Free Legal Research Resources
Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com)
Google Scholar allows you to search and read published opinions of US state appellate
and supreme court cases since 1950, US federal district, appellate, tax and bankruptcy
courts since 1923, and US Supreme Court cases since 1791. It also includes a variety of
other select legal resources.
Justia (https://www.justia.com)
Justia provides free access to a large variety of legal information, including cases,
organized by jurisdiction and subject area. It includes databases of legal blogs has a blog
of its own, Verdict, with analysis of current legal issues.
Legal Information Institute (https://www.law.cornell.edu)
This is Cornell Law’s collection of free legal material which includes unofficial full-text
copies of Supreme Court opinions, federal court rules, the U.S. Code, and the Code of
Federal Regulations. The Legal Encyclopedia section provides a starting place for
researching legal topics.
Library of Congress Guide to Law Online (https://www.loc.gov/law/help/guide.php)
This resource provides annotated links to free legal materials for the U.S. federal
system, states and territories, and international research.
Public Library of Law (http://www.plol.org/Pages/Search.aspx)
Provides free access to primary sources in U.S. law, including federal and state cases,
statutes, regulations, and constitutions. Legal forms are also available which may
require an additional fee. The Public Library of Law was created by the makers
of Fastcase, and includes links to fee-based content through the Fastcase service.
WashLaw Web (http://www.washlaw.edu)
Large and diverse collection of web links to legal material, maintained by the Washburn
School of Law. The information is arranged by jurisdiction and topic.
Free Full-text Online Law Review/Law Journal Search Engine by the American Bar Association
(https://www.americanbar.org/groups/departments_offices/legal_technology_resources/reso
urces/free_journal_search.html)
This free search engine searches the free full-text of over 300 online law reviews and
law journals, as well as document repositories hosting academic papers and related
publications such as Congressional Research Service reports. Offered through the ABA.
Government Publishing Office (https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/)
Access to official Federal Government publications.
Leagle (http://www.leagle.com)
Free site of Every opinion and decision handed down by the Courts – Trial Courts,
Appellate Courts and Supreme Courts, spanning Civil, Criminal, Family, Tax or
Bankruptcy litigations are published here daily. Library is comprehensive and contains
over 5 million published and unpublished cases since 1950.
National Center for State Courts (http://www.ncsc.org)
Several courts provide their own opinions online in PDF form. The directory of State
Court Web Sites allows you to search most of them.
USA.gov (https://www.usa.gov)
Search federal and state government websites. A great place to start any research.
Dragnet-New York Law School Library
(http://www.nyls.edu/library/library_services/dragnet1/dragnet/)
Search limited group of law websites, constitutions and codes, and law reviews with
online content. This uses a pre-filtered google scholar search to get good results
LexisWeb (http://www.lexisweb.com)
Searches both free legal information and fee-based resources available from
LexisNexis. Search results may be limited by filtering options.
Free Legal Resources With Select State Bar Membership
Casemaker (https://www.casemakerlegal.com/consortiumpartner.aspx)
Search results include cases, statutes, and regulations.
Free for the bar members of the following states
(Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine,
Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming)
Fastcase (https://www.fastcase.com/bar-associations/)
Fastcase offers unlimited access to a comprehensive 50-state and federal case law
database. Fastcase collection includes cases, statutes, regulations, court rules, and
constitutions. Fastcase also provides access to a newspaper archive, legal forms, and a
one-stop PACER search of federal filings.
Free for the bar members of the following states
(Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New
York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee,
Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin)
