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AMERICAN LAW: GENERAL RESOURCES

Websites discussed in this guide includes overviews of the American legal system, guides, clearinghouses. The jurisdictional scope of almost all sites is for federal law, state law, or a combination of these; there is minimal coverage of municipal law.

This guide was created with Internet accessibility in mind; all sites are free-of-charge. Many legal meta-sites and general legal guides also have links to American law. It is also good to remember that since many of these resources are available on “gateways,” and directories, there is an inevitable amount of overlap and duplication.

For related information on American law, please see American Law: Federal Resources and American Law: State Resources.


ABA LawInfo.org

•  Sponsored by the American Bar Association (ABA)
•  “Your gateway to information on legal topics that affect your daily life”
•  Directory of links to ABA-produced commentary on legal issues for the following: family, consumers’ rights, the workplace, personal finances, home ownership/related issues, criminal justice, the court system
•  Links to additional ABA resources
•  Excellent; a practical, user-friendly resource which is accessible to the layperson


American Law Sources On-Line (ALSO)

•  Maintained by LawSources, Inc.
•  “Provides a comprehensive, uniform, and useful compilation of links to all on-line sources of American law that are available at no charge”
•  Also includes discussions of Canadian and Mexican law
•  This is a well-structured discussion of the U.S. legal system – at all levels, written in language that the layperson can comprehend
•  Excellent; not extensive, but very useful for the novice


BUBL Link: Catalogue of Internet Resources: United States Law

•  Brief directory of annotated links to American law, mostly for federal resources or topical issues
•  Each link includes a short description of the site’s content, author/sponsoring body, resource type
•  Also links (via subject menu) to over 20 other BUBL resources for various aspects of law
•  Excellent for an overview; easy to navigate


Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse (CRLC)

•  Sponsored by the Washington University Law School
•  “Collects documents and information from civil rights cases in specific case categories in the United States”
•  “Available to scholars, teachers, students, policymakers, advocates, and the public to allow greater understanding of civil rights litigation in this country”
•  Provides analysis/commentary on over 5,000 completed/pending cases in 21 areas of civil rights, including institutional conditions (jails, medical facilities, nursing homes), fair housing, speech/religious freedom, election/voting rights, disability/accessibility rights and more
•  Information on each case includes a profile, documents, issues/causes of action, related cases (if any), case details
•  Outstanding; great for background on “very consequential issues” of “historical importance” in American law


Guide to Law Online: United States

•  Sponsored by the Law Library of Congress
•  Links to law-related sites for the Constitution, executive/judicial/legislative branches of the federal government and to state government legal sites
•  Section on the Constitution is excellent, containing information on court decisions, historical background and analysis/commentary; also especially useful for links to the federal judiciary
•  Not annotated
•  Also links to other online guides/lists for U.S. law
•  Outstanding; easy to navigate and a great place to begin research


Index to Legal Topics

•  Maintained by the Wisconsin State Law Library
•  Links to resources for over 400 legal topics for business law, civil law, civil liberties, criminal law, family law, medical law, and much more
•  Each topic highlights Wisconsin law; also may include links to federal agencies, professional organizations, directories; short annotations accompany many links
•  Excellent cross-referencing
•  Focus is overwhelmingly on U.S. law
•  Outstanding; one of the best resources for accessing legal information on a wide variety of topics; very user-friendly


Legal Research Guide: Statutory Law Resources

•  Sponsored by the Virtual Chase (Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersol)
•  Covers official federal/state legal sites as well as directories
•  Includes excellent annotations
•  Outstanding; does a great job of discussing many of the best sites for federal/state legal resources


Pathfinder: United States Law: Basic Online Research
•  Maintained by the Internet Public Library (IPL)
•  “This pathfinder is intended to help members of the general public learn where to find the basic, major, sources of law and to find books and web-sites that can help explain the basics of the legal system”
•  Concentrates primarily on free sites: “largely ignores” fee-based resources
•  “Primary Sources” provides an analysis of the following: constitutions, statutes (federal/state), case law, court information, administrative law
•  “Secondary Sources” discusses online research guides, books, journal articles, dictionaries, and encyclopedias
•  Commentary on links for both types of sources is succinct and clearly written
•  Outstanding; does a superb job of making research for American law comprehensible; mandatory for anyone desiring a basic understanding of American law


Rutgers University Libraries: Subject Research Guides: Law

•  Maintained by Paul Axel-Lute, Rutgers University Law School Library; original guide by Stephen C. Perkins
•  Directory of links to a wide variety of sites pertaining to nine legal resource categories: “United States Federal Law” and “Law of Other States” are the sections pertinent to this guide
•  “United States Federal Law” links to sites for the following: the Constitution, , federal statutes, legislative information, federal regulations, presidential documents, court rules, court arguments/briefs/decisions, administrative decisions
•  “Law of Other States” links to academic and professional organization sites which provide access to various aspects of state law
•  Also links to professional associations/organizations, law schools, legal journals, legal lists/newsgroups, legal publishers/booksellers
•  Outstanding; provides an efficient arrangement of resources pertinent to the resources of this guide; links to other areas of law (foreign, international/human rights, etc.) are also very useful


Websites discussed on this page are for informational purposes only. Johnson & Wales University Library is not responsible for the accuracy, content or stability of any websites linked to this page. When in need of legal advice, consult a legal professional.

Compiled by Rick Keogh, 7/04; latest update 5/09

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