Free and Low-Cost Legal Research: U.S. Secondary and Primary Sources: Home

The law librarians and library staff at Robert Crown Law Library are here to help you! Please contact us:

• Via Zoom: we're usually open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm PST; check out our hours page for any changes.
• Make an in person or virtual appointment
• Email the reference office; or the borrowing services desk
• Call us!
• Reference office: 650-725-0800
• Borrowing services desk: 650-723-2477
• Recommend a resource

This guide provides links and suggestions for searching in resources that are freely available (or available for a low cost) when conducting legal research.

The guide is organized by primary sources and secondary sources, then further subdivided within each section as follows:

1. Secondary Sources

• Law reviews, journals, and other scholarly secondary sources
• Other research guides

2. Primary Sources

• Judicial sources (cases, dockets, rules of court)
• Legislative sources (statutes/laws/codes, ordinances, constitutions)
• Administrative sources (regulations, proposed rules, agency decisions)

If you have any questions about the information in this guide; suggestions for additional sources to include; or any other questions, please contact us using one of the methods in the box to the left.

Please note that many of our services are limited to Stanford University affiliates. If you are not affiliated with Stanford, we recommend contacting a local public law library for assistance beyond the information provided in this guide.