I have compiled a list of many internet legal research sources for you to investigate. Remember that many secondary sources are not available on the internet, and it is never a good idea to use the internet as your sole source when conducting legal research. When using the internet in legal research don’t forget to evaluate the source carefully, anyone can publish material on the internet.
Law Library On-Line Resources:
The following are some of my favorite law library sites and have come in handy finding many legal authorities such as cases and statutes, administrative rules, legal news, and many secondary sources.
• The Public Library of Law- http://www.plol.org/Pages/Search.aspx
• Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute- http://www.lawcornell.edu
• Emory Law Library Electronic Reference Desk- http://www.law.emory.edu/erd/index.html
• The Indiana University School of Law Law Library- http://www.law.indiana.edu/lawlibrary/index.shtml
• Washburn University School of Law- http://www.washlaw.edu
Federal Government On-line Resources:
Many government web sites offer a significant amount of legislative history to research. The following are some great sites when researching legislative history.
• FedWorld- http://www. fedworld.gov
A site were you can access a plethora of federal government information.
• First Gov- http://www.firstgov.gov
Offers a huge variety of government resources.
• GPO Access- http://www.gpoaccess.gov
Here you will find Congressional bills, hearings, reports, the Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register and the United States Code. You can also read weekly Presidential documents on this site.
• Library of Congress- http://www.loc.gov
The entire on-line catalog of the Library of Congress. Filled with legal information.
• Thomas- http://Thomas.loc.gov
Committee reports, Congressional records, and abundance of legislative information compiled by the Library of Congress.
• United States House of Representatives- http://www.house.gov
Home to the House of Representatives.
• United States Senate- http://www.senate.gov
Home to the United States Senate.
• United States Supreme Court –http://www.supremecourtus.gov
Home to the United State Supreme Court.
• The White House- http://www.whitehouse.gov
Home to the White House.
Free On-Line Legal Resources
Here are some great on-line legal resources free of charge, with no subscription required.
• All Law- http://www.alllaw.com
• American Bar Association’s Lawlink Legal Research- http://www.abanet.org/lawlink/home.html
• American Law Sources On-Line- http://www.law source.com
• CataLaw- http://www.catalaw.com
• FindLaw- http://www.findlaw.com
• Heiros Gamos- http://www.hg.org
• LawGuru- http://www.lawguru.com
• LLRX.com- http://www.llrx.com
• Rominger Legal- http://www.romingerlegal.com
On-Line Legal Resource Requiring a Membership or Fee:
These are fee based services, but they are well worth the investment if you can afford them.
• Loislaw- http://loislaw.com
• LexisNexis- http://lexis.com
• VersusLaw- http://www.versuslaw.com
• Westlaw- http://www.westlaw.com
Specialized Legal Search Engines
Use these great specialized search engines in your quest for finding legal web sites on the Internet.
• Google Scholar- http://www.scholar.google.com
• Law Bot- http://www.megalaw.com
• LawCrawler- http://www.lawcrawler.com
• MetaCrawlwer- http://www.Metacrawler.com