An Interview with Maria Sanders of Legislative Intent Service, Inc.
Maria Sanders, attorney at law and chief operating officer at Legislative Intent Service, Inc. assists clients with legal research and publishes articles, newsletters, and company blog posts detailing notable legislation and any changes to state or federal laws. We sat down with her to talk about her motivations to pursue a career in legal research.
Thank you for joining us today and taking the time to answer our questions! Can you start by telling us a little bit more about Legislative Intent Services?
Legislative Intent Service, Inc. researches the legislative history for all states’ and federal enactments and regulations. We offer different research fees for different time frames to meet our clients’ legislative history research needs for any bill or regulation.
How is legislative intent used in courtrooms?
Legislative intent is the term that the courts have given to their analysis of the historical documents originally generated when the statute in question was under consideration in the Legislature—state or federal. The courts have routinely held that the “cardinal” principle of statutory construction is that the court must choose that interpretation that most nearly effectuates the purpose of the Legislature. The legislative history materials that LIS provides, organizes, and authenticates with a declaration have been assisting attorneys and courts since 1974.
What does your average day look like?
As staff attorney at Legislative Intent Service, Inc., I work with clients to trace and research statutory and regulatory history related to all 50 states’ statutes and regulations as well as federal research. I prepare reports analyzing the legislative process and focuses on client issues, such as language and intent. I also write articles published by Legislative Intent Service, Inc. on state and federal research, and can speak on issues related to legislative intent and procedural considerations.
Wow. It seems like you have a lot going on! What inspired get out of the courtroom and pursue legal research?
I have always preferred legal research over litigation and have always loved American history, so when I was hired to work at LIS in 1998, I could not believe my good fortune that both would be necessary to be successful here. Legislative history provides unparalleled insight into human nature and politics, both of which are fascinating to me and, with 300 years of history documents for federal and state bills in our collection, you can learn a lot about both.
Legislative Intent Services, Inc. is located in Woodland, CA at 712 Main Street. For more information, visit www.legintent.com or call toll-free at 800-666-1917.
Keywords:
Legal research, California legislative intent services, California statuatory history, Legislative history, Legal statute, California statuatory history.
