Guides: Legal Information: Encyclopedias & More

Why Use Legal Reference Works?

Reference works include encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, directories, and other succinct background or factual materials to aid in research.

Use legal reference works to:

Black's Law Dictionary
Call Number: Davis Family Reference KF156 .B53
Latest available via WestlawNext or older edition in print.

Wex Legal Dictionary & Encyclopedia
Free legal dictionary and encyclopedia from the Legal Information Institute at the Cornell Law School. Entries are collaboratively created and edited by legal experts.

MIDCAT List - Law Encyclopedias
This is a midcat keyword search that searches law and encyclopedias in the subject field.
Also browse KF's in the Davis Family Library Reference Collection.
Nolo Legal Encyclopedia
Free legal articles & FAQ from a popular press legal publisher.
The Oxford Companion to American Law
Call Number: E-Book and print
Publication Date: 2002
New York: Oxford University Press
The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States by Kermit L. Hall (Editor); James W. Ely; Joel B. Grossman
Call Number: E-book and print
Publication Date: 2005
Legal Systems of the World by Herbert M. Kritzer (Editor)
Call Number: Davis Family Reference K48 .L44 2002 (4 vols)
Publication Date: 2002
Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO
Encyclopedia of the United Nations
Call Number: Davis Family Reference KZ4968 .O84 2003 (4 vols)
Publication Date: 2003

FindLaw
Consumer-oriented commercial website from Thomson Reuters. Provides summaries of legal topics with links to laws, a tool for finding lawyers, legal forms, and more. Also see FindLaw for Legal Professionals
LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools
Includes alphabetical, geographical, GPA, and LSAT score search options.