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Guides Free And Low Cost Online Legal Research Home

Bonisiwe Shabane
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guides free and low cost online legal research home

The following are important considerations to keep in mind when conducting research online. Primary Sources Primary materials are more likely to be available online than secondary materials. The U.S. federal government has especially made a point of trying to make official documents available online. It is also less expensive to publish electronically, so many governments are moving toward online-only government publication policy. Secondary Sources Secondary sources are less likely to be online (for copyright, use, and cost issues).

However, many law journals are now published in both print and electronic formats. Coverage Dates With the exception of archival projects, most legal information on the internet is available beginning in the mid-1990s. Citators There are no free citators for ensuring that a law is still good. Major legal research databases can be prohibitively expensive for some researchers. There are, however, a number of online alternatives that are either free or less expensive than Lexis and Westlaw. This guide provides an overview to different types of free materials, under the section Free Sources of Legal Materials, and also summarizes the features and costs of less expensive databases within the section of...

There are several databases which provide access to primary source materials on their own sites, without any charge to the user. These sites vary in terms of the types of materials collected, the scope of their coverage, and their search options. We have created a table for each type of material which includes the major online sources and their coverage. Because the availability of state legal materials varies so widely, we have only included descriptions of the federal materials available for free online. To find free state legal information, please consult our state law research guides. The free sources we provide contain a great deal of primary source legal material.

They are, however, much more limited in terms of search options and finding aids than fee and subscription based sources. In particular, free sources rely almost exclusively on keyword searching and browsing to find cases, rather than headnotes and digests, which are used in Lexis and Westlaw. For this reason, the free sources may not be the best or most efficient sources of information. The law librarians and library staff at Robert Crown Law Library are here to help you! You can find the latest information about our hours and services on the library homepage. There are several ways to contact us:

Zoom: Drop in to our virtual reference room during our Reference Desk hours to ask any questions. Make an appointment: Online and in-person appointments with the reference staff can be made from the library homepage. This guide provides links and suggestions for searching in resources that are freely available (or available for a low cost) when conducting legal research. It is organized into secondary sources and primary sources. Secondary Sources will cover general research platforms with significant legal materials as well as selected research guides. Primary Sources will specifically address low cost legal research options, as well as free legal research options across all government branches.

Sources include: For foreign and international resources consider: This guide contains selected, free, online United States federal and state legal research materials. Many lawyers have access to paid databases. Yet, combining paid and free resources, can help them to avoid potentially expensive searches. According to a 2020 Legal Technology Survey Report, nearly 60% of lawyers “say they regularly use free online resources to conduct legal research.”

For researchers without access to paid databases, the following resources may be essential. Legal research is often more effective when using a local law library. To learn more about law libraries throughout the United States, visit: Statutes and legislative materials are becoming available freely online, with increasing frequency. Free resources can be a great starting place for statutory research. However, always make sure you confirm your findings in an authoritative version of the law.

Federal case law and court documents are often available freely online, particularly recently decided cases. Check the website of the deciding court for digital copies of their cases. In addition, the following resources provide free case law. Nearly all State Bar Associations provide access to a low-cost legal research system as a member benefit. The most common systems available through the state bars are Casemaker and FastCase. Check with your state bar or look at this useful map to determine what you have access to.

For more on Free/Low-Cost Legal Resources, see Free and Low-Cost Research Resources for Any Budget. See the "Bar Membership Benefits" box to the left to see how some of these low-cost options can be accessed for free. The BYU Law Library pays for subscriptions to some low-cost legal research systems for BYU Law Students. As a religiously affiliated law school, the development of moral character and enlightened devotion to the rule of law are hallmarks of a BYU Law School education. myAU | AU Library | myWCL | Library Home | myLEAGLE Library Account Library Home | Research Guides | LEAGLE Catalog | E-Journals & Articles | Library Databases | Frequently Used Resources | Ask a Librarian

Welcome to the research guide for free and low-cost legal research. Our goal is to help you find accurate and useful legal information when you don't have access to the expensive "big three" legal databases: Westlaw, Lexis, or Bloomberg Law. We've divided the guide by type of legal document (legislative, judicial, administrative) with additional sections on secondary sources and materials for our local jurisdictions (the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia). This guide was last updated 28 January 2025. This guide discusses both free and low-cost options for legal research. The free resources are listed first, with the low-cost resources following.

If a resource charges a fee, it will be noted in the description. These low-cost options are usually available through a subscription and are not pay-as-you-go or pay-per-use. Here are the major free resources we cover in this guide: This guide contains selected free online legal research resources. These resources can be a great way to get started with your research when you don't have access to paid databases or if you want to get an overview of a topic before getting... The guide can be used by students, faculty members, lawyers, and the general public.

Here's a few misconceptions about "Free" online legal research: As research cost continue to climb, there are many "free" resources that can help you from breaking the bank. PO Box 210033 Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0033 Alerts | Clery and HEOA Notice | Notice of Non-Discrimination | eAccessibility Concern | Privacy Statement | Copyright Information This guide lists and links to free and low-cost resources for legal research. Use these when Bloomberg, Lexis, and Westlaw aren't available or when you'd like to reduce the costs of those services by doing some preliminary searching.

Municipalities generally contract with one of these services to publish their ordinances. Check these rule libraries when your issue involves local code. When tackling a new subject, look at journal articles to get background or a history of the topic. These secondary sources are generally not included in the free legal databases listed elsewhere in this guide. Collections here cover free article access -- which may not always be the published piece, rather an earlier draft. Need help?

Email us at asktulibrary@temple.edu If you are having trouble using this guide or would like legal research tips, chat with us or contact your local law library. Remember to verify that the case you are using is still good law, meaning the case has not been reversed or overruled. Similarly, if you are using a statute, remember to verify that you are using the current version. Citators, like Shepard's on Lexis or KeyCite on Westlaw, highlight cases and statutes that are no longer good law. LawCite provides a free citator for some cases; however, to verify that a statute is up to date, you must check the official print version.

United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio The official website for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio includes court info, FAQs, and electronic filing.

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