Law Libraries
How can librarians help?
Librarians are available to help individuals with locating and using legal resources, both print and online. They can explain how to use sources of legal information, offer information about a law library near you, give you material for a school assignment, or refer you to a state agency that may provide information on a specific topic. It is unlawful for library staff to complete in-depth legal research for members of the public or provide legal advice. Law librarians are unable to interpret information appearing in legal publications such as Virginia's code or a court case.
How can I find my local law library?
Public law libraries are available in many cities and counties in Virginia.
https://www.vacourts.gov/courtadmin/library/virginia_public_lib.html
Where can I find resources for legal research?
The State Law Library has gathered links to a wide variety of resources that offer online access to Virginia and federal legal information. These sources offer information about Virginia state and local government, Virginia law schools, national judicial organizations and more. The University of Virginia Law Library has produced short videos that explain how to find and use basic sources of legal information, such as the Code of Virginia and Virginia cases.
Guide to Virginia Legal Information Resources (2023)
This document includes a list of legal information resources covering topics as varied as incorporating a business, contesting a traffic ticket, researching health law, obtaining social security, renting a dwelling, buying a house, and writing a will. This list of resources does not constitute legal advice or answers to questions of law. The list identifies resources for public librarians seeking items for their legal collections and independent researchers seeking legal information. The hypertext links will send the reader to a website where the information is located or send the reader to content within WorldCat. WorldCat.org is a free online catalog which allows the reader to browse the collections of thousands of libraries, including Virginia’s public libraries. By clicking on one of the links to a WorldCat record, the reader will see a list of libraries that include that legal resource in their collection. From there, one can either directly access online content that is openly available or click on a link for the library nearest them.
Online Legal Information Resources - AALL (aallnet.org)
AALL, the American Association of Law Libraries, has created an online legal information resource platform. It provides content for U.S. states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, U.S. Federal government, and Canada. The content includes session laws, codes, registers, and court opinions.
What is the Virginia State Law Library?
The Virginia State Law Library is a research collection that primarily serves the research needs of the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Court of Appeals of Virginia and the legal community.