CHAPTER 3—GENERAL INTERNET RESOURCES AND TOOLS
A.Chapter Summary
This chapter reviews and sets out general resources and tools found on the Internet. It reviews search engines, directories, virtual libraries, non-legal databases, useful tools, federal, state, and municipal government sites, commercial legal research database sites, selected legal service provider sites, and legal and paralegal professional reference sites.
B.Chapter Objectives
After completion of this chapter, students should be:
- Familiar with the wide variety of resources and tools that are available over the Internet.
- Able to locate specific Internet resources and tools that a paralegal and the legal community at-large may often refer to.
- Well practiced in using specific Internet resources and tools that a paralegal and the legal community at-large may often refer to.
C.Instructional Ideas
1.Spend lots of time watching the students review each of the resources listed; have them explore the specific materials and tools available at each site.
D.Chapter Outline
I.Search Engines, Directories, and Virtual Libraries
II.Databases (Non-Legal)
III.Useful Resources
IV.Government Sites—Federal Sites
V.Government Sites—State Sites
VI.Government Sites—Municipal Sites
VII.Legal Research Databases (Commercial) Sites
VIII.Selected Legal Service Provider Sites
IX.Legal and Paralegal Professional Reference Sites
E.Referenced Internet Websites
1. Search Engines, Directories, and Virtual Libraries4Anything
About
AltaVista
The Argus Clearinghouse
Ask Jeeves
The BigHub
Copernic
Ditto
DogPile
Excite
FindLaw
GovEngine.com
HotBot
The Law Engine!
Mamma
MetaCrawler
Meta-Index for U.S. Legal Research
gsulaw.gsu.edu/metaindex
WWW Virtual Library, at Indiana University School of Law
Yahoo©
2. Databases (Non-Legal)
America’s Job Bank
CIA’s World Fact Book
County and City Databooks
fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/ccdb
Guidestar
‘Lectric Law Library’s Historic Court Decisions
Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Finder
lawyers.martindale.com/xp/Martindale/home.xml
National Atlas of the United States
nationalatlas.gov/atlasvue.html
NewsVoyager
U.S. News Archives on the Web
USAJOBS
jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/index.asp
3. Useful Resources
The Acronym Finder
Area Code Look Up
Convert-Me
Court Rules, Forms, and Dockets
Dictionary.com
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure by Cornell University
Federal Web Locator
FindLaw Legal News
news.findlaw.com
Internet Research Tools
Internet Legal Resource Guide
Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (LII 2003 ed.) by Peter W. Martin
Legal Lexicon's Lyceum
Meta-Index for U.S. Legal Research
gsulaw.gsu.edu/metaindex
Microsoft’s TerraServer
terraserver.microsoft.com
OneLook Dictionaries
Pleading Index
RealLife Dictionary of the Law
dictionary.law.com
ResearchIt
The Spider’s Apprentice
Supreme Court Bulletin, Legal Information Institute©
Thesaurus.com
Topical Law Lists Directory
THe Online Resource (“THOR”) Virtual Reference Desk
U.S. Supreme Court Opinions at Willamette Law Online©
World Wide Web Research Tools
Zip4 Code Look Up
4. Government Sites—Federal Sites
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Congressional Record Index
Department of Justice Homepage
Federal Judiciary Homepage
Federal Register, Daily Table of Contents
FIRSTGov.gov
GrayLIT Network
List of CFR Sections Affected
Thomas Legislative Information
thomas.loc.gov
United States Code (UCS)
USA Jobs
jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/agency_search.asp
U.S. Government Information Locator Service
U.S. Postal Service
5. Government Sites—State Sites
Center for Information Law and Policy’s State Web Locator
Guide to Law Online: U.S. States and Territories
Illinois Register on the Internet
State Administrative Codes
State Statutes
6. Government Sites—Municipal Sites
Municipal Code Corporation
State and Local Government on the Net by Piper Resources
State and Territorial Air Pollution Program Administrators
7. Legal Research Databases (Commercial) Sites
LexisNexis™ Academic
LEXIS®NEXIS® Services
LoisLaw.com
VersusLaw.com
Westlaw.com
8. Selected Legal Service Provider Sites
Expert Witness Internet Resources
IKON Corporation
Litigation Support Service Links
marketcenter.findlaw.com/scripts/search.pl?vendor=7&ac=110&pa=110&search=state&direction=1
Merrill Corporation
com
Quorum Litigation Support Services
TrialGraphix©
9. Legal and Paralegal Professional Reference Sites
American Association for Paralegal Education
American Bar Association
Consortium for Advanced Legal Education
National Association of Legal Assistants
National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc.
F.Discussion Questions
1.Search for “Internet search engines” at several of the search websites listed above. What sorts of hits or websites are typically returned in answer at most of the websites searched?
A.Besides the search engines themselves, we see a lot of articles and comparative analyses coming up about the search engines.
2.Considering the large number of search engines available on the web, how would you evaluate and select a few particular websites as your standard ones for Internet searches?
A.By lots of trial and review. Still, the researcher must continue to search multiple sites in order to get the most comprehensive results.
3.If a research project has been given you to find a good source for Supreme Court opinions, what site would you recommend? Why?
A.Try Findlaw; or U.S. Supreme Court Opinions at Willamette Law Online, or the Supreme Court Bulletin, at Cornell’s Legal Information Institute. These are comprehensive collections with indexing of Supreme Court case law.
4.Why would you use the electronic Code of Federal Regulations when you could just use the paper copy in the library? List three reasons when the electronic format would be a better resource.
A.The electronic version is never “missing” from the library shelf. When pages or specific rules are needed for exhibits, the .pdf images make very clean copies. The .pdf documents are word searchable. The electronic version provided by the Government Printing Office provides various versions over several years, so recent rule changes can be tracked.
G.Projects
Comment: Have these submitted as assignments.
1.Search for an Internet site that provides a conversion factor or table or program to convert $3.5 million from “1990 dollars” to “2004 dollars.” What did you find?
A.The American Institute for Economic Research ( provides a Cost-of-Living Calculator. It suggests that the conversion factor is 1.4 254, and it calculates this out to: $4,988,906.
2.Take a look at Microsoft’s TerraServer images for your state/city/neighborhood. Find and print a photo of your house.
A.Make sure that students circle their houses on whatever they turn in.