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LEGAL REFERENCE RESOURCES
GENERAL REFERENCE
Black's Law Dictionary (Ref. 340.03 Black)
Black's, the most well known law dictionary, contains definitions as well as references to the cases that define legal terms.
Dictionary of Legal Terms by Gifis (340.03 Gifis)
More user-friendly than Black's, this dictionary cuts through the complexities of legal jargon and presents definitions and explanations that can be understood by non-lawyers.
Legal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law by Elias & Levinkind (Ref. 340.072 Legal)
Explanation, with examples and instructions, of how to read and understand the basic tools of legal research: statutes, regulations and cases.
West's Encyclopedia of American Law (13 vols) (Ref. 348.73 Wests)
This set is a source for basic information on leading cases, major statutes, legal terms and concepts, and notable persons involved with the law. Legal issues on such topics as the Americans with Disabilities and capital punishment are explored.
MASSACHUSETTS: LAWS & REGULATIONS
Acts and Resolves (1932-1993)
The official chronological compilation of Mass. laws. The General Court (legislature) holds one session a year. The laws it passes are assigned chapter numbers chronologically, for example, Chapter 2 of the Acts of 1991.
Massachusetts Session Laws (West Publ.) (1997-2009) (Ref 345 Massachusetts)
Privately published compilation of laws as they have been passed by the General Court.
Massachusetts General Laws Annotated (Ref 345 Massachusetts) (West Publ.) [green set] (cited as: MGLA)
Text of the laws of Mass. published in a subject arrangement. Includes annotations of secondary source references and court decisions. Updated by pocket parts and interim supplements, as well as the Mass. Legislative Service for recent laws. A subject index is included at the end of the set. Citations refer to the title and section numbers. For example, the Motor Vehicle Lemon law is 90 MGLA 7N. The unannotated Mass. General Laws are available online: http://www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/mgl/
Code of Massachusetts Regulations (cited as: CMR) (Ref 345 Massachusetts)
Multi-volume set contains regulations of the state agencies currently in force. The CMR is arranged by agency. There is a subject index compiled by the State Court Librarians. Many of the regulations are also available online: http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/source/mass/cmr/index.html
U.S. LAWS: REGULATIONS & CASES
U.S. Code Congressional & Administrative News (West Publ.) (Ref 345 United States) (1980, 96th Congress, 2nd Session date) (cited as: USCCAN)
Chronological compilation of laws as they are passed. Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders are printed in the last volume
United States Code Annotated (West Publ.) (cited as: USCA) (Ref 345 United States)
Text of U.S. laws published in a subject arrangement. Includes annotations of secondary source references and court decisions. Updated by pocket parts and interim supplements. An annotated U.S. Code with a subject code is also available online: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/.
Decisions of the United States Supreme Court (Ref 347.7326 Lawyers)
(Lexis Law Pub.) (1967-1997 ceased publ.)
A quick-reference guide to the U.S. Supreme Court. It contains a narrative review of the term, summaries of the decisions, and a word index for finding case summaries.
West's Supreme Court Reporter (Ref 347.9 Supreme) (West Publ.) (1968-1988) Supreme Court Reporter; added West's to title in 1989-2006) (cited as: S.Ct.)
Privately published volumes of the full-text of all cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Includes synopsis of the facts of the case. Pamphlets (advance sheets) are issued twice a month while Court is in session.
ONLINE DATABASES
Provides a combination of indexing, abstracts, images, and full text for many law review and scholarly legal journals.
HELPFUL WEBSITES
The Internet Law Library (formerly the U.S. House of Representatives Internet Law Library) provides links to a large number of legal resources relating to Mass. laws.
Provides an annotated guide to useful and reliable sites for legal information.
A directory of lawyers and law firms across the country, searchable by name, area of practice, state, or city.
The Board investigates and evaluates complaints against lawyers. This site can be used to search lawyers by name or city to determine if there is a record of public discipline.
You can find Massachusetts laws, regulations and cases, legal forms, lawyers, and much, much, more. This page is an excellent place to start to find basic information about Massachusetts legal issues.
Three-page guide to legal citations. A citation is a reference to legal authorities such as statutes, cases, regulations and law review articles.
CLASSIFICATION NUMBERS FOR
LAW-RELATED TOPICS
* Divorce..346.730166
* Divorce in Mass..346.7440166
* Labor Law..344.7301
* Landlord & Tenant..346.730434
* Living Wills..344.7304197
* Sexual Harassment..344.73014133
* Social Security..344.73023
* Wills, Estates & Trusts..346.7305
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