Secondary sources can be a really helpful place to start researching the law. However, it is important to remember that a secondary source is not the law, but rather a commentary on the law. Secondary sources are materials that explain, interpret, and analyze what the law is. They can also provide you with "terms of art" (legal terms specific to a particular area of practice) or lead you to primary law citations (cases, statutes, or regulations). Unlike primary law, secondary sources about the law are often difficult to find for free online. You can, however, come into the library and access them in print or through our public access databases such as LexisNexis Academic or HeinOnline.
Legal forms are one of the most helpful legal resources for pro ses. There are two kinds of legal forms. One is the kind that most people associate with the word "form," a document that allows you to fill in the blanks with your specific information. The other kind of legal form provides users with a prescribed or scripted set of words or legal language. Both can save you many hours when preparing your legal documents. It is also wise to see if the court provides pre-formatted legal forms for documents being submitted to the court as they already comply with all of the court's rules.
HeinOnline's Law Journal Library offers PDF scans of law reviews and journals going back to the earliest date of publication. This includes the law reviews of every law school in the United States, as well as many other law-related journals.
Public patrons need to visit the library in order to access this resource.
Both Google Scholar and SSRN (Social Science Research Network) are good resources for finding legal periodicals online for free.
Public patrons can access a number of newspapers from our A-Z Database List while visiting the library. Some of our subscriptions include:
Martindale-Hubbell is a national directory of attorneys. The database allows users to search by name, law firm, organization, location or practice area. Each lawyer's profile includes contact information and a brief bio as well as peer and client reviews.