Beat Guide: Courts & the Law

So you're assigned to cover courts and the law—where to begin? Here's a guide designed to help you navigate the complexities of legal reporting and provide some overall guidance and helpful resources.

The author is veteran courts reporter Aaron Epstein. Aaron reported on courts and legal developments over a 45-year span for newspapers based in Daytona Beach, Sacramento and Philadelphia. For almost 25 years he was a Supreme Court and legal issues reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Knight Ridder Washington bureau. His work has been honored numerous times, including awards from the National Press Club, the American Political Science Association and the American Bar Association, which twice recognized his work with a Silver Gavel Award.

What follows, then, are suggestions from Aaron based on his experience, a glossary of legal terms that he developed and some useful web links.