LibGuides: Free Websites for Legal Research: Home

Handout and Slides for September 14, 2016 CLE

Handout from September 14, 2016 CLE

Handouts for July 8, 2015 CLE

Handouts for July 8, 2015 CLE

Outline
Casemaker Search Tips
Fastcase Quick Reference Guide
Describes the desktop version available through the Columbus Bar Association version. The free mobile app has less features.
Helpful Links

Legal Research Sources Graph

According to an ABA Survey, lawyers spend an average of 20 percent of their work time conducting legal research, and when they start a research project, they generally turn first to free online research services before using fee-based services or research materials in print or on CD-ROM.

You can find all of these types of legal research resources at the Franklin County Law Library.

Quicklinks

Congress.gov
Replaced Thomas. U.S. bills 1989-current, Public Laws & some other legislative history documents.
Franklin County Law Library
Forms and Research guides.
Government, Law & Politices Research Tools
Databases from the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Accessible with CML card. Includes the Nuwav Legal Forms.
Legal Information Institute
Free access to federal and state law from Cornell Law School.
Pacer: Public Access to Court Electronic Records
Accessible by creating an individual account. Access to case information costs $0.10 per page. The cost to access a single document is capped at $3.00. The cap does not apply to name searches, reports that are not case-specific, and transcripts of federal court proceedings. If your usage does not exceed $30 in a quarter, fees are waived.
U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo)
Contains U.S. Code, federal legislative history materials, federal regulations (CFR and Federal Register). From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, previously called the U.S. Printing Office.
American Association of Law Libraries : State Online Legal Information
AALL researched primary legal materials in all states to determine if online legal materials are trustworthy and preserved for permanent public access, according to the following criteria:
•Official Status
•Authentication
•Preservation
•Permanent Public Access
•Copyright
•Universal Citation

Citing Internet Sources

404/ File not Found: Link Rot, Legal Citation and Projects to Preserve Precedent
Conference at Georgetown Law School Library. Page 14 of this document contains hints for best practices in citing websites.

Guide Author

Susanna Marlowe

Email Me

Contact:

Franklin County Law Library Reference Librarian

614-525-4971