Representing yourself in a legal matter?

NJSL Law Library Can Help!

If you are representing yourself in a legal matter, researching information and resources from credible sources can be difficult. The Law Library of the New Jersey State Library, can help.  We offer a variety of print and digital legal research resources, as well as other materials to help you understand what you find.  The Law Librarians on staff are available to assist you in using these collections, and can point you to resources available when the library is closed.

Basic Legal Research

Basic legal research is the process of finding the statutes, regulations, and court opinions that apply to your particular set of circumstances.  In New Jersey, all of our statutes, regulations, and court opinions can be found free online (Statutes, Regulations, Court Opinions, and Older Court Opinions).  However, what you get is simply the full-text of the statute, regulation, or court opinion, without any context.

At the State Library’s Law Library, we have tools that help explain the information you find, how it relates to other sources, and how it can be used within the legal system.  We have powerful databases like Lexis, WestLaw, Vitalaw (Wolters Kluwer), and HeinOnline. In print, we have encyclopedias and dictionaries that can provide an overview of a topic or concept.

The New Jersey Statutes Annotated books have extensive information about the history of a statute, what cases are related to the statute, and information on finding additional information in practice guides.

Titles like the NJ Court Rules Annotated, NJ Personal Injury Recovery, and NJ Condominium Law provide in-depth discussions on topics complete with notes, court cases, and citations with explanations and references to additional resources.  Practice guides such as NJ Practice and NJ Pleading and Practice Forms provide details on formats, wording, and information needed for specific situations.

First, some tips as you get started

• Legal research involves a slow and complex process that requires a great deal of reading. Be prepared to read – legal research resources are dense and complex.  Likewise, as you seek answers to your legal questions, many new questions and topics will arise that need to be researched.  Be sure to budget enough time to complete your research!
• When working with a librarian, they will need to ask you a number of questions about your research. At times this may feel like they are being nosey or rude.  That is not the case!  This process is called the “reference interview”.  It is the way the librarian formulates a search strategy.  Law Librarians don’t simply “know the answer” to these complex issues, we have to do research before we can help you with your own research.  Please note, we take your privacy very seriously—anything you say at the reference desk, stays at the reference desk.
• If you will be going to court, come prepared to identify what court – Federal, State (NJ, other states), Municipal, or Administrative. Each court may have its own set of rules that need to be followed.

Take a Top-Down Approach

• Begin your research by learning about the general subject related to your area of interest. Start by using encyclopedias, dictionaries, and legal periodicals to get a better understanding not only of the topic, but the language used when discussing the topic.  Understanding keywords may help you determine if you’re on track.
• Forms – often library users want forms. In New Jersey, standardized forms are not the norm, but there are many templates available.  The Lexis and Westlaw databases have some forms available.  The NJ Practice Print series has numerous templates covering many subject areas, as does NJ Pleading and Practice Forms.
• The Librarians are not lawyers. We are unable to give you advice, decide what form works for you, or interpret laws or legal topics.  Still, we are dedicated to helping you find your answers.  We will help you select resources to use, and teach you to use those resources.  This will help you make informed decisions and choices about your particular situation.
• As you go through your research process, consider hiring a lawyer. Legal issues can be difficult to understand and navigate.  Researching them is very time consuming.  Not sure? Consider contacting your local bar association for a low cost initial referral or use the American Bar Association free legal answers program.

Can’t make it to the NJ State Library?

The New Jersey State Library, located at 185 West State Street in Trenton, is open for walk-in visitors Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. However, legal research takes a lot of time and it is likely you will need to do some of that research outside the library.  Our Law Library can help steer you to outside resources as well.

You can email the Law Reference Desk or call us at 609-278-2640 x 102.  We can often assist remote users with their research when they are unable to come onsite.  If you find a citation or case that you would like additional information about, we can send that to you via email.  We can help you navigate Google Scholar for case law research when the legal databases are out of reach to you.

We have a number of online Research Guides available, which cover a wide variety of topics, not just those related to legal research.  These guides will introduce you to materials available through the library, but also to many resources available through the internet.

New Jersey State Library, Law Library

The New Jersey State Library’s Law Library is one of only a few full-service law libraries open and available to the public.  We are dedicated to helping visitors research, learn-about, and utilize our extensive legal collections and materials.  We hope you come to visit soon.