This guide has been created to help guide people to legal information and resources available for free online. Included below are overviews of each of these fields of law, as well as information on specific actions within these areas of law.

 

Administrative Law

• Administrative Law Guide – This online guide to Administrative Law is compiled by the Law Library of Congress and contains introductory information on the field, Presidential and Executive branch material, and agency specific content as well as links for further research.

• Federal Administrative Law – Duke University Law School’s comprehensive guide to Administrative Law is available to view online or in PDF form. Find out more information on rules and regulations, agency specific information, and administrative decisions and court rulings.

 

Business and Commercial Law

• Commercial Law at Cornell University Law School – Cornell Law School offers an overview of commercial law and provides specific information on a variety of business and commercial law fields.

• Commercial Law League of America – The Commercial Law League of America (CLLA) is an organization of attorneys and other experts in credit and finance actively engaged in the fields of commercial law, bankruptcy and insolvency. Conduct research, view areas of interest, and find out about the latest news and events in this field.

• Commercial Law World – An online journal published by the Commercial Law League of America. Browse scholarly law articles and conduct research related to commercial and business law.

 

Bankruptcy Law

• Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure - An official publication from the US Justice Department on current federal bankruptcy laws. Covers the various types of bankruptcy filings and the legal procedures related to them.

• How Bankruptcy Works - A plain English explanation of how the federal bankruptcy system operates. Covers the various types and aspects of bankruptcy, and which ones are appropriate for a given situation.

• Bankruptcy Fraud - An explanation of bankruptcy fraud, and its consequences, provided by the Internal Revenue service. Features statistical data on bankruptcy fraud and some case examples.

• Federal Bankruptcy Law - Info on bankruptcy law from the US Courts website. Covers the basics of bankruptcy and provides forms for filing one.

• The New Bankruptcy Law - A consumer centered resource that explains recent adjustments and changes in federal bankruptcy law.

• Bankruptcy Law Network - A source for news and analysis on the latest in bankruptcy cases, laws and legislation.

 

Constitutional Law

• Stanford Constitutional Law Center – Find out more about the field of constitutional law, browse student publications, and read about specific opportunities to analyze and discuss the constitution.

• SCOTUS Blog – This blog is published by Bloomberg Law and contains updated and comprehensive information covering the latest Supreme Court decisions, merit cases, petitions and statistics.

• Georgetown Law Supreme Court Institute – The Supreme Court Institute brings together faculty, students, and practicing lawyers to study the Supreme Court in a variety of ways, including history and modern significance of the Court, the dynamics of Supreme Court decision-making, and the nature of legal practice before the Court.

 

Criminal Law

• Penal Law Web – A comprehensive on-line digest of American criminal law, the Penal Law Web is part of a comprehensive program to reform American penal law teaching, scholarship, and practice.

• Criminal Justice – This resource contains information on a variety of topics in criminal law and justice, including capital punishment, history of criminal law, human rights, law enforcement and evidence based practice. Conduct research and choose from a variety of online journals, databases, professional organizations, library guides, and statistical and data resources.

 

Domestic Law

• US Marriage Laws - A catalog of US laws regarding marriage, organized by state. Covers information on licensing laws, fees, forms and some information on same sex marriages.

• Family Law and Divorce Library - A library of legal information on family law covering topics such as annulment, divorce, prenuptials, parentage and more. Part of the Expert Law library and legal database.

• Child Support Laws - A collection of child support laws organized by state and federal law jurisdiction. Part of a larger site on child support, including resources for support and enforcement.

• Family Law Organization - An online organization focused exclusively on family law. Includes family law codes for each of the 50 states and a child custody Q&A.

• Online Resources for State Child Welfare Law and Policy - Resources and information for child protection and welfare. Features a database with links to government and private sources for support, organized by state.

 

Environmental Law

• Environmental Law Resources – The Thurgood Marshall Law Library at the University of Maryland College Park provides an extensive overview of Environmental Law and allows users to browse by categories, such as animal rights and animal welfare, clean water, endangered species, land use issues, and federal environmental statutes and regulations.
• United States Environmental Protection Agency – Find out more about the Environmental Protection Agency, browse articles of interest by topic, sector, or policy, and read more about the history and practice of environmental justice.

 

Immigration Law

• Immigration Law Research – The Georgetown Law Library provides an overview on immigration law as well as information and links to statutes and legislation, federal agencies, secondary sources, and professional organizations.

• American Immigration Lawyers Association – The American Immigration Lawyers Association offers commentary on immigration issues, a bookstore of AILA publications, news articles, hot topics, access to congressional testimony and statements, in addition to links other immigration related web sites.

• Center for Immigration Studies – A think tank devoted solely to research and policy analysis of economic, social, demographic, fiscal and other impacts of immigration on the U.S. This site provides full-text access to its monthly publication The Backgrounder.

 

Real Estate Law

• Fair Housing Laws - Information for understanding fair housing laws and housing discrimination. Offers resources and advice for those who believe they may have been subject to housing discrimination or a violation of the fair housing law.

• MuniCode Library - A tool for researching municipal codes for every jurisdiction in America, presented as an interactive map. Municipal codes determine where and how individuals and companies may construct or modify property.

• Guide to Real Estate Laws and Regulation - A complete listing of real estate laws and regulations for each of the 50 states. Compiled by the US Department of Justice, these laws affect real estate competition.

• US Foreclosure Laws - A listing of foreclosure laws in the United States. Presented as an interactive map of the 50 states, with information for each state.

• Landlord Law - Legal information from each state for landlords to understand landlord and tenant laws.

 

Legal Directories and Tools

• Justia - A leading legal research and information website, Justia hosts a wealth of legal resources covering all aspects of the legal profession and law. Features some unique tools such as ‘Ask a Lawyer’, cases in the news and legal podcasts, as well as a database for legal research and a section on legal information for Latin America.

• Find Law - One of the web’s most popular tools for researching case law and legal statutes. Provides resources on understanding law and how to utilize the court system.

• Legal Information Institute - A directory of legal information hosted by Cornell University. Covers many topics in law and hosts the official documents of laws and legislation.

• The Public Library of Law - The self- proclaimed largest free law library in the world. Features a searchable database of case law, statutes, regulations, court rules, constitutional information and legal forms.

• Law Info - A tool for finding attorneys and legal professionals across the country. Also includes a wealth of other resources for understanding more about law and legal proceedings.

• Nolo Legal Encyclopedia - A large collection of articles on many topics and issues in law, arranged by legal category. These articles cover the basics of legal statutes and advice for how to proceed in court.

• Guide to Law Online - An Internet portal for exploring and understanding laws across the US and international community, provided by the Law Library of Congress.

• Law Guru - A guide for help and troubleshooting in legal matters. Includes a large archive of Q&A, legal forms, a powerful search tool and a legal wiki.

• Free Advice Forum - A large forum with sections on most topics in law and legal action. Boasts 400,000 members, including a large number of legal professionals.

• Blawg Directory - A directory of several thousand blawgs (law blogs) covering every imaginable topic in law. Organized by states, countries, legal category and law schools.

• Lex Blog Network - A large directory of law blogs for law firms of all sizes and specialties. These blogs can often be a great source of information and advice for all kinds of legal matters.