Subject

Art Law

Top Treatise

Art Law: The Guide for Collectors, Investors, Dealers & Artists

by Ralph E Lerner, et al.

Access on PLI
Subject

Banking Law

Top Treatise

Michie on Banks and Banking

View on Lexis
Subject

Bankruptcy Law

Top Treatise

Collier on Bankruptcy

View on Lexis
Subject

Business Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatise

Fletcher Cyclopedia of the Law of Corporations

View on Westlaw

Folk on the Delaware General Corporation Law

by Robert S. Saunders, Allison L. Land, Jennifer C. Voss, and Cliff C. Gardner

Access on VitalLaw
Subject

Civil Rights

Top Treatises

Federal Civil Rights Acts

by Rodney A. Smolla

View on Westlaw

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Litigation: The Law of Section 1983

by Sheldon H. Nahmod

View on Westlaw
Subject

Class Actions

Top Treatise

Newberg on Class

by William Rubenstein

View on Westlaw
Subject

Commercial Law

Top Treatises

Lawrence's Anderson on the Uniform Commercial Code

by Lary Lawrence

View on Westlaw

White & Summers' Uniform Commercial Code

by James J. White, Robert S. Summers, and Robert A. Hillman

View on Westlaw
Subject

Communications Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatise

Telecommunications Regulation: Cable, Broadcasting, Satellite, and the Internet

by Charles D. Ferris & Frank W. Lloyd

View on Lexis
Subject

Computer Law

Top Treatises

Computer Law: A Guide to Cyberlaw and Data Privacy Law

by David Bender

View on Lexis

Law of Computer Technology

by Raymond T. Nimmer

View on Westlaw
Subject

Constitutional Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatise

Rotunda and Nowak's Treatise on Constitutional Law

by Ronald D. Rotunda, John E. Nowak

View on Westlaw
Subject

Consumer Law

Top Treatise

Consumer Protection & the Law

by Dee Pridgen, Richard Alderman, and Jolina Cuaresma

View on Westlaw
Subject

Contracts

View Our Guide
Top Treatises

Williston on Contracts

by Richard A. Lord

View on Westlaw

Corbin on Contracts

View on Lexis
Subject

Copyright

View Our Guide
Top Treatises

Nimmer on Copyright

View on Lexis

Patry on Copyright

View on Westlaw
Subject

Criminal Law

Top Treatises

Substantive Criminal Law

by Wayne R. LaFave

View on Westlaw

Wharton's Criminal Law

by Charles E. Torcia

View on Westlaw
Subject

Disability Law

Top Treatise

Americans with Disabilities: Practice & Compliance Manual

View on Westlaw
Subject

Dispute Resolution

Top Treatises

Alternative Dispute Resolution

by Jay E. Grenig

View on Westlaw

Elkouri & Elkouri: How Arbitration Works

View on Bloomberg
Subject

E-Commerce

Top Treatises

E-Commerce & Internet Law

by Ian C. Ballon

View on Westlaw

Law of Electronic Commerce

by Jane Kaufman Winn & Benjamin Wright

Subject

Education Law

Top Treatise

Education Law

by James A. Rapp

View on Lexis
Subject

Elder Law

Top Treatise

Advising The Elderly Client

by A. Kimberley Dayton, et al.

View on Westlaw
Subject

Entertainment Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatises

Lindey on Entertainment, Publishing & the Arts

by Michael Landau & Alexander Lindey

View on Westlaw

Entertainment Law: Legal Concepts & Business Practices

by Robert C. Lind, et al.

View on Westlaw
Subject

Environmental Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatise

Treatise on Environmental Law

by Frank P. Grad

View on Lexis
Subject

Evidence

Top Treatises

Weinstein's Federal Evidence

by Mark S. Brodin

View on Lexis

The New Wigmore: A Treatise on Evidence

by David P. Leonard & David E. Bernstein, et al.

Access on VitalLaw*

*Type "evidence" in VitalLaw search bar and select from auto-populated result.

Subject

Family Law

Top Treatise

Family Law and Practice

by Arnold H. Rutkin

View on Lexis
Subject

Freedom of Information

Top Treatise

Federal Information Disclosure

by James T. O'Reilly

View on Westlaw
Subject

Federal Legislative History

View Our Guide
Top Treatise

Federal Legislative History Research

by Richard J. McKinney & Ellen A. Sweet

View on LLSDC
Subject

Federal Practice

Top Treatises

Federal Practice & Procedure (Wright & Miller)

View on Westlaw
Subject

Federal Tax Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatises

Federal Taxation of Income, Estates & Gifts

by Boris I. Bittker & Lawrence Lokken

View on Westlaw

Federal Income Taxation of Corporations & Shareholders

by Boris I. Bittker & James S. Eustice

View on Westlaw
Subject

Government Contracts

Top Treatise

Government Contracts: Law, Administration and Procedure

by John C. McBride, et al.

View on Lexis
Subject

Health Law

Top Treatises

Treatise on Health Care Law

View on Lexis

Health Law Practice Guide

View on Westlaw
Subject

Immigration Law

Top Treatise

Immigration Law and Procedure

by Charles Gordon, et al.

View on Lexis
Subject

Insurance Law

Top Treatises

New Appleman on Insurance Law Library Edition

View on Lexis

Couch on Insurance

by Steven Plitt, et al.

View on Westlaw
Subject

International Trade

Top Treatises

International Trade Practice

by Jerry Cohen & Matthew McCullough

View on Westlaw

Law and Practice of United States Regulation of International Trade

View on Westlaw
Subject

Internet Law

Top Treatise

E-Commerce & Internet Law

by Ian C. Ballon

View on Westlaw
Subject

Juvenile Law

Top Treatise

Rights of Juveniles

by Samuel M. Davis

View on Westlaw
Subject

Labor & Employment Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatise

Labor and Employment Law

by N. Peter Lareau, et al.

View on Lexis
Subject

Land Use

Top Treatise

Zoning and Land Use Controls

by Patrick J. Rohan, et al.

View on Lexis
Subject

Legal Ethics

Top Treatise

Law of Lawyering

by Hazard, Hodes, and Jarvis

Access on VitalLaw*

*Type "Hazard" in VitalLaw search bar and select from auto-populated result.

Subject

Libel & Slander (Defamation)

Top Treatises

Law of Defamation

by Rodney Smolla

View on Westlaw

Sack on Defamation: Libel, Slander, and Related Problems

by Hon. Robert D. Sack

View on PLI
Subject

Maritime and Admiralty Law

Top Treatise

Benedict on Admiralty

by John A. Edginton, et al.

View on Lexis
Subject

Military Law

Top Treatises

Military Criminal Justice: Practice and Procedure

by David A. Schlueter

View on Lexis

Military Rules of Evidence Manual

by Stephen A. Saltzburg, et al.

View on Lexis
Subject

Municipal Corporations

Top Treatise

McQuillin: The Law of Municipal Corporations

View on Westlaw
Subject

National Security Law

Top Treatise

National Security Investigations & Prosecutions

by David Kris & J. Douglas Wilson

View on Westlaw*

*As of this writing, this treatise was last updated in 2019.

Subject

Natural Resources Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatises

Waters and Water Rights

by Amy Kelley

View on Lexis

American Law of Mining

by Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation (editor)

View on Lexis
Subject

Oil & Gas Law

Top Treatise

Williams & Meyers, Oil and Gas Law

by Patrick H. Martin & Bruce M. Kramer

View on Lexis
Subject

Patent Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatise

Chisum on Patents

View on Lexis

Patent Law Basics

by John Gladstone Mills III, Robert Clare Highley, Donald Cress Reiley III, and Peter D. Rosenberg

Available in Print KF3114 .M544

*Also available on Westlaw

Subject

Products Liability

Top Treatise

Products Liability

by Louis R. Frumer, Melvin I. Friedman, Cary S. Sklaren

View on Lexis
Subject

Property

Top Treatise

Powell on Real Property

View on Lexis
Subject

Religious Organizations

Top Treatise

Religious Organizations & the Law

by William W. Bassett, et al.

View on Westlaw
Subject

Securities Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatises

Law of Securities Regulation

by Thomas Lee Hazen

View on Westlaw

Securities Regulation

by Louis Loss, Joel Seligman, Troy A. Paredes

Access on VitalLaw

Derivatives Regulation

by Philip Johnson, Thomas Hazen, et al.

Access on VitalLaw
Subject

Statutory Interpretation

Top Treatise

Sutherland Statutes & Statutory Construction

by Shambie Singer

View on Westlaw
Subject

Trademark Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatise

McCarthy on Trademarks & Unfair Competition

View on Westlaw
Subject

Trusts & Estates

Top Treatises

Bogert's The Law of Trusts and Trustees

by George Taylor Bogert, et al.

View on Westlaw

Scott and Ascher on Trusts

by Mark Ascher & Austin Scott, et al.

Access on VitalLaw*

*Type "Scott" in VitalLaw search bar and select from auto-populated result.

Subject

Torts

Top Treatises

American Law of Torts

by Stuart M. Speiser, et al.

View on Westlaw*

* Dobbs' Law of Torts is another well-know treatise available on Westlaw

Damages in Tort Actions

View on Lexis
Subject

Trade Secrets

View Our Guide
Top Treatises

Milgrim on Trade Secrets

by Roger M. Milgrim

View on Lexis

Trade Secrets Law

by Melvin F. Jager

View on Westlaw
Subject

Virginia Law

View Our Guide
Top Treatises

Michie's Jurisprudence of Virginia & West Virginia

View on Lexis

Virginia Practice Series

View on Westlaw