LibGuides: Paralegal: Paralegal Resources

Definitions

Definitions:

Paralegal: "Paralegals are professionals who provide background research and other forms of assistance to attorneys. They help attorneys prepare for judicial hearings, trials, and corporate or client meetings, in addition to other legal tasks."

Auerbach, Michael. “Paralegal.” Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2022. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=ers&AN=89550401&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Christina McCourt

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christina.mccourt@austincc.edu

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Welcome to The Indigo Book—a free, Creative Commons-dedicated implementation of The Bluebook’s Uniform System of Citation. The Indigo Book was compiled by a team of students at the New York University School of Law, working under the direction of Professor Christopher Jon Sprigman.

Comics & Graphic Novels

Justice Case Files: A Graphic Novel Series Justice Case Files: A Graphic Novel Series created by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC)

Featured Books

The Complete Paralegal Certification Handbook by Virginia Koerselman Newman
ISBN: 9781337798877
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Prepare for success on any of the top three paralegal certification exams with the only comprehensive review handbook specifically designed to help new or experienced paralegal professionals earn certification. Koerselman Newman's THE COMPLETE PARALEGAL CERTIFICATION HANDBOOK, 5E equips you to take certification exams from the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), National Association of Legal Secretaries and Legal Professionals (NALS), or National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA). You learn from an experienced author and attorney who applies years of teaching and professional experience to help you achieve certification goals. New side-by-side comparisons present areas of paralegal practice that are tested with details of eligibility, application and testing requirements, and essential content for each exam. Three new chapters focus on the latest developments in interviewing, estate planning and probate, and tort law. New examples, outlines, practice tests, and testing tips help refine your skills for certification testing and career success.
A Practical Guide to Legal Research and Analysis for Paralegal and Legal Studies Students by Margaret Phillips
ISBN: 9781683289029
Publication Date: 2019-10-28
Softbound - New, softbound print book.

Print Reference Sources - Legal

REFERENCE - PRINT RESOURCES:

The ACC Library print collection has a variety of legal dictionaries, encyclopedias, and similar resources.

Examples include:

Dictionaries --
Black's Law Dictionary 2014
Legal Thesauri --
Burton's Legal Thesaurus
Legal Terminology (Brown)
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation
Nolo's Encyclopedia of Everyday Law
Landmark Decisions of the Supreme Court
Texas Legal Research
The Texas State Constitution
Handbooks, on various topics, such as Employee Rights; Environmental Law Compliance; etc.

Article Databases

Legal Collection This link opens in a new window
Articles about criminal justice, international law, federal law, organized crime, and ethics.
Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection This link opens in a new window
Articles on topics in psychiatry, psychology, and observational and experimental methods.
HeinOnline Academic This link opens in a new window
U.S. federal & state case law, as well as multidisciplinary content in more than 100 subject areas, including history, political science, criminal justice, religious studies, international relations, women’s studies, pre-law, and many more

Free Online Resource

Free Web Resource

Law Review Commons

Texas Paralegal Journal - State Bar of Texas Paralegal Divison.

Essential Resources

State Law, Especially Texas

FindLaw - State Laws
Links to legal info on all 50 states. Or you can approach it by topics to do comparisons.
Texas State Law Library
Vast amount of information on all aspects of Texas law and regulations. (Note: Several databases are listed that require you to either have a state library card or for you to be in the library itself. It is just north of the capitol building and is open to the public.)
Nolo State Laws
Links to state laws for primarily everyday laws, such as property, wages, divorce, etc.

General Law

AllLaw
"Everyday" law, such as automobile accidents, child custody, wills, etc. Has basic explanations, legal forms, how to hire a lawyer, and other practical info.
Case Law Access project
"The Caselaw Access Project (“CAP”) expands public access to U.S. law. Our goal is to make all published U.S. court decisions freely available to the public online, in a consistent format, digitized from the collection of the Harvard Law Library."
Justia
One-stop-shopping for legal matters. Links to resources, background and definitions, etc.
Legal Forms Library
This is a database the ACC library subscribes to, so an active eID is required. This has Texas legal forms in many categories. Most are in printabe form, although some are examples that have been completed.
Oyez
U.S. Supreme Court decisions explained. You can search by keyword or, under "Cases," go year by year, including pending cases from the current year. Easy-to-read summaries of the cases and how the court voted. From the Illinois Institute of Technology School of Law.
U.S. Supreme Court
The official site of the highest court. Has info on decisions going back to 2009, plus lots of other material.
United States Code
From the House of Representatives. The complete collection of the federal statutes. Search by keywords, browse, or go to each individual topic section
USA.gov - Popular Laws and Regulations
"Popular" as in commonly asked. Wide range of topics relating to federal laws and regulations. From the U.S. government.