Basic Legal Research A legal research program presented by the New Jersey Law Librarians Association Rutgers Law Library / May 13, 2003

Cases

Federal U.S. Supreme Court Cases

• U.S. Supreme Court - official site, opinions from October 1999
• Findlaw.com - from 1893, search by citation, party name or full-text
• Legal Information Institute (Cornell) - from 1990, searchable, provides collection of historical decisions
• LexisOne - search caselaw for free (last five years)



Federal Circuit, District and Bankruptcy Court Cases

• Findlaw.com - links to Circuit, District and Bankruptcy opinions
• Legal Information Institute (Cornell) - links to Circuit, District and Bankruptcy Court opinions
• U.S. Federal Courts Finder (Emory) - links to Circuit Court Opinions, map of circuits
• LexisOne - search caselaw for free (last five years)

New Jersey Cases

• New Jersey Court Opinions - hosted by Rutgers-Camden; Supreme Court opinions since March 1994; Appellate Division and Tax Court opinions from September 1995
• New Jersey Current Reported Opinions - current and last week's Supreme Court & Appellate Division opinions, posted by the New Jersey Judiciary
• LexisOne - search caselaw for free (last five years)
• US District for the District of New Jersey - hosted by Rutgers-Camden; from October 1998
• Third Circuit Court of Appeals

Courts & Court Rules

Federal Courts & Court Rules

• U.S. Supreme Court Home Page
• Federal Courts Home Page - information about the federal judiciary
• Federal Court Locator (Villanova) - links to all federal courts
• History of the Federal Judiciary - history of the federal courts; biographies of federal judges since 1789
• Court Rules, Forms & Dockets - links to 1400 state and federal sources, from llrx.com
• Federal Court Rules - includes Rules of Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Appellate, Bankruptcy and Local Rules

State Courts & Court Rules

• New Jersey Judiciary Home Page
• New Jersey Municipal Courts Direct - pay your traffic and parking tickets online
• New Jersey Mass Tort Information Center
• New Jersey Court Rules
• National Center for State Courts: Court Web Sites - links to state, federal and international court web sites
• State Court Locator (Villanova) - for all states
• County Courts address/telephone - for all states

Statutes & Legislation

Federal Statutes & Legislation

• THOMAS - U.S. Congress on the Internet - full text and status of all bills, public laws, and legislation; Congressional Record, committee reports, voting records, etc.
• U.S. Code (House of Rep.) - official version, current as of 1/2/01; has update feature
• U.S. Code (Cornell) - generated from House version; easy to search
• U.S. Senate Home Page
• U.S. House of Representatives Home Page

New Jersey Statutes & Legislation

• New Jersey State Legislature - since 1996-97 session
• New Jersey Legislative Histories - compiled by the State Library, from 1998 forward
• New Jersey Statutes - at the New Jersey Legislature web site, click link to the Statutes on the left side

Administrative Law

Federal Administrative Law

• The White House
• U.S. Government Departments & Agencies - A-Z index
• Federal Web Locator - links to administrative agencies, includes links by acronym
• Today's Federal Register (GPO Access) - today's table of contents
• Federal Register (GPO Access) - search full Federal Register back to 1994
• Code of Federal Regulations (GPO Access)
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (GPO Access) - beta test site for new & improved CFR interface
• Regulations.gov - your one stop site to comment on federal regulations

New Jersey Administrative Law

• New Jersey Government Departments & Agencies
• Office of the Governor
• Executive Orders of the Governor - from 1/18/90 to present, some older orders available
• New Jersey Administrative Law Decisions - hosted by Rutgers-Camden; from October 1997

Law & Government Meta Sites

• Findlaw - a comprehensive web site of law-related links; well organized and user friendly
• Hieros Gamos - a comprehensive law and government portal
• Internet Law Library - formerly the U.S. House of Representatives Law Library; excellent resource
• New Jersey Law Network - for New Jersey legal information
• GPO Access - online access to Government Printing Office publications, including legislative, executive, judicial and regulatory materials
• FirstGov - "your first click to the U.S. government"
• State and Local Government on the Net - links to all states, very current
• Washlaw Web - an extensive set of links from Washburn University's Law Library
• Catalaw Index to Legal Resources - extensive links to law-related web sites
• Cornell's Legal Information Institute - collection of primary legal materials (federal, New York); topical libraries
• LexisOne - aimed at small firm and solo attorneys; free but requires registration. Offers free federal and state case law for the last five years, legal forms and many other free resources.

Legal Reference

• Nolo's Legal Dictionary
• Nolo's Legal Encyclopedia
• Manual of Style for Legal Citation in New Jersey - published on the web by the New Jersey judiciary
• Legal Abbreviations - common abbreviations
• Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Locator - national lawyer & law firm directory
• Findlaw West Legal Directory - another lawyer directory

Legal News & Current Events

• New Jersey Law Journal - New Jersey legal newspaper, some full-text articles available
• Findlaw Legal News - see also Special Coverage and Featured Documents for coverage of newsworthy events
• The Smoking Gun - web site that posts legal documents involving high-profile individuals and current events
• Court TV - coverage of sensational trials

More Legal Materials

• New Jersey State Board of Bar Examiners - bar exam results, exam dates, etc.
• New Jersey Bartender - ethics complaints against New Jersey attorneys
• New Jersey Ethics Opinions - opinions of the New Jersey Supreme Court's Ethics Committees; involving professional ethics of attorneys
• Municipal Codes Online - from Seattle Public Library
• Municode.com - links to online and published municipal codes

  Legal Forms

  • New Jersey State Court Forms - for civil, family and appellate courts
  • Findlaw Legal Forms - links to court forms for federal and state courts; see links at bottom of page for consumer, corporate and other forms
  • LexisOne - free forms available
  • LLRX.com - links to state and federal court forms
  • Washlaw Web - links to all types of legal forms

  Law-Related Associations

  • New Jersey State Bar Association
  • New Jersey State Bar Foundation
  • New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE)
  • National & Specialty Legal Associations
  • State & Local Bar Associations

  New Jersey Law Libraries

  • Rutgers Law Library - Newark
  • Rutgers Law Library - Camden
  • Seton Hall Law Library
  • New Jersey County Court Law Libraries

Legal Research Guides

How to do Legal Research

• Research Guides - Georgetown University Law Library
• Research Statutes & Cases - from Nolo Press
• Virtual Chase Legal Research Guide
• Zimmerman's Research Guide - an excellent "how-to" guide for legal and nonlegal research

Legal Research by Topic

• Findlaw by Subject
• Hieros Gamos Areas of Practice
• "Law About" Topics - at Cornell's Legal Information Institute
• Nolo Law Centers - everyday legal topics, designed for the lay person
• Legal Topics Research Guides - from Georgetown University Law Library

Non-Legal Research Resources

General Research

• Zimmerman's Research Guide - an excellent "how-to" guide for legal and nonlegal research
• New Jersey Law Librarians Association (NJLLA) - start with our recommended Research Links

Company Information

• Company Information on the Internet - Virtual Chase research guide
• Hoovers Online - background information on public and large private companies
• Yahoo Finance - for stock quotes, news & other public company information
• Registered Agent Info - guide to locating registered agent information in all states (those who can accept service of process)

Expert Witnesses

• Findlaw Index of Expert Witnesses
• Law.com Expert Witness Directory
• Experts.com
• ExpertLaw

Public Records/People Finders

• Public Records Guide - links to public records resources
• Virtual Gumshoe - links to investigative and public records resources
• Criminal Records
• New Jersey Professional License Databases - from the Division of Consumer Affairs; numerous professions include medical (physicians, nurses), professional (accountants, architects) and many others

Legal Publications & Information for the Public

• American Pro Se Association - provides advice and assistance to self represented litigants
• Representing Yourself in Court (NJ) - forms and instructions for pro se litigants in New Jersey
• A Consumer's Guide to Legal Help on the Internet (ABA)
• Self Help pamphlets - Legal Services of New Jersey - available free in PDF and Word formats. Some available in English and Spanish. Current titles include: Tenants' Rights in New Jersey, Termination of Parental Rights, Your Right to Unemployment Benefits, Know Your Welfare Rights and Clearing Your Record.
• Publications - New Jersey State Bar Foundation - mostly available as online guides, some in PDF. Some in English and Spanish. Available titles include: AIDS and the Law in New Jersey, Consumers Guide to New Jersey Law and Disability Law Primer.
• Consumer's Guide to the New Jersey Lemon Law
• New Jersey Division of Civil Rights Fact Sheets - discussions of various types of discrimination
• Women's Guide to Rights and Resources in New Jersey - from the League of Women Voters
• ABA Factbooks - online and PDF formats. Topics include The American Judicial System, Women and the Law, Children and the Law, and Law and the Elderly.
• Nolo Press - California-based publisher of self help legal materials for sale and at no cost
• New Jersey Lawyer Referral Services - contact information for county referral services
• Legal Services/Legal Aid - services for low-income residents of New Jersey with civil legal problems

Internet links presentation by Kathy Taggart, Computer Services Librarian, Lowenstein Sandler