If you’ve had enough of fake news with real-world consequences and you want to say “good-bye” to political gamesmanship, oath-breakers, and bad actors, and “hello” to facts and reality, my Top 10 Free Legal Resources is for you. You will also gain an appreciation for the ethical oath followers in the legal profession at the same time.
There’s a big difference between the oath-followers and the oath-breakers.
Use the gift of education to transform your feelings of helplessness, fear, overwhelm, despair, or disgust into ones of hope and empowerment.
You don’t need to be a lawyer or spend years in law school to use open-source legal resources that can help you find out what’s really going on.
Phew! What a relief, right?
Use my Top 10 FREE Legal Resources:
- for your personal use, education and growth.
- to verify facts, and find out what’s really going on in the justice system and with different court cases.
- If you want to help save democracy.
- If you want to learn the difference between ethical, oath-following legal professionals and unethical, oath-breaking legal professionals who chip away at democracy and undermine the integrity of the justice system.
- If #4 is applicable to you, by shining a light to help the legal profession self-police, balance any scales of injustices, and restore trust and integrity to the justice system.
Please remember that when it comes to the law, laws and rules can be amended, so check dates. Also make certain that you are looking in the jurisdiction where the case is being heard or was heard for any nuances to the rules and elements in the laws.
Ready?
Following are my Top 10 FREE Legal Resources (in alphabetical order) that I used to learn How to Legal when I was litigating as a pro se defamation (and related counts) plaintiff:
- American Bar Association: At the American Bar Association you can find the Model Code of Judicial Conduct and the Model Rules of Professional Conduct for U.S. attorneys, among other tools, resources, and helpful legal news.
- Casetext.com: Casetext.com is a superb legal research platform and a competitive alternative to the traditionally used (and expensive) West Law. Casetext.com also provides cases where the case has been cited as an “authority.” It has both free and paid subscription services.
- Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute: “The Legal Information Institute is a non-profit public service of Cornell Law School that provides no-cost access to current American and international legal research sources online at law.cornell.edu. The organization is a pioneer in the delivery of legal information online.” Yes, it is.
- Courtlistener: CourtListener, a Free Law Project, a leading nonprofit, “is a free legal research website containing millions of legal opinions from federal and state courts.” The Free Law Project’s mission is to make the legal ecosystem more equitable and competitive. So, if you use CourtListener download their RECAP feature and lend a hand so more people can have access to court case filings at no charge.
- Court websites. Every court has their own website with a ton of information. Use it! Be sure to look at the court website’s menu to find what you are looking for. This typically includes, but is not limited to local, judges, attorneys and self-represented parties’ rules.
- dictionary.law.com: Dictionary.law is a legal dictionary with a free (and paid subscription) service you can use to translate legal terms aka “legalese.”
- Findlaw.com. You don’t just find law at Findlaw.com, Findlaw.com provides (free and paid) multiple services including understanding state’s unique laws at the civil and criminal level.
- Nolo: Nolo strives to make the law accessible to everyone— and offers a wide range of legal information including a legal encyclopedia and plenty of helpful law related articles.
- YouTube: At YouTube you can find a ton of information about all things law related. Everything from lawyers who share legal information to panel discussions, court cases, law school classes, moot competitions and much more. Whenever you don’t know something go to YouTube. Use their search feature and you will probably find it.
- United States Courts Glossary of Legal Terms: The Glossary of Legal Terms, which you can use to translate “legalese,” will also lead you to more free legal resources that are provided by United States Courts.
If you wish to keep a copy of my Top 10 Free Legal Resources, and help support my efforts, I made a digital downloadable version you can purchase at my How to Legal kofi-shop. It’s set at a low price like I will be doing with all my digital products, so pick your price and thanks for your support!
You can also donate here.
Want more free legal education by using the good side of the Internet? Spend some time at How to Legal and learn from ethical, oath-follower legal professionals at your own pace.
-Legal Disclaimer-
None of the information on this website is legal advice. While I have litigated as a pro se plaintiff when Reuters and Wall Street Journal’s reporting exposed judicial misconduct, I’m not a lawyer. This information is for educational purposes. If you need legal advice, please consult with a licensed professional in your area.
Hold on … are you stressed out by fake news, real news or other challenges? Check out my 16 Things to help you de-stress
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