Date & Time: Tuesday, December 2, 2025 from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET

Webinar Fee: This is a free program – registration is required. This program is online only and will be recorded. Anyone who registers will receive a link to the video recording.

Panel

Brian J. Harkins, Senior Reference Attorney, Social Law Library

Alex G. Philipson, Chief Legal Counsel, Massachusetts Superior Court

Jacob Samuelson, Legal Information Librarian and Lecturer of Law, Boston College Law School

Legislative history is a critically important advocacy tool in Federal Court when statutory language is ambiguous and requires clarification. Federal judges invite and apply the use of legislative history to avoid incongruous results, illuminate drafting errors, determine specialized meanings, or choose reasonable interpretations of politically controversial statutes. 

Congress’s intent must be inferred from the statute’s legislative history.  Advocates must combine together from a variety of sources including:

• The text of the bill and proposed amendments that were accepted or rejected
• Transcripts of hearings conducted by Congressional committees responsible for the bill
• Committee reports written about the bill
• Committee prints
• Compiled legislative history
• Transcripts of House and Senate floor debates related to the bill

Alex Philipson, Chief Legal Counsel to the Superior Court; Brian Harkins , Senior Reference Attorney and Jacob Samuelson, Law Librarian at the Boston College School of Law will discuss “how” and “where” to find sources of legislative history and how to use this information in advocacy.

This program teaches the research skills necessary to reconstruct a statute’s legislative history for use in pleadings, briefs and oral arguments.

The views and opinions expressed in programs offered by the Social Law Library are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Library. Online registration is encouraged. For assistance, questions on group discounts, accommodations requests, special billing, program content, out-of-state CLE credits, and general contact CLE Coordinator, Michael Saporito by email at msaporito@socialaw.com. Registrations accepted in order of receipt. Registration fees are non-refundable. Most Social Law Library CLE events are recorded and recordings are sent to all who are registered. The recording is available by digital download, generally within a week after the program date. CLE credit, when applicable, is only granted when 80 % of the live webinar is attended. To insure getting the video, please register.