Legal Ease: Legal Reference for Public Librarians Sue Lyons & Mary Stewart Erm Eastern Monroe Public Library

Why Public Libraries? In Philadelphia, since 2008, only 5% of homeowners facing foreclosure were represented. At least one party was unrepresented in 80% of Family cases in Allegheny County. In Dauphin County in 2012, at least one party was unrepresented in 69% of child custody cases. In Monroe County, 50% of the litigants in custody conciliation are unrepresented. Many county law libraries are unstaffed.

What can we tell patrons? No Unauthorized Practice of Law!

Good bibliographic help is always appropriate Help patrons locate cases, rules, and statutes Help them to use indexes Help them find relevant forms Ask about jurisdiction Show them appropriate online resources Create a legal reference web page to assist both staff and patrons in locating online legal resources

Primary Legal Sources (Stuff that is actually the law) Constitutions – Federal and State Statutes – laws made by the legislature Regulations – rules made by administrative agencies but rooted in statutory authority Case law – Decisions of appellate judges that interpret the law Municipal Codes

Secondary Sources Publications that describe or explain primary law, e.g., Form Books Nolo Guides Practitioner Guides Treatises, Hornbooks, Textbooks Restatements of the law Law Review articles

Statutes Regulations Case Law

Statutes Regulations Case Law

Interpreting legal citations The first number is the volume or title number Letters in the middle signify the source (reporter, code, etc) The second set of number indicates the page or section A citation is better than just a name – it’s a unique identifier Examples: New York Times Co. v. Tasini, 533 U.S. 483 (2001) Robinson Tp., Washington County v. Com., 83 A. 3d 901 (2013) Robinson Tp., Washington County v. Com., 623 Pa. 564 (2013) 42 U.S.C. 1983 36 CFR 703.7 Act 48 (session law) or 24 P.S. § 12-1205.2, et seq. (codified law)

Secondary Sources

The County Courthouse library may have the books your patron needs

I just need the form! Like Legal Zoom but free! Types of legal forms available: Sample boiler-plate text: copy and re-type Fill-in the blank forms: some available as fill-in PDFs Forms that interview the litigant like Turbo Tax or Legal Zoom (A2J forms) and produce a form ready to take to court.

Pennsylvania A2J forms: child support and custody

Reliable and free online sources Make your own list

https://monroepl.org/?page_id=830 Eastern Monroe Public Library Legal Resources Page: https://monroepl.org/?page_id=830

Questions?