Study guides are intended for law students learning about a particular body of law, and may include subject outlines or practice questions.
Treatises are intended for practitioners, and provide more in-depth guidance. They may include sample forms or checklists, and are usually updated periodically to reflect new developments in the law. If you are researching an area of law that you are unfamiliar with, finding a treatise covering the subject is a good way to get started. Most of the LRC's treatises are available electronically through Westlaw or Lexis.
Current awareness tools gather recent news, cases, and legislative/regulatory developments, helping practitioners stay up-to-date on a particular area of law. Furthermore, each of the major legal databases offers practice-specific pages collecting resources on particular areas of the law.
Securities law is, essentially, the law governing investments and capital markets. What is a "security"? In SEC v. WJ Howey Co., 328 U.S. 293 (1946), the Supreme Court announced, "An investment contract for purposes of the Securities Act means a contract, transaction, or scheme whereby a person [1] invests his money [2] in a common enterprise and [3] is led to expect profits [4] solely from the efforts of the promoter or a third party." The law of business organizations and securities law are intertwined because investment securities are often (but not always) shares or other interests in a corporate entity, or debt issued by corporate entities.
The law governing securities in the U.S. is scattered across a number of sources, including federal statutes, federal regulations, administrative releases and agency determinations, state statutes, regulations, and cases, and even rules adopted by stock exchanges and other industry participants.
Federal Statutes
The principal federal securities statutes are the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. §§ 77a et seq.), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. §§ 78 et seq.), the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S.C. §§ 77aaa et seq.), the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. §§ 80a-1 et seq.), the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. §§ 80b-1 et seq.), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107-204), the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Pub. L. No. 111-203) and the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (Pub. L. No. 112-106),
The LRC offers access to securities law study guides in eBook format. You can read the books online in any browser on a number of devices, including PC, Mac, iPad/iPhone, or Android devices.
A few of our online study aids regarding securities law are listed below (descriptions provided by publishers). For a complete listing of online study guides available through the LRC, please visit the Aspen Learning Library and West Academic Study Aids.
The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) also offers a number of online video lessons relating to securities law. CALI lessons are free for Drexel students. You can pick up a password card at the LRC reference desk.
If you prefer studying with physical books, we've got you covered! The LRC has a number of securities law study guides available on reserve. Reserve books can be checked out for two hours.
Examples and Explanations for Securities Regulation by 
Securities Regulation in a Nutshell by 
Principles of Securities Regulation by 
Securities Law by If you are doing more in-depth research, treatises can be a valuable resource. Both Lexis and Westlaw offer online treatises regarding securities law. Some selected print resources in the LRC's collection are listed below.
The Logic of Securities Law by 
SEC Investigations & Enforcement: A Practitioners’ GuideSecurities Regulation by Treatise on the Law of Securities Regulation by 
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new windowFor general inquiries about services, events, or access to library resources, please contact lawlib@klinelaw.libanswers.com
For questions about legal research, help finding books or articles, or assistance using legal databases, please contact one of our reference librarians: David Haendler, Lindsay Steussy, or Jessa Feiler. You can also schedule an appointment for an in-person or Zoom reference consultation, or ask questions using the Ask a Law Librarian chat feature on our website.
For questions about course reserves, please contact Margaret DeFelice.