Contents:
Betty Febo
Research & Instruction, x3426
Graham Henderson
Collections, x3514
Related subject guides
| Find books |
Wellesley College Library catalog - Use the Library catalog to find books and other materials (journal titles, NOT journal articles) we have here at Wellesley. Remember to start with "keyword" if you are beginning to research a topic. To find books on the law of a particular country; try a subject search with law [country name].
WorldCat Use WorldCat to find books, journal titles (NOT individual articles), and other materials that are not in the Wellesley Library catalog. Remember to start with "keyword" if you are beginning to research a topic. To find books on the law of a particular country; try a subject search with law [country name].
| Find background information |
American Jurisprudence (Am Jur 2d). Clapp Docs KF8836 .A452
A textual explanation of the topics or concepts in federal and state laws and regulations. Contains titles of cases and citations to law review articles pertaining to the particular point of law. Updated by pocket parts in the back of each volume. Use the separate index. Also available electronically through Westlaw Campus Research .Black's Law Dictionary. 8th ed. Clapp Ref KF 156 B53 2004
The Bluebook : a Uniform System of Citation. Clapp Ref KF245 .B58 2000. The 17th edition (2006) is online from the Cornell Law School.
Congressional Quarterly's Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court. 3rd ed. Clapp Ref KF 8742 W567 1997
Constitutions of the World. 2nd ed. Clapp Ref K 3165 .M33 2001 and Constitution Finder [U. Richmond]
CRS Annotated Constitution [Legal Information Institute at Cornell] - searchable version of the U.S. Constitution. Live links to Supreme Court opinions, the United States Code, and the Code of Federal Regulations. The GPO Access version of the annotated Constitution has a table of federal and state acts held unconstitutional and Supreme Court decisions subsequently overturned.
A Dictionary of Law from Oxford University Press.
Encyclopedia of the American Constitution. 6 vols. Clapp Ref KF 4548 E53 2000
How to Read a Legal Citation [Cleveland-Marshall College of Law]
Legal Systems of the World. 4 vols. Clapp Ref K48 .L44 2002
National Survey of State Laws. Clapp Ref KF 386 N38 1999
State-by-state comparison of current state laws in chart arrangement.West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2004. A Gale electronic reference book; written in layperson language.
WEX [from the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School] - a collaboratively-created, public-access law dictionary and encyclopedia. Contributors are evaluated by LII before being authorized to add material.
| Find legal databases |
Note: LexisNexis Academic Legal Research and Westlaw Campus are very similar. Use this table to see important differences.
LexisNexis Academic Legal Research - LexisNexis Academic has a wonderful legal research section. Here you will find law articles and law reviews (650+ titles), U.S. Supreme Court and district court cases and briefs, state court cases, federal and state codes, and some international law.
Westlaw Campus Research - legal encyclopedias and legal analysis, federal and state court cases and statutes, and law reviews (900+ titles). Shepardizes every case. Includes American Jurisprudence and American Law Reports, European Union cases and regulations. Note: Westlaw Campus has problems with pop-up blockers. It may affect your ability to print or download.
Global Legal Information Network - public database of laws, regulations, judicial decisions, and other complementary legal sources contributed by governmental agencies and international organizations.
Other databases may be useful for you, depending on your specific topic and approach. AskUs and get some customized suggestions.
| Find laws |
United States
MassachusettsUnited States Statutes at Large (US Stat). Docs KF 50 U5
A chronological arrangement, by Congress, of the public and private laws of the United States.A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U. S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873
LexisNexis Congressional - full text of U.S. laws and the bills and reports that led to the laws. Also some Congressional hearing testimony. 1988+.
Legislative material from GPO Access - full text publications from the legislative branch of government.
Thomas [Library of Congress] - bill tracking back to 1975, full text of bills back to 1989.
Legislative History - how to trace bills and laws
Massachusetts General Laws Annotated(MGLA). Clapp Docs KFM 2430 A4 and online
General Laws of Massachusetts (current compilation of current laws; unofficial; not searchable)
Massachusetts' Great and General Court , including the Commonwealth Constitution, Guide to the Legislative Process, current legislation, and more
International
LexisNexis Academic and Westlaw Campus both have international legal materials. See above under "Find articles and essays".
Eur-Lex - the portal to European Union law. Also in L/N Academic Legal Research.
ILOLEX (international labour law) and NATLEX (national national labour, social security and related human rights legislation - [International Labour Organization]
| Find court cases |
United States
Curiae Project [Yale University Law School] - "provides Supreme Court records and briefs and other relevant materials free of charge on the Internet. Cases are selected for addition to the site based on a ranking developed from citation data in historical and constitutional texts." Most useful for Supreme Court Briefs that are not in LexisNexis Academic Legal Research.
Findlaw Supreme Court Decisions, 1893 - date
Oxford Guide to Supreme Court Decisions from Oxford University Press.
Oyez from Northwestern University. Excellent case abstracts of selected Supreme Court cases and biographies of all Supreme Court justices.
U.S. Reports (U.S.). Clapp Docs KF 101 A2. U.S. Supreme Court decisions and arguments.
Supreme Court Decisions, 1990 - date and Supreme Court Decisions: Selection of Historic Cases from the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School.
United States Supreme Court Decisions from GPO Access
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Reports (MA Rep). vol. 97 (1867)- Clapp Docs KFM 2445 A2
Cases argued and determined before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
International
European Court of Human Rights and online
Series A, Judgments and decisions. vol. 1 (1960)- Clapp Docs JC571 .E85
Series B, Pleadings, oral arguments, and documents. vol. 1 (1965)- Clapp Docs JC571 .E85aEuropean Court of Justice - full text of recent case law
Inter-American Court of Human Rights and online.
Series A, Judgments and opinions no. 3 (1983)- Clapp Docs KDZ 574.A52 I58
Series B, Pleadings, oral arguments, and documents. no. 1 (1983)- Clapp Docs KDZ 574.A52 I583International Law Reports. 1919- Clapp Docs JX 68 A65
Digest of public international law cases.
| Find regulations |
United States
Code of Federal Regulations - the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. 1996 - .
Federal Register - the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations.
State
National Association of Secretaries of State - links to state codes and proposed and adopted rules.
Local
| Find treaties |
Researching U.S. Treaties and Agreements and Researching Non-U.S. Treaties, written by librarians, provide an excellent guide to how to research treaties and agreements.
United States
United States Treaties and other International Agreements. 1950- Clapp Docs JX236 1950 .A5. Recent international agreements are online; see description and instructions.
Treaty status and text from the Library of Congress. Coverage from 1976.
International
European Union - the portal to European treaties, legislation, case law
FAOLEX - international treaties and laws related to food, agriculture, and renewable resources.
Multilaterals Project -- multilateral conventions and other instruments from the Fletcher School at Tufts
Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary General. 1981- Clapp Docs UN Sales V.
Treaties and International Law - [Internet Law Library].
United Nations Treaty Series (U.N.T.S.). 1946-
| Find legal news |
Jurist Paper Chase [University of Pittsburgh School of Law]
Global Legal Monitor [Law Library of Congress] - tracks new legal developments from around the world. Draws from the Global Legal Information Network.
Law blogs [justia.com] - blogs in various legal fields. View the blogger portfolios.
| Law school information |
- Preparing for a Career in Law in the 21st Century [Univ. of Alabama Law School professor]
- Law Schools [Univ. of Pittsburgh School of Law]
- Official Guide to ABA Law Schools - search by geographic region, LSAT score, etc.
- Boston College Law School Locator - lists the LSAT scores and first year GPAs of law schools so you can find where your scores will be the most competitive.
- Law School Rankings
- Law School Admissions Council - includes a sample LSAT test.
- Find a law firm by geographic area or practice area. [Martindale.com]
| Key Web sites |
- ABA LawInfo - easy-to-understand basic legal rights information designed for the consumer.
- Boston Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service
- Evaluation of Legal Web Sites - from the American Association of Law Libraries.
- The First Amendment Center offers "comprehensive research coverage of key First Amendment issues and topics, a unique First Amendment Library and guest analyses by respected legal specialists."
- Massachusetts Bar Association
- Understanding the Federal Courts from the Administrative Office of the U. S. Courts.
- Federal Legislative History Research from the Law Librarians' Society of Washington, D.C., Inc.
- Legal Research Guides [Cornell Law Library] - federal, foreign and international, EU, immigration, impeachment, and more.
- Guides to Conducting Legal Research - [Boston College Law School]
- How Our Laws Are Made revised and updated by Edward F. Willett, Jr., Esq., Law Revision Counsel, U. S. House of Representatives
- International Law Guides [LLRX.com]
- Library of Congress Guide to Law Online. Annotated hypertext guide to sources of information worldwide on government and law available online without charge.
- American Medical Association Legal Topics
- Center for Jury Studies - relevant articles, listings, and data by topic.
- Core Documents of U.S. Democracy: Includes Bill of Rights, Congressional bills, Constitution, Public Laws, U. S. Code, Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, and more.
- History of the Federal Judiciary from the Federal Judicial Center. Presents historical reference information on Federal courts, court decisions, and judges in the United States. Also contains a legislative history of the Supreme Court and every Federal district court, circuit court and court of appeals.
- Jurist: the Legal Information Network [University of Pittsburgh School of Law] - a mega site that includes presidential pardons.
- United States Court System - links to U.S. Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, District Courts, and Bankruptcy Courts.
- United States Supreme Court - Includes the docket, court rules, and most recent decisions.
- American Law Sources Online United States by state, Canada, Mexico
- Minimum Wage Laws in the States from the U.S. Department of Labor.
- National Center for State Courts - comprehensive collection of links to state and local courts.
- State Court Web Sites from the National Center for State Courts.
- State Law Index from Washburn University School of Law.
- State Legal Resources on the Web [from UMich] - extremely comprehensive. Links to laws, regulations, courts, newspapers, and the state's law library.
- Constitutions of Nations of the World from Yahoo.
- Foreign and International Law from the Washburn School of Law.
- Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law from the American Society of International Law. Divided into law sub-topics, it contains search strategies as well as internet links.
- Human Rights Library (U. Minn.) and Human Rights Search Engine
- International Court of Justice - decisions and advisory opinions brought before the court since 1946.
- International Criminal Court - the judicial branch of the United Nations; tries individuals for participation in war crimes and genocide.
- International Law [UN] - links to relevant legal bodies of the United Nations.
- International Resources from Findlaw.com
- Nations of the World [Library of Congress] - links to a country's constitution and its governing bodies as well as country profiles and legal guides.
- Public International Law - from Babson College
- Secretariat for Legal Affairs [OAS]
- United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)
- World Legal Information Institute.
- WTO/GATT Research - an authoritative guide to print, microfiche, and electronic resources on the WTO and GATT.
Wellesley College Library · WCIS · Betty Febo · last modified: January 6, 2009