LAW AND RELATED RESOURCES: Reference Works and Directories

MSU Libraries Online Catalog
http://magic.lib.msu.edu/screens/opacmenu.html
This is the online catalog for the Michigan State University Library. You can search by author, title, or subject among other options.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Michigan Law Library Links
http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/law/lawschfp.htm
Contains links to the MSU DCL catalog, the Library of Michigan Law Library catalog, and the catalogs of other law schools in Michigan. Also provides links to other law libraries open to Michigan residents and selected law school library web pages from around the country.
(Last checked 12/27/07

Law Library Catalogs
http://www.washlaw.edu/lawcat/
Sponsored by the American Association of Law Librarians and Washlaw.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Law Library Catalogs (and Law Schools)
http://www.lectlaw.com/inll/114.htm
Sponsored by the Internet Law Library.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Emory University
School of Law Library
Recent Acquisitions in EUCLID
http://www.law.emory.edu/library/index.html
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Notre Dame Kresge Law School Library
Recent Acquisitions
http://www.nd.edu/~lawlib/innopac/acqindex.html
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Ohio State University Law Library
Acquisitions
http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/library/acquisitions/index.php
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Thomas M. Cooley School of Law
Recent Acquisitions
http://www.cooley.edu/library/acquisitions/newacqx.htm
(Last checked 12/27/07)

University of Pennsylvania Law School Library
Recent Acquisitions
http://www.law.upenn.edu/bll/recentacquisitions/
(Last checked 12/27/07)

University of Wisconsin Law School Library
Recent Acquisitions
http://library.law.wisc.edu/services/recacq
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Law and Politics Book Reviews
http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/lpbr/
Part of the University of Maryland's website, this extensive catalog of reviews is a terrific resource for keeping up with the latest offerings from the publishing houses. Titles are organized alphabetically by author, although there's a link to an advanced search function in case you can't remember who penned that important treatise on international human rights.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Internet for Lawyers
http://www.netforlawyers.com/legal_research_news_archive.htm
Each issue contains news of the latest Internet resources available for conducting free legal, business & investigative research on the Internet.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

LLRX : Law Library Resource Xchange
http://www.llrx.com/
The Law Library Resource Xchange is a Web newsletter with a focus on research, management and technology topics for legal professionals. There is no subscription fee for the Newsletter. Each issue features articles, departments and columns with up-to-date information written by law librarians, attorneys, information specialists and others. The newsletter highlights a broad range of topics including Congressional activities, World Wide Web sites, training resources and the challenges posed by the continually expanding online world>
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law (2003)
What is involved in estate planning? What can I do legally if I have noisy neighbours? What are the consequences of an expired visa? This encyclopaedia of everyday law aims to fill the gap between legal texts focusing on the theory and history behind the law and more practical guides dealing with the law and its everyday effect upon its citizens. Containing approximately 200 articles, the reference includes: brief descriptions of each issue's historical background, covering important statutes and cases; profiles of various U.S. laws and regulations; details of how laws and regulations vary from state to state; and comprehensive bibliographies, including print and Web resources and lists of relevant organizations.
Located in Main Library Reference (1 East) under the call number KF387 .G27 2003

American Court Cases Review
http://law.jrank.org/collection/26/American-Court-Cases-Review.html
Includes commentary and references to further reading on such topics as: Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of Religion, Establishment Clause Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, The Internet, Libel, Obscenity, Privacy, Right to Bear Arms, Symbolic Speech, Capital Punishment, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Damages, Drug Laws, Juries, Juvenile Courts, The Rights of the Accused before Trial, The Rights of the Accused during Trial, The Rights of the Accused following Trial, Search and Seizure, Affirmative Action, Assisted Suicide and the Right to Die, Civil Law, Civil Rights and Equal Protection, Custody and Child Support, Employment Discrimination, Family Law, Gender Discrimination, Immigrants' Rights, Juvenile Law and Justice, Reproductive Rights, Rights of Gays and Lesbians, Rights of the Disabled, Segregation and Desegregation, Sexual Harassment, Voting Rights, Business and Corporate Law, Consumer Protection, Contract Law, Environmental Law, Federal Powers and Separation of Powers, Federalism and State Powers, Judicial Powers, Judicial Review, Labor and Labor Practices, Legislative Powers, Military Issues, Monopolies and Antitrust Law, National Security, Native Americans, and Taxation.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Nolo's Legal Encyclopedia (Nolopedia)
http://www.nolo.com/briefs.html
This site, provided by Nolo Press, a publisher of self-help law books and software, is a handy compendium of brief advice on various topics, including business and human resources; Patents, Copyright, and Art; Wills & Estate Planning; Property and money; Family law and immigration; and Rights and disputes. Also provided are annotated lists of links related to each topic. While the purpose, of course, is to sell Nolo books and software, there is much useful content here.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

West's Encyclopedia of American Law (WEAL)
An excellent starting place for any undergraduate embarking on legal research related to U.S. law or legal systems. Contains over 4,000 entries devoted to key terms, concepts, events, movements, cases, and persons significant to U.S. law. Entries on legal terms contain a definition of the term, followed by explanatory text if necessary. Wherever possible, WEAL entries provide citations for cases and statutes mentioned in the text. Entries are arranged alphabetically, but be sure to check the cumulated index volume (volume 12) to see if your topic may appear under a different heading. Published by the West Publishing Company.
Located in the Main Library Reference (1 East) under the call number KF156 .W47
Now available online for MSU faculty, staff, and students.

Zimmerman's Research Guide
An Online Encyclopedia for Legal Researchers
http://www.lexisone.com/zimmermanguide/index.html
The Guide is keyword and phrase searchable. Phrases should be enclosed in quotes. You can search the full-text (the default), the subject headings only, or the text of entries only without the subject headings. It is also possible to browse alphabetically. Courtesy of the Law Resource Exchange.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Michigan Law and Practice
Covers both civil and criminal law topics related to Michigan.
Located in Main Library Reference (1 East) under the call number KHV .M6. Note: The 2nd edition of this encyclopedia has just start arriving and will be filed under the call number KFV .M6

Michigan Civil Jurisprudence
Located in Main Library Reference (1 East) under the call number KFM4280 .C3

Gillespie's Michigan Criminal Law and Procedure
Located in Main Library Reference (1 East) under the call number KFM4761 .G5

Duhaime's Law Dictionary
http://www.duhaime.org/diction.htm
Courtesy of a lawyer in Victoria, Canada. Contains links to the World Wide Legal Information Association.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Findlaw Dictionary
http://dictionary.lp.findlaw.com/
Provides definitions from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Law, 1996.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Glossarist
http://www.glossarist.com/glossaries/law-justice/Default.asp
Collection of justice and legal glossaries and dictionaries available over the world wide web.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Legal-Forms-Kit.Com Legal Dictionary
http://www.legal-forms-kit.com/legal-dictionary.html
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Nolo's Shark Talk: Everybody's Legal Dictionary
http://www.nolo.com/dictionary/wordindex.cfm
Welcome to Nolo's Shark Talk dictionary, your life-raft in the sea of legal jargon. Do you need to know the meaning of sprinkling trust, toxic tort or some equally puzzling legal term? Look it up here. Our dictionary contains plain-English definitions for hundreds of legal terms, from the common to the bizarre. But if you don't find the word you want, bear with us. The dictionary is a work in progress; we add new words every month. Also allows one to search for words by category, such as adoption; child custody, visitation, and support; copyright; landlords & tenants, etc.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Legal Abbreviations
http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/law/abbrev.htm
Attached is a list of legal abbreviations commonly used in legal materials. The list identifies each abbreviation as well as whether it can be found in the MSU Libraries (or not). Most of the items are located in the Reference Law Collection on the 1st floor of the Main Library. Pointers are also provided to other locations when necessary.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Basic Legal Citation (Harvard Blue Book)
http://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/
An introduction to basic legal citation.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation
Compiled by the editors of the Columbia Law Review, the Harvard Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and the Yale Law Review.
Main Library Reference (1 East) under the call number KF245 .U5

Michigan Citation Manual
Compiled by John Doyle, Cooley Law School Library, and published by the William S. Hein & Company, 1986. The citation manual used by Michigan courts.
Main Library Reference (1 East) under the call number KF246 .D6

Legal Citations
http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/law/citation.htm
A guide to reading citations customized to the MSU Main Library Reference Law Collection.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
http://www.fjc.gov/public/home.nsf/hisj
"The Federal Judges Biographical Database provides information about all judges who have served on the U.S. District Courts, the U.S. Courts of Appeals, the Supreme Court and other life-tenured courts since 1789. The Federal Judges Biographical Database is updated through July 10, 2004. To view a judge's biographical entry, type in the judge's name (Last name, First name) or use the alphabetical index." Courtesy of the Federal Judicial Center.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Michigan Supreme Court Biographies of Justices
http://courts.michigan.gov/supremecourt/AboutCourt/biography.htm
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Michigan District Judges Association
http://www.mdja.org/
Find Michigan District judges by name or district court number. Also contains a search engine.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Access to Online Dockets and Court Records
http://www.llrx.com/features/onlinedockets.htm
Carole Levitt explores how to access state, local and federal dockets and other case information, and, in some cases, find images of the court records online. Source: Law Resource Exchange, Nov. 18, 2002.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Court Records Online
http://www.publicrecordfinder.com/courtrecords.html
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Court Rules, Forms, and Dockets
http://www.llrx.com/courtrules/
This site includes links to over 1,400 sources for state and federal court rules, forms and dockets. You can browse to find the resource you need, or search by keyword. Courtesy of the Law Resource Exchange.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

The Skinny on Briefs
http://www.llrx.com/columns/reference43.htm
Jan Bisset and Margi Heinen identify free and fee-based sources for briefs from the Supreme Court, federal agencies, federal and state courts. Source: Law Resource Exchange, Nov. 18, 2002.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

BNA's Directory of State and Federal Courts, Judges, and Clerks
A State-by-State and Federal Listing.
Located in the MSU College of Law Library

Judicial Staff Directory
A guide to all federal courts - listing staffs, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, and electronic access where available. Covers the Supreme Court and other national courts, every circuit court, every district court, all bankruptcy courts, U.S. Attorney's Offices, and U.S. Marshal's Offices.
Located in the Main Library Reference (1 East) under the call number KF8700 .A19 J83

Michigan Bar Journal Annual Directory
The April issue of the Michigan Bar Journal provides an annual directory of all courts in Michigan as well as a Michigan Bar Association membership directory. Available in the MSU College of Law Library.

FindLaw's Lawyer and Law Firm Directory
http://directory.findlaw.com/
Search by name or by location.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
The legal community's most widely consulted and respected directory of lawyers and law firms. Contains information on virtually every active lawyer and law firm in the U.S. as well as important international lawyers and firms. The 1998 edition covers more than 900,000 lawyers and law firms in 150 countries.
Available in the MSU College of Law Library.

Martindale-Hubbell Lawyers.com
http://www.lawyers.com/
Martindale-Hubbell, publisher of the well known Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, has recently opened this site, designed to help individuals and small business people meet their legal needs. The centerpiece of the site is the Locate a Lawyer section, a selected subset (about 420,000) of the MHLD. Users can search by geographic area (international listings can be found in the advanced search) and select from among 36 practice specialties ranging from agricultural law to zoning. Retrieval contains attorney and law firm profiles. In addition to the locator, lawyers.com includes 24 tutorials aimed at the general reader. Visitors can obtain information on Hiring a Lawyer, get questions answered in the Ask a Lawyer section, read articles on law in the news, and look up terms in a glossary (unfortunately only searchable at this time) of 10,000 terms based on the 1996 edition of Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law. Lawyers.com is an effective site for non-specialist users.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Michigan Bar Association Membership Directory
http://www.michbar.org/memberdirectory/
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Mega-Guide to Law, Law Schools, and the Study of Law
http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/megalaw.htm
Advice from Dr. Tom O'Connor, North Carolina Wesleyan College.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Court Rules, Forms, and Dockets
http://www.llrx.com/courtrules/
This site includes links to over 1,400 sources for state and federal court rules, forms and dockets. You can browse to find the resource you need, or search by keyword. Courtesy of the Law Resource Exchange.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Findlaw's Legal Forms Collection
http://forms.lp.findlaw.com/
Sometimes you may not need a lawyer, just some legal forms. Here's a one-stop shop, from elder law to nondisclosure agreements.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Legal-Forms-Kit.Com
http://www.legal-forms-kit.com/freelegalforms.html
Offers a variety of free legal forms in MS Word and PDF formats. Also, the site provides free legal resources like lawyer advice, legal research, dictionary, written articles and legal humor.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Michigan S.C.A.O. Approved Forms
http://courts.michigan.gov/scao/courtforms/index.htm
The State Court Administrative Office provides this compilation of SCAO approved forms. Once you select a topic area, you will be directed to an index of forms covering that topic. The downloadable form is a PDF file, which requires Acrobat Reader in order to view.
A print guide to Michigan SCAO Approved forms is available at the Main Library Reference desk on the 1st floor of the Main Library under the call number KFM4729 .M642.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

U.S. Legal Forms
http://www.uslegalforms.com/
The site contains over 1500 business and litigations forms.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Awesome Stories: Famous Trials
http://awesomestories.com/famous_trials/index2.htm
Provides links to the primary source material on stories behind famous trials. Links are provided by the Library of Congress, the Australian National Archives, the British Museum, the BNF in Paris, and hundreds of universities, libraries, historical societies and museums world-wide.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Crimes and Trials of the Century
A compilation by Steven Chermak and Frankie Y. Bailey. Westport, CT : Greenwood Press, 2007. 2 volumes.
The public seems fascinated by crime. News and popular media sources provide a steady diet of stories, footage, and photographs about the misfortunes of others in order to satisfy this appetite. Murder, rape, terrorism, gang-related activities, and other violent crimes are staples. Various crime events are presented in the news every day, but most of what is covered is quickly forgotten. In contrast, some crimes left a lasting impression on the American psyche. Some examples include the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the bombing of the Murrah building in Oklahoma City, and the September 11th attacks. These events, and other significant cases, are immediately or on reflection talked about as "crimes of the century." They "earn" this title not only because they generate enormous publicity, but because of their impact on American culture: they help define historical eras, influence public opinion about crime, change legal process, and focus concern about important social issues. They seep into many other shared aspects of social life: public conversation, fiction and nonfiction, songs, poems, films, and folk tales. This set focuses on the many "crimes of the century" of the last 100 years. In vivid detail, each crime is laid out, the investigation is discussed, the media reaction is described, the trial (if there was one) is narrated, the resolution is explored, and the significance of the case in terms of its social, political, popular, and legal relevance is examined. Illustrations and sidebars are scattered throughout to enliven the text; print and electronic resources for further reading and research are offered for those wishing to dig deeper. Cases include the Scopes Monkey trial, Ted Bundy, Timothy McVeigh, O.J. Simpson, Leopold and Loeb, Fatty Arbuckle, Al Capone, JonBenet Ramsey, the Lacy Peterson murder, Abu Ghraib, Columbine and more.

Doug Linder's Famous American and World Trials
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ftrials.htm
Created by Professor Doug Linder of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School, this site tells the stories of famous trials from American and world history with a mix of images, primary documents, and Linder's own analysis and overviews. Most of the trial studies include biographical sketches, chronologies, maps (where appropriate), a number of complete or excerpted original documents, quotes from trial participants, images, bibliography and links, and Linder's description and commentary. Some of the trials featured include:

Texas v. Johnson (1989)
(Last checked 12/27/07)

OverLawyered.Com
http://overlawyered.com/
Overlawyered.com explores an American legal system that too often turns litigation into a weapon against guilty and innocent alike, erodes individual responsibility, rewards sharp practice, enriches its participants at the public's expense, and resists even modest efforts at reform and accountability.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Sacco-Vanzetti Controversy
http://www.msu.edu/course/mc/112/1920s/Sacco-Vanzetti/
On April 15, 1920, two men robbed and murdered a paymaster and his guard as they transferred $15,776 from the Slater and Morrill Shoe factory. Three weeks later, Italian immigrants and known anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were accused and arrested for the crime, despite the little evidence against them. Following, a seven-week trial, Sacco and Vanzetti were convicted, on circumstancial evidence, of murder and sentenced to death. Seven years later, after numerous appeals, and immense public outcry, both men were executed for their "crimes." Prejudice at work?
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Scopes Trial Home Page
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/scopes.htm
Courtesy of the UMKC School of Law.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

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Selected Historical Legal Documents

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Constitution Society's Foundation Documents Collection
http://www.constitution.org/cs_found.htm
Includes the Constitution of the U.S., Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787, Anti-Federalist Papers, etc..
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Liberty Library of Constitutional Classics
http://www.constitution.org/liberlib.htm
Contains legal historical documents and related works compiled by the Constitution Society.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

OurDocuments.gov
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/index.php?flash=true&
It's a sad fact that too much American history is taught to children as a recitation of random facts, and too little is taught by exposure to original source material such as documents. Geared for teachers to create enthusiasm for the subject, ourdocuments.gov presents the writings that shaped American history — many of which are a wonderfully lively read. Here you can read the 100 speeches, memoranda, letters and proclamations that shaped this country. Source: USA Today Hot Site, September 17, 2003.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

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Humor

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Duhaime Law Fun Page
http://www.duhaime.org/Law_fun/
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Dumb Laws
http://www.dumblaws.com/
Thinking of wearing a false mustache in a church? Don't do it in Alabama. It's illegal. Want to jump off a building in New York? Make sure it's a high one. The penalty for doing so is death. These are just a couple of the thousands of "Dumb Laws" compiled here at this amusing website. Search from among the fifty U.S. states and 20 foreign countries to see what archaic decrees still linger in the books, seldom to be enforced. Laws are submitted by netizens, so we have only their word on the accuracy of the entries. But really, who could make up stuff like Missouri's prohibition against the "installation of bathtubs with four legs resembling animal paws"?
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Man o' Law Blog
http://manolaw.blogspot.com/2007/11/this-day-in-legal-history.html
Sane and insane news about the law.
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Megalaw.Com's Lawyer Jokes
http://www.megalaw.com/clock/joke.php
(Last checked 12/27/07)

Assistance Requested Thanks for visiting Law and Related Resources Home Page. This site is continuously updated and expanded, so check back soon for the latest changes. If you have any comments, notice any glaring inaccuracies, or would like to forward any relevant information concerning this Home Page, please send e-mail to: Jon Harrison

Standard Disclaimers The "links" found in this web page are provided as a courtesy for law information seekers, but cannot be in any way construed as legal advice. In addition, the MSU Libraries cannot be held responsible for any information on web pages not maintained by MSU. MSU is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution.

Ownership Statement Jon Harrison : Page Editor Law Bibliographer Social Sciences Collections Coordinator Michigan State University Libraries 100 Library E. Lansing, MI 48824-1048 Voice mail: (517) 432-6123, ext. 123 Fax: (517) 432-8050 Last revised 12/27/07

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