Local public law libraries (in California counties, partially funded by civil court fees) are valuable community resources that provide free legal research materials, including access to print resources and online legal databases.
Beyond California, see the Local Law Libraries Guide (Harvard Law).
The San Francisco Law Library and Alameda County Law Library have an incredible range of free legal research materials, experienced law librarians, and legal research programs.
Descrybe.ai and Paxton.ai are free/low-cost Generative AI legal research tools that use artificial intelligence to analyze legal documents, extract information, and generate summaries, insights, and legal content, aiming to streamline and enhance the legal research process for users.
The Southern California Association of Law Libraries has made the 6th edition of Locating the Law available online. It covers a range of topics, including legal research techniques, California and federal law, accessibility of legal collections, and major law publishers.
AALL Online Legal Information Resources: U.S. States, the District of Columbus, and U.S. Territories compiles information for law librarians, legal information professionals, and members of the public to easily locate free online primary legal materials, such as session laws, codes, regulations, and case law.
OCLC, in partnership with Legal Services Corporation and input from law librarians, provides national training for U.S. public library staff to identify civil legal issues, connect community members with resources, and bridge the justice gap.
ABA Free Legal Answers is a virtual legal advice clinic in which qualifying users post civil legal questions at no cost to be answered by pro bono attorneys licensed in their state.
