This document provides an overview of legal resources for different levels of government. It begins with an introduction to legal terminology and ethics for librarians assisting patrons. It then outlines resources for finding laws and legal information at the local, state, and federal levels, including guides to the legislative process, current and historical statutes and codes, and court decisions. Sources covered include free government websites as well as subscription databases like LexisNexis and Westlaw. Contact information is provided for getting further legal reference assistance.

1. Starr Hoffman
28 November 2011

2. • Golden Rule of Legal Resources
• How a Bill Becomes a Law
• Local (City/County) Resources
• State Resources
• Federal Resources
• Finding Case Law
• Legal Forms & Other Resources
• Conclusion

3. Never give legal advice!
• Sample patron questions & appropriate responses:
•W hat does this phrase mean (in a bill, law, etc.)?
• I s o rry , Ic a n’t inte rp re t tha t fo r y o u. Ic a n he lp y o u find a
’m
re s o urc e tha t e x p la ins le g a l te rm s , o r Ic a n he lp y o u find a lis t o f
lo c a l le g a l p ro fe s s io na ls .
• I’m trying to write a will /get a divorce /adopt a child without
hiring a lawyer. W hat do I do?
• He re a re s o m e he lp ful le g a l g uid e s with g uid e line s , s o m e le g a l
fo rm s fo r the s ta te o f Te x a s , a nd Ic a n s ho w y o u ho w to lo o k up
la ws o n tha t to p ic . Unfo rtuna te ly , Ic a n’t he lp y o u with the p ro c e s s
its e lf.

4. • GPO PDF poster: Ho w Bill Be c o m e s a La w
• includes steps in the process & details the GPO (Government
Printing Office) publication titles for each stage (see next slide)
• http://www.fdlp.gov/component/docman/doc_download/1966-how-a-bill-b
• Ben’s Guide: Ho w La ws A M d e
re a
• simple but detailed look at the law-making process
• http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/lawmaking/
• Similar guides from U.S. Senate & House
• http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/legprocessflowchart.pdf
• http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/

6. • Legislative process in Texas
• http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/gtli/legproc/process.html
• chart: http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/gtli/legproc/diagram.html
• How to follow a bill in Texas
• http://www.legis.state.tx.us/resources/FollowABill.aspx
• where to look for information on a bill at every stage of the process

7. • City of Denton
• e-government services & info: municipal court, city attorney,
utilities, codes, economic development, etc.
• http://www.cityofdenton.com/
• National Center for State Courts
• http://www.courtstatistics.org/
• state court structure charts:
• http://cspstage.ncsc.org/Other-Pages/State_Court_Structure_Charts.aspx
• http://cspstage.ncsc.org/Other-Pages/State-Charts/Texas.aspx
Each city website will vary. They often have only minimal
information available online.

8. • Denton County
• e-government services: tax office, voter registration, birth
certificates, passports, social services, and more
• http://dentoncounty.com/
• district courts, criminal courts, probate court
• often don’t include info online besides hours & contact info
• may need to call or email courts for further information
• Denton County has a Law Library webpage:
• http://dentoncounty.com/dept/main.asp?Dept=18
Each county website will vary. They often have only
minimal information available online.

9. • Texas Legislature Online
• search for bills, current statues, Texas Constitution
• full-text searching
• full-text of bills/laws back to 1989
• (previous years in print at UNT Libraries)
• shows bill status
• http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/
• State of Texas
• access to e-government services, state agencies, & more
• http://www.texas.gov/
• Agency Finder:
http://www.texas.gov/en/Discover/Pages/agency-finder.aspx

10. • Ve rno n's Te x a s Sta tute s a nd Co d e s A ta te d
nno
• in print at UNT Libraries
• online through Westlaw’s Campus Research database
• General and Special Laws of the State of Texas
• in print at UNT Libraries
• online through Westlaw’s Campus Research database

11. • Texas Senate
• http://www.senate.state.tx.us/
• find your senators:
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/Members.htm#FYI
• see what bills will be voted on (calendar):
• http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/CalSys.htm
• Texas House of Representatives
• http://www.house.state.tx.us/
• find your representative:
• http://www.house.state.tx.us/resources/frequently-asked-questions/#who
• see what bills will be voted on (calendar):
• http://www.house.state.tx.us/schedules/house%2Dcalendars/

12. • Portal to Texas History @ UNT
• Texas Senate Journals
• http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/collections/TXSJ/
• Texas House Journals
• http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/collections/TXHRJ/
• Te x a s Re g is te r (1991 – on, retro issues coming soon)
• weekly publication of state rules, regulations, etc.
• http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/collections/TR/
• Te x a s Re p o rts (Texas Supreme Court decisions)
• http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/collections/TXRPT/
• Texas Laws & Resolutions Archive (78th legislature - on)
• http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/collections/TLRA/
• G a m m e l’s La ws o f Te x a s (1822 – on)
• http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/collections/GLT/

13. • U.S. Code (compiled current laws)
• http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collectionUScode.action?collectionCode=USCODE
• also in print at UNT Libraries
• annotated version in Westlaw’s Campus Research database
• THOMAS.gov
• U.S. Congressional bills: full-text, status, sponsors, resolutions
• Co ng re s s io na l Re c o rd : record of each day’s activities in Congress
• http://thomas.loc.gov/
• Congressional Sessions by Year
• lists what congress was held in what year
• http://www.library.unt.edu/govinfo/browse-topics/government-and-politics/politics/years-and-sessions-o

14. • US Senate
• http://www.senate.gov/
• find your senators:
• http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
• calendar:
• http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/d_three_sections_with_teasers/calendars.htm
• US House of Representatives
• http://www.house.gov/
• find your representative:
• http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
• calendar:
• http://www.house.gov/legislative/
Track Current Legislation: http://www.govtrack.us/

15. • US Supreme Court
• http://www.supremecourt.gov/
• opinions:
• http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/opinions.aspx
• current justices & bios:
• http://www.supremecourt.gov/about/biographies.aspx
• docket (search for cases):
• http://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docket.aspx

16. • LexisNexis Academic
• front page: look up a case by citation, party name, or topic
• or use the link for Fe d e ra l & Sta te Ca s e s
• easiest way to find a specific case (also available in print at UNT)
• Landmark U.S. Legal Cases
• high-profile cases like Ro e v . Wa d e , organized by topic
• Shepard’s Citations
• choose “browse” to decode citations
• Supreme Court Briefs
• Law Reviews
• various legal reference materials

17. • Ste ve ns o n's Te x a s Le g a l Pra c tic e Fo rm s
• in print at UNT Libraries: KFT1268 .S85 1993
• Nolo Legal Guide Series
• do-it-yourself guides for wills, divorce, citizenship, and more
• guides to special topics like LGBT issues and renting a home
• Bla c k’s La w Dic tio na ry
• in print at UNT Libraries
• online through Westlaw’s Campus Research database
• FDs y s from the Government Printing Office (GPO)
• free online access to variety of federal government documents
• http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collectiontab.action

18. • Need help?
• ask Julie
• ask the UNT Government Documents Dept.
• if it’s a really complicated reference question, post it to a relevant
list-serv like GovDoc-L (for documents librarians)
• http://govdoc-l.org/

19. FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION:
http://www.library.unt.edu/govinfo/
http://www.library.unt.edu/research-tools/guides/law/
contact: govinfo@unt.edu
Starr Hoffman
starr.hoffman@gmail.com
http:/geekyartistlibrarian.com
/