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Legal Information

NetLibrary: e-books, including current self-help legal guides on a wide range of topics. Items are 'checked-out' for twenty-four hours.

This is a premium member service; a library card is required for access.

West's Encyclopedia of American Law

West's Encyclopedia of American Law,  2nd ed. 13 vols (an e-book): Provides current information on more than 5,000 legal topics including biographies, definitions of legal terms and more. Covers such high-profile topics as the Americans with Disabilities Act, capital punishment, domestic violence, gay and lesbian rights, and physician-assisted suicide.

This is a premium member service; a library card is required for access.

Research Assistance

California Courts Self-Help
California Courts Self-Help: from the Judicial Branch of California, this site is designed to help you find assistance and information, work better with an attorney, and represent yourself in some legal matters. Online law librarians are available to assist you in finding information Mondays 8am-5pm & 6pm-8pm, Tuesdays-Thursdays 8am - 6pm, and Fridays 8am-5pm. Also available in Spanish.
San Mateo County Law Library: provides access to legal materials to all persons interested in the law by offering reference services (no interpretation, opinion, or advise can be given), an extensive collection of legal materials, and public computers with access to online & CD-ROM resources as well as word processing.

Laws


Federal Law

United State Constitution: the fundamental law of the United States that prescribes the nature, functions, and limits of our government.

United States Code: a consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. Does not include regulations issued by executive branch agencies, decisions of the Federal courts, treaties, or laws enacted by State or local governments.

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR): the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. Proposed and recently adopted regulations may be found in the Federal Register.

US Courts: the judicial branch of the Federal Government. Get information on the US Supreme Court, the Courts of Appeals, the District Courts, and the Bankruptcy Courts. Find an extensive collection of audio clips of oral arguments heard by the Court at Oyez.


State Law

California State Constitution: the fundamental law of the State of California.

California Code: consists of 29 codes, covering various subject areas, that, together with the State Constitution and Statutes, comprise California Law.

Calfornia Code of Regulations (CCR): This website is maintained by West under contract with the State of California Office of Administrative Law to provide free public access to the full text of the CCR.

California Statutes: the Chaptered Bills. A bill is "chaptered" by the Secretary of State after it has passed through both houses of the Legislature and has been signed by the Governor or becomes law without the Governor's signature. Statutes are available starting from 1993.

California Courts: the Judicial Branch of California charged with interpreting the laws of the State of California.


County Law

San Mateo County Ordinances: the regulatory, penal and administrative ordinances of the County of San Mateo.

San Mateo County Courts: provides an online Help Center with interactive downloadable forms, a traffic page where you can sign up for traffic school or pay a fine online, and a Jury Service pages where you can check your standby status and get directions to the Court.


City Law

Daly City Municipal Code: the regulatory and penal ordinances and certain of the administrative ordinances of the city of Daly City; updated quarterly.

City Council of Daly City: the legislative body of the City of Daly City, headed by the Mayor and Vice Mayor.

Other Good Resources

LawHelpCalifornia.org: a directory of legal resources available to people with low or moderate incomes.
EZ Legal File (legal forms): an interactive program designed to help people fill out common forms for requesting or responding to papers for a variety of legal issues.
Learn About Legal Research: a great online guide for those who are not sure where to start.
FindLaw: provids a very comprehensive set of online legal resources for professionals, students, and the public.
Legal Information Institute: a well respected legal web resource for the public from Cornell Law School.
Guide to Law Online: an annotated guide to sources of information on government and law available online prepared by the U.S. Law Library of Congress Public Services Division. It includes selected links to useful and reliable sites for legal information.
Thomas Legislative Info: access bills currently being considered by Congress including latest status; coverage back to 1989.
Regulations.gov: find, review, and submit comments on Federal rules that are open for comment and published in the Federal Register.
Reach Your Lawmakers: Contact your local representatives, and other federal and state elected officials.

 

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Updated March 1, 2007  
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