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Legal Resources on the Internet
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The resources compiled here are
intended to provide broad access to a wide variety of law-related information
to teachers, students and the general public. Resources include federal and
state statutes and case law, business law information, Federal District and
Appellate Court materials, Cook County Circuit Court information, and federal
and state legislative resources. In addition, links are provided to a wealth of
free legal information and consumer resources available from state and local
bar associations and legal services agencies.
As with all online research
strategies, it is important to remember that not everything is available
online, and that in the majority of instances the most relevant and focused
information will be found only in law libraries and in specialized databases
utilized by legal professionals.
Conversely, a great deal of
information on the Web, legal or otherwise, may be misleading or plainly false.
Caveat emptor . . . buyer beware. Most state and
local bar associations provide (or provide references to) low cost/no cost
legal services and information.
General Legal Information
ABA Division for Public Education
http://www.abanet.org/publiced
Legal information and resources for
teachers and students, providing Supreme Court information, law-related FAQs,
glossary of legal terms, much more. New information is added every day.
ABA Division for Public Education:
LawInfo.org
http://www.abanet.org/lawinfo/home.html
Online versions of ABA law-related
education pamphlets covering workplace legal issues, buying and selling your
home, family law, the court system, and more. This site provides good general
consumer-oriented legal information.
ABA Division for Public Education:
ABA Dialogue
http://www.abanet.org/aba-dialogue
The ABA Dialogue site was created for parents and teachers in the months following 9/11. The site's resource materials help
engage young people in discussions about the legacy of our Constitution and the
Bill of Rights, our past struggles, and the challenges we face as a free
society.
Illinois Bar Association:
Law-Related Resources for Teachers
http://www.isba.org/Sections/lawrelateded.asp
Information for teachers and students
about constitutional government, rights and responsibilities ("Becoming an
Adult"), juvenile court procedures, history resources. It is similar to ABA
Public Services resources, but with more focus on local issues.
Chicago Bar Association: Legal
Information for the Public
http://www.chicagobar.org/public/public.asp
http://www.chicagobar.org/public/general.asp
A section of the CBA Website
containing general information about many areas of the law, including a
comprehensive downloadable directory of legal services agencies in the Chicago
metropolitan area, a lawyer referral service directory, and much more.
Lawyer Referral Resources
Illinois State Bar Association:
IllinoisLawyerFinder.com
http://www.illinoislawyerfinder.com
Chicago Bar Association: Legal
Referral Service
http://www.chicagobar.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Need_a_Lawyer
This site includes the "Call a Lawyer"
program for brief consultations free of charge, Senior Citizens Will Program,
lawyer referral FAQ, and more (note: the YLS legal services brochure can only
be downloaded from the "Legal Information for the Public" page).
Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission
http://www.iardc.org/
The Attorney Registration & Disciplinary
Commission, an agency of the Illinois Supreme Court, is responsible for
maintaining current records of registration and discipline information for
lawyers licensed to practice in Illinois, investigating allegations of
misconduct by lawyers, and prosecuting the cases where a lawyer's misconduct
suggests a threat to the public or to the integrity of the legal profession.
Court Information - Cook County Circuit Court
Clerk of the Cook County Circuit
Court: Dorothy Brown
http://www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org
The official site of the Clerk of the
(Cook County) Circuit Court, responsible for managing the largest unified court
system in the country. The Cook County Circuit Court encompasses all surrounding
municipal districts and all Divisions (Civil, Criminal, Domestic Relations,
Juvenile, etc.). The site has Civil Division docket searches, and searchable case
snapshot information for all other Divisions. Also available is information
pertaining to jury duty, obtaining copies of court records, and a library of
court forms.
Circuit Court of Cook County
http://www.cookcountycourt.org
View information about court rules and procedures,
traffic court information, jury duty information, online publications about
court administration, programs and initiatives.
State and Federal Case Law
Illinois Case Law
Supreme Court of Illinois: Illinois
Supreme Court and Appellate Court Opinions
http://www.state.il.us/court/
http://www.state.il.us/court/Opinions/archive.asp
On this site you may search and/or browse
through Supreme Court and Appellate Court opinions issued from 1996 forward
(earlier decisions are only available through access to proprietary databases
such as Westlaw or LexisNexis, or in the bound case reporters, e.g., Illinois
Reports, Illinois Appellate Reports, Northeastern Reporter).
LexisOne
http://www.lexisone.com
A free service from LexisNexis,
offering online access to state and federal caselaw (last 5 years only) and to
U.S. Supreme Court decisions from 1790. State and U.S. District decisions that
are older than 5 years may be accessed on a pay-as-you-go basis ($1 to $15 per
decision).
Federal Case Law
Findlaw
http://findlaw.com/casecode
A comprehensive law-related Web portal
providing access to U.S. Supreme Court and Trial Court decisions. It also provides
access to the U.S. Code and other federal law-related resources.
LexisOne
http://www.lexisone.com
A free service from LexisNexis,
offering online access to state and federal caselaw (last 5 years only) and to
U.S. Supreme Court decisions from 1790. State and U.S. District decisions that
are older than 5 years may be accessed on a pay as you go basis ($1 to $15 per
decision).
Legal Information Institute (Cornell
University)
http://www.law.cornell.edu
Search or browse information on U.S.
Supreme Court, Federal Appellate (1990s forward) and recent District Court
decisions. All Supreme Court decisions are accessible, however, the scope of
available appellate and District Court decisions varies by jurisdiction.
Federal and State Statutes
Illinois Compiled Statutes
Illinois General Assembly: Illinois Compiled Statutes
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs.asp
Browse the full
text of the (unannotated) Illinois Compiled Statutes, organized by chapter and
title. This online version also has a keyword search feature. The ILCS database is
maintained for the use of the General Assembly and is not to be considered the
official text.
U.S. Code
U.S. House of Representatives Office
of Law Revision Counsel: United States Code
http://uscode.house.gov/
The Code is a consolidation and
codification by subject matter of the laws of the United States. After a bill is signed by the president, it becomes law and is then codified by the (House) Office of Law Revision Counsel. The U.S. Code is revised annually
to include newly enacted public laws. A complete revised edition of the Code is
published every six years.
Other U.S. Code links:
Findlaw (http://findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes)
Legal Information Institute (http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode)
Federal and State Legislation
U.S. Federal Legislation
Thomas: Legislative Information on
the Internet (Library of Congress)
http://thomas.loc.gov
Thomas is a dynamic resource for
information pertaining to pending and historical legislation, permitting users
to: search the text of pending bills, resolutions and amendments; conduct
legislative histories; identify bill sponsors; read the text of enacted
legislation.
State Legislative Resources
Illinois General Assembly
http://www.ilga.gov/
Browse or search the text of pending
bills, resolutions and executive orders, view House & Senate rosters,
identify bill sponsors, and read the text of enacted legislation.
News, Current Awareness and Other Resources
Legal News
Law.com
(American Lawyer Media)
This is the online version of National Law
Journal, a weekly print publication with daily news updates, "Newswire",
links to regional sister publications, national job listings, etc.
The American Lawyer on the Web (American Lawyer Media)
View the online version of the national monthly
print publication that has news about the legal industry, law firm mergers, and the
"business end" of the legal profession.
ABA Journal
This is the online version of the American Bar
Association's member publication, covering all aspects of the profession,
including law practice management, ethics, consumer law, quality of life, image
of the profession, legal services for the poor, etc.
Legal Information Portals
Legal Information Institute: http://www.law.cornell.edu
Findlaw: http://www.findlaw.com
Hieros Gamos: http://www.hg.org
Nolo Press: http://www.nolo.com
The Virtual Chase: http://www.virtualchase.com/topics/legal_research_index.shtml
beSpacific: http://www.bespacific.com
LLRX.com: http://www.llrx.com
For Fun
TruTV (formerly Court TV): http://www.trutv.com
Famous Trials: http://tinyurl.com/cyk6
Lawhaha.com http://www.lawhaha.com
duhaime.org http://www.duhaime.org/LegalResources/LawFun.aspx
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