Legal Resources for Tompkins County and More

Tompkins County, NY | Legal Assistance | Online Resources | Primary Law

 

Tompkins County, New York

3^rd Appellate Division / 6^th Judicial District

 

Tompkins County Law Library
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm
Address: 320 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca
Phone: 607-216-6623

 

Courts

Supreme, County, Family, Surrogate’s & Drug Treatment Court
Address: 20 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca
Phone: 607-216-6610

Ithaca City Court
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30am–12pm & 1pm–4pm
Address: 118 E. Clinton Street, Ithaca
Phone: 607-216-6660

11 Various Town & Village Courts

Court System Intro Guide

 

Bar Association

Tompkins County Bar Association
Phone: 607-398-0506

 

Local Laws

• Tompkins County Code
• Ithaca City Code
• Ithaca Town Code
• Town/Village Websites

Back to top

 

Legal Assistance

LawNY® – A non-profit law firm that provides free legal aid to people with civil legal problems.
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9am–12:30pm & 1:30–5pm
Address: 902 Taber Street, Suite 1, Ithaca
Phone: 607-273-3667

New York State Bar Association Lawyer Referral and Information Service – A referral service for lawyers throughout New York State that offers low-rate consultations. 
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9am–12pm
Phone: 1-800-342-3661 

Back to top

 

Online Resources

 

Free Online Sources

Nolo – Wide range of legal articles written by attorneys providing basic topical overviews.

New York Attorney General Pamphlets – New York specific information on common legal issues.

New York Lawz – Well indexed guide to New York legal resources.

 

General Legal References

Overview of Legal Research in NY Public Libraries – Information for public librarians on the courts, the legal process, and available legal online and community resources (including do-it-yourself programs) as well as guidance on the difference between legal information and legal advice.

Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII) – Primary law, legal encyclopedias, and general case law.

FindLaw – Topical articles, state law summaries, and attorney search.

ABA Free Legal Answers – Ask attorneys a specific question about civil legal issues.

 

American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Public Library Toolkits

• General legal research tips and state-specific resource guides.
• A toolkit meant to help public librarians understand the process of legal research, effectively develop and use the information located within their libraries, utilize information located outside their libraries, with the end goal of helping the patron locate the legal information they need.

 

DIY

Court Help

NY CourtHelp – Court case & system basics. Substantive coverage for most common issues.

General Court Info/Help Line: 1-800-CourtNY (1-800-268-7869)

LiveHelp Chat – Non-attorney information on civil law issues.
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9am–9pm.

 

Forms

DIY Programs – Interactive forms work best in Internet Explorer browser.

General Court Forms

6^th District Forms

 

Law School Library Research Guides

• Georgetown
• New York Law School
• NYU
• Rutgers
• Pace

Back to top

 

Primary Law

 

Federal

US Code

Code of Federal Regulations

Caselaw

• https://caselaw.findlaw.com/
• https://www.justia.com/courts/

 

New York State

Consolidated Laws of New York

New York State Bills (Proposed/Recently Enacted Laws):

• https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation
• https://nyassembly.gov/leg/

New York Codes, Rules and Regulations

• Agency Directory: https://www.ny.gov/agencies

New York State Case Law:

• Recent: https://nycourts.gov/decisions/index.shtml
• Slip Opinions: http://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/lawReporting/Search
• https://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/
• https://caselaw.findlaw.com/courts/New-York (1997-Present)

Legislative History Tutorial

 

Local

• Tompkins County Code
• Ithaca City Code
• Ithaca Town Code
• Town/Village Websites

Back to top

 

 

Resources provided by Chris Lund, the 6th Judicial District Law Librarian.