University of Kwazulu-Natal

Legal Research Starting Points Low Cost Free Sources

Bonisiwe Shabane
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legal research starting points low cost free sources

While in law school, you have been lucky to have unlimited access to Westlaw and LexisNexis without having to worry about the cost. Non-academic employers rarely have this kind of unlimited access. Both are amazingly rich resources but they are also expensive. Searches in Westlaw can range any where from $0 to $100's per search! It is this expense that makes it so important to know about low-cost and free sources for the law. 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 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 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. 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. Secondary sources are often a great starting point for legal research. However, many secondary sources are copyrighted and not available for free online. However, there are some useful free secondary sources, summarized below.

A visit to a local public law library (see More tab) is another option for finding free secondary materials. Google Scholar searches articles in academic journals (both legal and non-legal) and links to any available free online versions. Click on the "articles" radio button and enter your search terms. To pull up advanced search features, click on the menu button at the top left-hand side of the screen. Use the facets on the left-hand side of the screen to narrow your results. Law Technology Today (LTT), which is published by the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center, provides a free full-text online law review/journal search engine that searches the full text of over 300 online law reviews,...

JStor has an Open Access journals page that allows users to access some items without a subscription. The Directory of Open Access Journals is an online directory of open access, peer-reviewed journals on a range of topics (including some law journals). 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. There is an abundance of free case law available online.

Unfortunately, many of the editorial enhancements and finding aids that legal researchers are accustomed to are not available through these free sources. For example, these sources do not provide digests or headnotes, which organize cases by points of law. Instead, these sources utilize browsing and keyword searching as the principal means of finding relevant cases. Researchers should be aware of these limitations and understand that keyword searching and browsing are not necessarily the best methods to find cases. For guidance on the significance of case law and methods for finding relevant cases, please see our Case Law Research Guide. Browsable by year, justice, and major case topics.

Searchable by case title. Searchable by citation and keyword. Search can be limited by jurisdiction and date. Online access to state materials varies widely. Please consult our state research guides for information about individual jurisdictions.

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