Effective legal research tools are essential to any serious engagement with the law -- but they can be prohibitively expensive. Luckily, there are many free and low-cost legal research options available that can benefit lawyers and non-lawyers alike.
This guide is split into sections dealing with different areas of legal research.
Court opinions and documents are the basics of legal research. New online databases provide sophisticated search and analysis tools for little or no cost.
Legislative sources, from statutes to legislative histories, can be found online and in local institutions. More and more legislative documents are available online.
State and federal agencies produce a wealth of materials in addition to administrative rules. Many of these documents can be used to support legal arguments.
Many research sources don't fit easily into any one category. Additionally, the effective researcher does not neglect academic and scientific sources. Ever since Muller v. Oregon courts has looked outside the bounds of legal information for guidance on difficult legal questions. An effective legal researcher should as well.
