LAW BOOKS OF

SECONDARY AUTHORITY
SECONDARY MATERIALS
Works which are not primary authority but
which digest, discuss or analyze legal
provisions, judicial decisions or define and
explain legal doctrines and terms.
Secondary materials include:
Case Digests
Treatises and Textbooks
Bar Reviewers
Legal Periodicals
Legal Encyclopedia
Law Dictionaries
CASE DIGESTS
These are compilation of paragraphs
containing concise summaries of points in
cases.
Each paragraph in digests is complete in
itself when it has accurately stated the point
decided with reference to precise facts.
CASE DIGESTS
Philippine Digest by Lawyers Coop.
Republic of the Philippines Digest (1946-
1974) by Lawyers Coop.
Velayos Digest- covers SC and CA decisions
from 1942 to 1960. Supplements continued
until 1973.
SCRA Quick-Index Digest- yearly publication
by Central Lawbook Supply, Inc.
Compendium on Philippine Jurisprudence- 12
volumes containing SC decisions from 1945-
1980 by Celso Magsino and Rex Book Store
CASE DIGESTS
Other Digests:
Digest of Supreme Court Decisions (1951-1964) by
Armando Castillo
Complete Monthly Digest of Supreme Court Decisions
by Napoleon Garcia
Digest-Index (of Supreme Court Decisions) by
Navarrete
Leading Cases in Civil Law (Supreme Court) by
Jurado
Summary of Supreme Court Rulings by Daniel
Martinez
Philippine Judicial Weekly by Jesus Elbinias
Supreme Court Digest by Supreme Court Committee
TREATISES AND TEXTBOOKS
These are expositions by legal writers on
statutory law and case law pertaining to a
particular subject published in book form.
It embodies a range of publication, including
multi-volume works, textbooks and shorter
monographs.
It usually treats a subject in a greater depth.
Example:
Civil Law
Paras,E.L. Civil Code of the Philippines Annotated. 5
volumes.
BAR REVIEWERS
These materials are helpful especially to
graduating law students and those reviewing
for the bar.
Also important to legal researchers because
they present a concise presentation of the
law, legal doctrines and leading Supreme
Court decisions in capsulized form.
Usually very current and include the latest
SC decisions
Example: Remedial Law Compendium by
Florenz Regalado
LEGAL PERIODICALS
Not widely used in the Philippines.
It usually covers new and emerging areas of law
and highlight developments and changes in the
existing law.
Usually written by professors, practitioners,
judges, and law students.
Articles and comments are marked by extensive
footnotes, making them useful research tools.
Examples include Philippine Law Journal by UP
College of Law, Ateneo Law Journal, San Beda
Law Journal and Far Eastern Law Review.
LEGAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Comprehensive treatise of the entire field of
law.
Usually divided into topics and are arranged in
alphabetical order.
Several attempts were made in making a legal
encyclopedia in the Philippines. All were not
fully-published.
Cyclopedia of Philippine Law by Alvir and Associates
Encyclopedia of Philippine Law and Jurisprudence by
Pedro Venida
Philippine Legal Encyclopedia (1 vol) by Jose
Agaton R. Sibal
LAW DICTIONARIES
Useful for identifying the definitions of words in
their legal sense or use.
It gives a short definition and sometimes provide
citation to a court case or other reference.
Earliest law dictionary was Diccionario de
Administracion de las Islas Filipinas by Berriz
in 1887, followed by Diccionario Juridico
Recopilador by Martinez de San Agustin in 1922.
Philippine Law Dictionary- first dictionary for
Philippine Law published in 1972 by Federico
Moreno. Definitions are relared to Philippine
codes and statutes.