LEGAL RESEARCH
From the FIU library home page http://library.fiu.edu select Find Articles & Do Research Select Legal Resources from here you can do your research using the following databases: Westlaw Campus via Wests Academic Universe (Lexis‐Nexis) via LexisNexis Legal Periodicals Full Text via WilsonWeb LegalTrac via GaleNet Under Other Research Resources Select A‐Z Databases Select H Scroll down the page to HeinOnline via HEIN
ACORN
Acorn Resource Center A Native American seeking legal assistance might visit this site for self‐help and legal education materials. http://www.calindian.org/acorn.ref.htm
ALL LAW
http://www.alllaw.com
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF LAW LIBRARIES (AALL)
Legal Information Services to the Public (LISP). http://www.aallnet.org/sis/lisp/index.html This guide is intended to help a person with a legal problem find legal rules that can resolve or prevent conflict. It is most useful to work through the steps and sources in the order given.
http://www.aallnet.org/sis/lisp/research.htm
Revised: 4/24/2007 ♦ Lauren Christos ♦ christol@fiu.edu ♦ 305.919.5721
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AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/findlegalhelp/home.cfm Use this site to locate legal help in all 50 states. It includes self‐help information and lists of free legal help.
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
Consumerʹs Guide to Legal Help on the Internet
http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/findlegalhelp/home.cfm
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
LawLink: The Legal Research Jumpstation. Lawlink provides quick access to important legal information from the American Bar Association and other resources. Each site is selected and evaluated by a member of the ABAʹs Legal Technology Resource Center staff. LTRC staff also publish Site‐tation, a monthly e‐newsletter of sites relevant to legal professionals.
http://www.abanet.org/lawlink
AMERICAN LAW SOURCE ON‐LINE
American Law Sources On‐line (ALSO!), providing a comprehensive, uniform, and useful compilation of links to freely accessible on‐line sources of law for the United States and Canada. (See also a link below for Mexico.) This site contains additional links to sources of commentary and practice aids that are available without charge (or available at a reasonable charge from governmental and nonprofit providers).
http://www.lawsource.com
CATALAW: Meta Index of Law and Government
CataLaw is the catalog of catalogs of worldwide law on the Internet. It aids legal research by arranging all indexes of law and government into a uniform, universal and unique metaindex http://www.catalaw.com
CONSUMERS UNION
http://www.consumersunion.org
CONSTITUTION FINDER
ʺThis database offers constitutions, charters, amendments, and other related documents [for countries around the world]. Nations of the world are linked to their constitutional text posted somewhere on the Internet.ʺ Browsable by country. Includes links to texts in languages other than English. From the University of Richmond School of Law. http://confinder.richmond.edu
CORNELL LAW SCHOOLʹS
Legal Information Institute
http://www.law.cornell.edu
COURT RULES
This site includes links to over 1,400 sources for state and federal court rules, forms and dockets.
http://www.llrx.com/courtrules
Revised: 4/24/2007 ♦ Lauren Christos ♦ christol@fiu.edu ♦ 305.919.5721
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CRIME LIBRARY: LITERARY FORENSICS
These articles cover forensic document and handwriting analysis, and specific cases that involved literary forensics. Includes material on written communications related to the Lindbergh kidnapping trial, the Unabomber case, the JonBenet Ramsey murder, and the Hitler diaries. Written by a forensic psychologist for the CourtTV Crime Library. http://www.crimelibrary.com/forensics/literary/
DERECHO.ORG
Buscador de Derecho (a Spanish‐language law search engine) http://www.vlex.com
FBI
Forensic Science Communications back issues are archived and available via: http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/current/backissu.htm
FBI: HANDWRITING, TYPEWRITING, SHOEPRINTS, & TIRE TREADS
(FBI Laboratoryʹs Questioned Documents Unit) This 2001 article describes how personnel in the Questioned Documents Unit (QDU) of the FBI perform examinations of material. Includes illustrated discussions of physical examinations (often of paper surfaces), comparison examinations (of handwriting and typewriting), and shoeprint and tire tread examinations. Includes details about specific cases. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) journal Forensic Science Communications. http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/backissu/april2001/held.htm
FED LAW
FedLaw was developed to see if legal resources on the Internet could be a useful and cost‐effective research tool for Federal lawyers and other Federal employees. Fedlaw has assembled references of use to people doing Federal legal research and which can be accessed directly through ʺpoint and clickʺ hypertext connections.
http://www.thecre.com/fedlaw/default.htm
FEDWORLD
The FedWorld.gov web site is a gateway to government information. This site is managed by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) as part of itʹs information management mandate.
http://www.fedworld.gov/
FINDLAW INTERNET LEGAL RESOURCES
FindLaw is the highest‐trafficked legal Web site, providing the most comprehensive set of legal resources on the Internet for legal professionals, corporate counsel, law students, businesses, and consumers. These resources include Web search utilities, cases and codes, legal news, an online career center, and community‐ oriented tools, such as a secure document management utility, e‐mail newsletters, and message boards.. http://www.findlaw.com
Read the disclaimer: http://findlaw.com/info/disclaimer.html
Revised: 4/24/2007 ♦ Lauren Christos ♦ christol@fiu.edu ♦ 305.919.5721
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FLORIDA LAW ONLINE
This site was designed and is maintained by James Wyman as a public service. It is not an official Florida government web site. It is for informational purposes only and is not meant to constitute the giving of legal advice. If you need a lawyer in Florida, please contact The Florida Barʹs Lawyer Referral Service. http://floridalawonline.net
FREE ADVICE
http://www.law.freeadvice.com This legal site for consumers and small businesses provides general legal information to help people understand their legal rights on over 125 legal topics, but it does not substitute for personal legal advice from an attorney. View FreeAdvicefor your own personal, noncommercial purposes, AS IS, subject to their disclaimer and conditions of use. Be sure to read the disclaimer at http://law.freeadvice.com/resources/conditionsnew.htm
GAVEL2GAVEL.COM
http://www.gavel2gavel.com Information about Gavel2Gavel: http://www.re‐quest.net/g2g/about.htm Disclaimer: http://www.re‐quest.net/g2g/disclaimer.htm
GOT TROUBLE.COM
Launched on July 4, 2000, GotTrouble.com delivers real world solutions to people facing serious legal and financial trouble. GotTrouble.com offers immediate access to vital information and relevant resources while providing a calm and intelligent environment in which to make important decisions.
http://www.gottrouble.com Information about Got Trouble: http://www.gottrouble.com/about.html Disclaimer: http://www.gottrouble.com/disclaimer.html
GOVERNMENT INFORMATION
Official information and services from the U.S. government.
http://www.firstgov.gov
GOVERNMENT INFORMATION
The U.S. Government Printing Office disseminates official information from all three branches of the Federal Government.
www.gpoaccess.gov
HIEROS GAMOS
Directories: Find a law firm, expert witnesses, court reporters, process servers, investigators, legal jobs, etc.
http://www.hg.org
Revised: 4/24/2007 ♦ Lauren Christos ♦ christol@fiu.edu ♦ 305.919.5721
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INTERNET LEGAL RESOURCE GUIDE
A categorized index of more than 4000 select web sites in 238 nations, islands, and territories, as well as thousands of locally stored web pages, legal forms, and downloadable files, this site was established in 1995 to serve as a comprehensive resource of the information available on the Internet concerning law and the legal profession, with an emphasis on the United States of America. Designed for everyone, lay persons and legal scholars alike, it is quality controlled to include only the most substantive legal resources online.
http://www.ilrg.com
LAW HELP
http://www.lawhelp.org LawHelp ʺhelps low and moderate income people find free legal aid programs in their communities, and answers to questions about their legal rights. LawHelp is your gateway to Americaʹs nonprofit legal services providers.ʺ
LAW LIBRARY RESOURCES EXCHANGE
LLRX.com (ʺLLRXʺ) is a free legal Webzine providing current, comprehensive articles, guides and resources for legal professionals and law librarians on research services, applications and tools, information technology, foreign and comparative law, legal marketing and legal‐tech and library related news. http://www.llrx.com
LAWCRAWLER
http://lawcrawler.findlaw.com
LAWGURU
http://www.lawguru.com This site claims to be the ʺthe worldʹs largest free database of legal questions and answers. Find answers to over 100,000 previously asked legal questions or ask your own free questions from our network of over 3,500 law firms In more than 35 countries.ʺ Read the disclaimer at http://www.lawguru.com/cgi/bbs/user/disclaimer_terms_of_use.html.
LEGAL FORMS
Some free legal forms are available at this web site. (Note: not all the forms are free. Read the disclaimer).
http://www.findforms.com/
MEGALAW
http://www.megalaw.com
META INDEX FOR UNITED STATES LEGAL RESEARCH
http://gsulaw.gsu.edu/metaindex/
MUNICIPAL LAWS ONLINE FROM THE SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
This page provides Links to city and county codes available for unrestricted searching on the World Wide Web.
http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=collection_municodes
Revised: 4/24/2007 ♦ Lauren Christos ♦ christol@fiu.edu ♦ 305.919.5721
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NOLO LAW BOOKS
This site provides information about the law designed to help users safely cope with their own legal needs. http://www.nolo.com Read the disclaimer http://www.nolo.com/disclaimer.cfm
PRO SE LAW CENTER
(A Resource Center on the Pro Se Concept for Legal Service Providers)
http://www.pro‐selaw.org Designed as a resource center on self‐representation in civil legal matters, the purpose of the Pro Se Law Center Is ʺto provide a collection of materials and resources that can be used to create legal service delivery systems that are based on the concept of ʹpro seʹ or ʹselfʹ representation within federally funded legal services programs, courts, pro bono programs, and other community‐based programs. . . . This resource center contains a searchable Directory of Pro Se Programs operated by legal service providers.ʺ
SELF HELP SUPPORT (STATE JUSTICE INSTITUTE)
http://www.selfhelpsupport.org/resourcesforselfrepresent378.cfm This site provides ʺResources for Self‐represented Litigants: Legal Aid Services, Online Legal Information, Court Forms, Self‐help Centers and links to State Court Websites.ʺ
STATUTES OF LIMITATIONS: IS YOUR LAWSUIT TIMELY?
This fact sheet addresses how long a person has to file a civil lawsuit. The site notes that ʺevery state has its own time limits, called statutes of limitations, and even within a state the period of time within which you must file a lawsuit varies according to the type of claim.ʺ Includes a chart with statues of limitations for oral and written contracts and property damage and personal injury. From Nolo. http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectID/0566BBF3‐858F‐4E25‐89F7A06B61F9CEF5/104/308/280/FAQ/
THE ʹLECTRIC LAW LIBRARY FORMS ROOM
Free forms are available at this web site. Find an attorney in your area. Search by State or by specialty to find a lawyer. Searchable expert witness directory.
http://www.lectlaw.com/form.html
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS (THOMAS)
In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, legislative information from the Library of Congress
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Revised: 4/24/2007 ♦ Lauren Christos ♦ christol@fiu.edu ♦ 305.919.5721
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