Updated March 28, 2007.
Prepared by Mary WhisnerWelcome to the Gallagher Law Library. This guide answers some of the questions that members of the public often have about
using the Library and conducting legal research:
I'm not a law student -- Is it OK for me to use the Law Library?
Yes, the Gallagher Law Library is open to the public for
use of the legal materials. Please read and comply with the terms of our
Code of Conduct. You may also register as a borrower.
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Is someone available to help me with my research?
Yes, the staff in the Reference Office can help you use the Library. You might want to plan
your visits to the Library for times when the Reference Office is open.
If you cannot come in to the Library but
have access to the Internet, consider using the online Live Help reference
or email reference services offered by the
King County Law Library
or the Washington State Law Library.
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How do I find an attorney?
Consult Washington LawHelp's
Legal Help Directory lists of legal aid and information services by county.
The leading directory of lawyers is the Martindale-Hubbell
Law Directory. It includes biographical information about lawyers--names,
addresses, phone numbers, and, often, where they went to law school, what areas they
practice in, etc. A print copy of this multi-volume set is kept in the Reference Area:
KF190.M3. Martindale-Hubbell also has a
web-based version of its database called the Lawyer Locator.
Findlaw's Lawyer Directory is
another nationwide directory of attorneys that allows you to search by city, practice
area, and other factors.
The Washington State Bar Association provides information on
How to Find Legal Help,
Consulting a Lawyer,
Legal
Fees,
Communicating with Your Lawyer, and
Alternatives to Court.
You might also find useful: Finding the Right Lawyer (American Bar Association, 1995)
(KF311.Z9 F66 1995 at Reference Area). Washington LawHelp provides guides on
How to Hire an Attorney and
Working with an Attorney. Findlaw has information on
Choosing the Right Lawyer and
Agreements, Fees, and Expenses. Nolo offers
How to Find an Excellent Lawyer,
Working with a Lawyer,
What You Should Expect from a Lawyer, and related articles.
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Can I get a law student to help me with my case?
Law students are not licensed to practice law, and they
cannot represent you. If you need someone to explain the law to you, advise you about a
course of action, or draft legal documents, then you should consult
an attorney.
Please do not ask law students in the Law Library to help you. They are here to study or do research for classes.
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I'd like to file a grievance against my lawyer. How does the grievance system work?
Review the Washington State Bar Association's guide on
Lawyer
Discipline in Washington and the
grievance
form. The
Ethics Page for the Public provides additional information.
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Where can I get free legal information?
The Internet Legal Resources
page on this website will connect you to free Internet sources of Washington
State and U.S. laws, regulations, and cases. We also have created a page on Sources
of Free Legal Information on Washington State Law, which supplements the
information found on
Washington Law Help and
lawforWA.
Nolo and several other legal publishers offers many books that provide legal information for people who are not legally trained. See our
list of Books Written for Nonlawyers in the Gallagher
Law Library.
How can I find my way around the Law Library?
Read the summary of how the collection is
laid out and look at the library maps. And always feel free to ask for assistance in the Reference Office. Look
for the Book Locators throughout the Library for maps.
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Where's the card catalog?
Our Library no longer uses a card catalog--that
is, a catalog with entries printed on small cards. Instead we use an online catalog
called MARIAN-- a catalog with
entries on a computer. You may search this catalog on computers in the Law
Library.
An online catalog gives you a lot more flexibility than a
card catalog does. You can look for books by author, title, or subject, just as you
could with a card catalog. But you can also look for one word of the author's name
and then limit your search to find material that also has certain words in the title or
subject heading.
A good way to begin looking for books on a topic is to use
the "Keywords" search. For instance, if you search for "child custody and
Washington state" as keywords, you'll find several books. When you look at the
catalog entries, you'll see that the catalog uses the subject heading "Custody of
children--Washington (State)." If you click on this subject heading, you'll find
many more books.
When you are using the catalog, you can click on the
Help
button to learn more about how to search.
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How can I learn how to do legal research?
Legal research is a complex skill. Law students, lawyers,
librarians, and paralegals work hard to develop expertise. If you are just starting out,
it might all seem very confusing. Take heart: it will get easier for you the more you
practice. Try to approach research calmly and methodically, take notes as you go along,
and read the instructions on how to use each set. And remember, you can always ask for
help in the Reference Office.
For an overview of the legal research process, you might
want to start with the American Association of Law Libraries' How to Research a Legal Problem: A
Guide for Non-Lawyers or Nolo's
Help with Legal Research.
In addition, you may want to review the legal research
guides available here, including:
You may want to browse a book on legal research:
- Stephen Elias & Susan Levinkind, Legal Research: How
to Find and Understand the Law, 13th ed., is a good introduction,
aimed at nonlawyers. KF240.E35 2005 at Reference Area
- Kent C. Olson, Legal Information: How to Find It,
How to Use It is an excellent text. It
includes references to selected websites as well as traditional print resources.
KF240.O365 1999 at Reference Area & Reference Office
- Penny A. Hazelton et al., Washington Legal Researcher's Deskbook
3d focuses on Washington
materials, including the Revised Code of Washington, the Washington Digest,
and the Washington Administrative Code. KFW75.W37 2002 at Reference
Area & Reference Office. Table of Contents. Ordering Information.
- Penny A. Hazelton, ed., Specialized Legal Research contains chapters explaining how to do
research in different specialized areas, such as securities regulation, labor and
employment law, and banking law. KF240.S63 1987 at Reference Area & Reference
Office
These are just a sampling of titles. For more books on
legal research, search the catalog
for the
subject heading "legal research."
Videos on Legal Research
We also have some videos that you can watch.
- Robert C. Berring, Legal Research for the 21st Century. 9 videotapes,
551 minutes. Tape 1: The
basics. Tape 2: Case finding and the future of cases. Tape 3: Citators
and secondary source research. Tape 4: Statutes, legislative history and
administrative materials. Tape 5: Legal research on the Internet and
research strategies. Tape 6: International law. Tape 7: Foreign law. Tape 8:
Intellectual property law. Tape 9: Environmental law. KF240.B374 2000 at
Reference Area
- Robert C. Berring, Legal Research Made Easy: A Roadmap
Through the Law Library Maze. 1 videocassette, 145
minutes, plus manual. This video is aimed at nonlawyers. KF240.L427 1990
at Classified Stacks
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How can I figure out legal terms?
See the Legal Dictionaries guide for information on
print and online legal and bilingual dictionaries and abbreviations and
acronyms sources.
If you find an unfamiliar word or term is in a law or ordinance, check to
see whether another section defines the term. See if there have been cases interpreting
the statute that help to clarify the term. Read articles or books about the topic to see
whether they explain the term.
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Where should I start my research?
It's generally a good idea to begin your research with
secondary sources, like encyclopedias, books, and periodicals. These
will give you an overview of a subject area. They will also lead you to other
sources, including primary sources like cases and statutes.
Books in the Reference Area
In this Library, many of the heavily used basic books are
kept in the Reference Area, adjacent to the Circulation Desk and the Reference
Office. When you are using the Law Library
catalog, you can limit your
search to books that are located in the Reference Area after you have done a title, author, keyword,
or subject search.
The Reference Area is a self-service collection. That is, you do not need to
ask at the Circulation Desk for the book. Use the catalog to find the call
number and then browse the selves in the Reference Area to find the book.
Books Written for Nonlawyers
Books are aimed at nonlawyers are generally less
complicated than books aimed at lawyers and are very practical. These books may not answer
all of your questions--you may need to do further research--but they are often a good
starting point.
Two companies that publish books for nonlawyers are Nolo (catalog plus lots of information for
nonlawyers) and Self-Counsel Press (catalog).
Sometimes groups like the American Bar Association or the Northwest Women's Law Center
also publish books for nonlawyers.
We have created a list of selected
books written for nonlawyers with their call numbers in this Library. These are
not all the books on their topics. Remember to check the catalog for more. Your local
public library may also own books on legal topics for nonlawyers.
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Books Aimed at Lawyers
Even if you are not a lawyer, you can learn a lot by
reading the books that lawyers use. If you are researching Washington law, you might find
Washington practice materials especially useful.
Here is a guide to secondary
sources.
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How can I make sure the information I find is up to date?
The law is always changing. For example:
- Legislatures enact new laws or amend old
laws.
- Courts decide new cases, interpret laws, and overrule or
modify existing case law.
- Administrative agencies issue new regulations.
- Legal scholars analyze the law in new ways or come up with
new theories about the law.
Therefore, whenever you are using any legal materials, you
should think about how current they are.
If you are using a set of laws (called
statutes or codes), check to see how
it is updated. Has the legislature enacted new law?
- Many sets are updated with pocket parts
found in the back of bound volumes. Others have
supplemental volumes or looseleaf supplements.
- Most sets of statutes are updated further with session laws
or commercial legislative services.
If you are researching case law, check to see if
your case has been appealed (direct history) or affected by other cases (indirect
history).
- Use Shepard's citators (in print) or online citators such as
KeyCite (ask the reference librarian on duty to sign into the service). If you
are using Shepard's and find a Lexis citation to a case, call Shepard's
Editorial Support (800/899-6000 and choose option 5) to obtain case name,
jurisdiction, and possible parallel citation.
- Use secondary sources, digests, and other case-finding tools
to see if there are later cases on your subject.
If you are using a bound treatise (a book or
set of books on a legal topic, such as real property or contracts), look at the copyright
date. Does the volume have a pocket part in the back? Is there a later edition?
If you are using a looseleaf treatise, look at the
date of the latest supplement. Many sets will have a page in the front indicating when
they were last updated.Many sets indicate the date on each page. (Some of this
library's looseleaf treatises are no longer updated regularly!)
Remember to check how current online
sources are too! Look for information on when a website or online
database was last updated.
No matter what you are using, think about how the law could
have changed since it was written! If you need help using the Library, ask a
reference librarian!
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What are legal periodicals and how can I find them?
There are a variety of legal periodicals, including law
reviews, legal newspapers, and bar journals.
- Law reviews, usually published by law schools are the
most scholarly. They publish long articles with lots of footnotes. The footnotes can
be very valuable to you, because they will lead you to cases, statutes, and other
material. The law reviews published in Washington State are Gonzaga Law Review,
Seattle University Law Review (formerly University of Puget Sound Law Review),
Washington Law Review (from the UW) and Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal
(also from the UW).
- Legal newspapers are published daily (for example, Los
Angeles Daily Journal), weekly (for example, National Law Journal), or monthly
(for example, American Lawyer). The local legal newspaper is Washington Journal,
which is published weekly. Articles in legal newspapers often profile attorneys, law
firms, or judges, report on recent cases, and discuss practice issues. They are
usually shorter and less scholarly than articles in law reviews.
- Bar journals are the magazines published by bar
associations. They include news of the association and members and they usually include
articles about law practice and different legal topics. The bar journal for the Washington
State Bar Association is Washington State Bar News. KF332.W3W354 -- recent issues
are on Reserve, and older issues are in the Classified Stacks on L1.
Periodical Indexes
If you are looking for periodical articles on a particular
topic or by a particular author, you need to use a periodical index.
-
LegalTrac (formerly called the Legal Resource Index) covers hundreds of law
reviews, legal newspapers, and bar journals from 1980 to present. It is available on the
computers in the Law Library. (If your Internet access is from the University
of Washington, you can use LegalTrac
(and many other databases) via the
UW Libraries Research Databases; but if your Internet access is from another
provider you will need to come to the Library to use our subscription to
LegalTrac.)
In LegalTrac, you can type in a subject, an author, a case name,
or keywords (or combinations of these) and quickly find articles. LegalTrac only goes back to
1980, so if you need older articles you must use a print index called the Index to Legal
Periodicals. K33.I5 at Reference Area. You may
also search Hein Online
for law review articles.
- Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals is also available
on Library computers and, if your Internet access is from the University of Washington,
via the UW Libraries
Research Databases. IFLP indexes law journals from foreign countries (excluding the UK, Canada, and
Australia) and English and American journals that are about foreign and international law.
Periodical Locations
To discover where a periodical is shelved, search by title
in MARIAN, the Library's online catalog.
Most legal periodicals are shelved in
alphabetical order by title in one of two locations. Recent issues are found on
display shelves in the Reference Area and older bound volumes are found in the
Compact Stacks on floor L2.
Some specialized periodicals have call numbers and are
shelved in either the Classified Stacks or the Compact Stacks.
We subscribe to some legal newspapers in
paper and keep them in the Reference Area. These include American
Lawyer, Legal Times, and National Law Journal. We also get
these in microfiche and, when the microfiche version arrives, we discard the
paper version. The microfiche is kept in cabinets in the Reference Area.
We subscribe to some legal newspapers only in
microfilm. These include Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Los
Angeles Daily Journal. The microfilm is kept in cabinets in the Reference
Area, along with the microfiche and microfilm readers and printers.
Again, you can always find a periodical's
location by using MARIAN.
More on library
locations.
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I need to know how to handle a case in court--what papers to file and so on. Where do I start?
You might want to read The Pro Se Handbook: A Guide to
Representing Yourself in King County Superior Court, a pamphlet that
is published by the King County Bar Association. (KFW530.Z9R46 1998 at
Reference Area). See also
Washington LawHelp > More Legal Information >
Representing Yourself >
Basic
Tips for How to Prepare for a Court Hearing or Trial,
by the Northwest Justice Project.
To get an overview of the Washington court system, see
A Citizen's Guide to Washington Courts,
on the Washington Courts' website.
Washington practice materials will be helpful to you. See
the handout on practice materials. In particular:
- The Washington Lawyers Practice Manual is a seven-volume set, also by the Seattle-King County Bar Association,
that discusses a variety of practice issues and prints sample forms for different types of motions. Volume 1 includes chapters on Civil Trial Practice, Appellate Practice, and
Guide to King County Superior Court. KFW80.W27 1986 at Reference Area
- You might also find the Washington Practice series
helpful. Different volumes cover Criminal Law, Rules Practice (that is, the Civil
Rules, the Rules on Appeal, and so on), and Evidence. KFW80.W3 at Reference
Area
You will need to be familiar with the court rules
for whatever court your case is in. The Library has several sets containing the
Washington court rules. KFW529 at Reference Area.
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What about Small Claims Court?
The following websites contain information about small
claims court:
Here are some books and articles that might be helpful:
- King County Small Claims Courts: A Guide on How to Use
the Small Claims Courts and How to Collect Small Claims Judgments is a short guide from the King County Bar Association. KFW599.K56S543
2001
at Reference Area and
online.
- Ralph E. Warner, Everybody's Guide to Small Claims Court is general
in nature; it is not tailored to Washington. KF8769.Z95W37 2003 at Reference
Area.
- "How
to Win the Small Claims Game," by Mark Rahner, The Seattle
Times (January 26, 2003)
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Where can I find sample forms?
Many stationery stores sell blank forms you can fill
in, including forms such as residential lease, bill of sale, and power of attorney. The University Book Store stocks some legal
forms in its office supplies department.
Another source for blank forms for Washington is Attorney's
Information Bureau:
- C-603 King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA
98104-2312, (206) 622-1909
- 945 Tacoma Avenue South, Suite F, Tacoma, WA 98402-2117,
(206) 272-9429
The Attorney's Information Bureau has some packets of forms,
for example, on bankruptcy, dissolution of marriage, eviction, wills, and probate.
The Law Library does not sell or distribute blank forms.
Formbooks are reference books that provide sample forms for attorneys to use in
drafting legal documents. Some are limited to one special area of the law, and some
are very broad, covering many aspects of law practice and many subjects. Some are
tailored to one jurisdiction, and some are national in scope.
Several sets of general formbooks--including sets by AmJur,
West, and Rabkin & Johnson--are found at KF170 in the Reference Area. Formbooks relating to practice and
procedure are in under call number KF8835.The Washington Lawyers
Practice Manual is a very useful set which includes forms
tailored to Washington State. KFW80.W27 1986 at Reference Area
Treatises, practice manuals, and continuing legal education (CLE) materials often include
relevant forms. To find these, search the Law Library's catalog under the subject you want.
Hint: books that have a lot of forms are cataloged with the subheadings "forms"
in the subject heading, for instance:
Bankruptcy -- United States --
Forms.
So you can look for forms in MARIAN by using "forms" as one of
your search terms, for example:
bankruptcy and forms
or
su:bankruptcy and
su:forms.
(Requiring the terms to appear in the Subject field focuses your search.)
Note that you might also find one or several good forms in
a book that is not predominantly a book of forms, so you should also look more generally
if searching for "forms" in the Subject box does not work.
Additional sources are described in our guide on Drafting
Contracts: Formbooks and Drafting Resources.
Some agencies and organizations make forms available on the Web. Note
that many of these forms are available in Microsoft Word and/or Adobe
Acrobat
 ..
Washington State
Courts
- Washington Courts, Washington
State Court Forms includes a large number of family law forms (divorce,
child support and custody, domestic violence, parenting plans, etc) and other
forms dealing with bankruptcy, criminal law, garnishment, name change,
juvenile offenders, and small claims.
- King County Superior Court
Forms includes forms for selected
motions.
- King
County District Court provides forms for anti-harassment actions, civil
actions, criminal history releases, deferred prosecution, domestic violence,
traffic infractions, and other matters.
-
Pierce County Superior
Court Forms includes forms for selected motions.
- Washington LawHelp > More Legal Information >
Court Forms,
contains more than 50 forms, in addition to those provided by the Washington
Courts website.
Agencies
- WA Labor and Industries Dep't,
Get a Form or Publication
is searchable by title and number.
- WA Licensing Dep't has information about and forms for business,
commercial drivers, drivers, and professional and occupational licenses;
Uniform Commercial Code forms; and public disclosure forms. The site
also includes a list of forms by form number.
- WA Revenue Dep't Forms
provides forms in an alphabetic list, by category, and tax returns.
- WA
Secretary of State includes forms for establishing and registering corporations,
limited liability companies, nonprofits, and professional service
corporations.
- WA Social and Health Services Dep't,
Electronic DSHS Forms
includes dozens of forms, many of which are translated into Cambodian,
Chinese, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Spanish, and/or Vietnamese.
Federal Agencies
Other Sources
 WashingtonLawHelp
has forms on a wide variety of legal issues, including consumer law, family
law, and housing law. Most of the forms are written by lawyers at the Northwest
Justice Project or other nonprofit groups. Many of them are translated into
other languages.
- Federation of Tax Administrators' state
tax forms.
- LexisOne
includes more than 6,000 free forms on topics including contracts for legal
services, bankruptcy, criminal law, family law, leases, licensing, living
wills and powers of attorney, real estate, social security, and workers'
compensation. Some forms are available for sale.
- Washburn University's WashLaw,
Legal Forms links to a variety of sites with forms.
- findforms.com includes free and
for-sale legal forms.
- Nolo's EForms are
available on business and human resources, family law, immigration, property
and money, rights and disputes, and wills and estate planning. Most are
available for sale.
- Legal Forms provides
free forms dealing with adoption, corporations, employment, financial issues,
medical issues, real estate, rental agreements, service agreements, vehicles,
and wills and estates.
- LegalMessenger.com sells a
variety of forms.
Please be aware that formbooks are just samples to help you
with drafting. Even though they might be very able attorneys, the authors did not know you
or the particular facts of your situation. The authors may not have researched the law of
your jurisdiction, and they could not foresee what changes in the law there would be in
the years after their formbooks were published. Even if you use a published form to
get you started, you may need to adapt it to fit your needs.
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How can I learn to write a brief?
We have many books on legal writing--and almost every
book on legal writing will have at least one chapter on briefs. In MARIAN,
the Law Library's catalog, search for
legal-composition as a subject heading. You can limit the search to books on
legal composition in the Reference Area. See also Legal and General Writing Resources.
There are also a few books that are so focused on briefs
that they only have "briefs" in the subject heading. For them, search for
briefs
and limit to books in the Reference Area.
The Library has briefs that were
filed in cases before the Washington Supreme Court, the Washington Court of
Appeals, the Ninth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. In addition,
some briefs are available on the Internet.
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Where can I find out about recent jury verdicts?
Northwest Personal Injury Litigation Reports is a source that publishes summaries of selected civil cases,
including some that were settled as well as some that were tried before juries. For each
case, you can see information such as the court, the attorneys, the nature of the injury,
the amount of the settlement offer, and the amount of the jury verdict. Even though
it has "personal injury" in the title, the reporter covers some cases that are
not personal injury cases, for instance, employment discrimination cases. This
reporter has changed names several times as its coverage of states other than
Washington has changed.
- Northwest Personal Injury Litigation Reports, 1993-date; includes Washington, Idaho and Alaska.
KFW51.J8, last six years at Reference Areas, earlier years at Classified Stacks
- Jury Verdicts Northwest, 1984-92; includes Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
KFW51.J8 at Classified Stacks
- Jury Verdicts of Washington, 1979-83; includes only Washington cases.
KFW51.J8 at Classified Stacks
- Statewide Jury Verdict Reports, 1962-79; includes only Washington cases.
KFW51.J8 at Classified Stacks
For arbitration results, see Washington Arbitration
Reports (from the same publisher):
- Washington Arbitration Reports, 1993-date. KFW560.5.A6N6, last six
years at Reference Area, earlier years at Classified Stacks
- Northwest Arbitration Reports, 1985-92. KFW560.5.A6N6 at Classified
Stacks
- King County Arbitration Reports, 1981-84. KFW560.5.A6K5 at
Classified Stacks
See also our guide on Jury
Verdicts, Settlements, Judgments, and Liens.
When looking for jury verdicts in these volumes, remember
that different laws may apply in different states, leading to different settlement or
verdict amounts.
For more information about Jury Verdict Reporters
not available at the Gallagher Law Library, call (206) 774-0530 and ask about the National
Association of State Jury Verdict Publishers.
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Is there another law library in the Seattle area I can use?
The King County Law Library is the fifth largest law
library in Washington. It has two locations: the sixth floor of the King County
Courthouse, in downtown Seattle (516 Third Avenue, 206/296-0940), and the Regional Justice
Center, in Kent (401 Fourth Ave. N., 206/205-2900). The downtown library has a very large
collection (over 85,000 volumes) including Washington State and federal cases, statutes,
regulations, court rules, and practice materials. The library has statutes for all
fifty states, administrative decisions from major federal agencies, and a wide variety of
legal treatises and periodicals. A LegalTrac (periodical index) terminal also is
available. The library at the Regional Justice Center is smaller, but has a good basic
collection; it has a number of CD-ROM workstations.
The U.S. Courts Library is located on the tenth floor of
the U.S. Courthouse in downtown Seattle (1010 Fifth Avenue, 206/553-4475). The U.S. Courts
Library is open to the public as a courtesy of the judges.
The downtown Seattle
Public Library, located at 1000 Fourth Avenue, has some
Washington State legal materials (such as the Revised Code of Washington and the Washington
Administrative Code) and a good collection of U.S. government documents, including
the Congressional Record and Congressional hearings and committee reports.
Many public library branches have the Revised Code of
Washington, the Washington Administrative Code, and some other legal materials.
See our guide to Law Libraries in Washington
State and the U.S.
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Where can I use a computer?
You may use the Law Library's public workstations to search the Internet
and perform legal research.
Note that these computers are not equipped with word processing software. The Law School's Computer Lab is not open to the public.
For more information, see
Access to
Computers & Computing in the Law Library.
Several businesses in the University District rent computer time.
See Off Campus Alternatives for list.
Since this information may not be updated on a regular basis, we suggest
that you call before going to one of these businesses to verify computer
availability and cost.
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