Skip to Main Content
It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

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

Information on where to find free or low-cost information on U.S. secondary and primary legal sources

Contact Us!

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

In person via Zoom!

The Virtual Reference Office is open:

9am-6pm PST, Mondays to Thursdays;

9am-5pm PST, Fridays.

Email the reference office; or the loan desk

Call us!

Reference office: 650-725-0800

Loan desk: 650-723-2477

Recommend a resource

Guide Overview

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, and further subdivided within each section as follows:

1. Secondary Sources

  • Law reviews and journals; and other scholarly secondary sources
  • Google Scholar
  • 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.