All locations of Richmond Public Library are closed March 14 until further notice. All programs and meeting rooms are cancelled through May 15 per CDC guidelines. Book drops will be unavailable - please hold onto any checked out materials until we reopen. We are always open online!  

Law Library

Main Law Library

Richmond Public Law Library is free and open to the public Monday – Friday, 10 – 5.  The Law Library is located on the first floor of the Main Library at 101 E. Franklin Street.

The  Law Library offers free “Know Your Rights” Community Law Classes, free WestlawNext, Lexis Advance, U.S. News & World Report, and Gale Legal Forms online, and free legal research classes for the public.  All materials in this collection are reference books that cannot be checked out.  Photocopies can be made at a cost of .15 cents per page.

The Law Library collection includes:

  • The Richmond City, Virginia, and United States codes: these are the official legislative laws (or ordinances on the city level) of the jurisdictions.
  • Form books covering many topics. These sample forms are generic and may be adapted to a legal situation and jurisdiction. Series include: American Jurisprudence Legal Forms, American Jurisprudence Pleading and Practice Forms, Nichols Cyclopedia of Legal Forms, West’s Legal Forms, selected Nolo volumes, and Virginia Forms.
  • Federal and Virginia state administrative regulations – The Virginia Administrative Code, which contains regulations promulgated by Virginia administrative agencies.
  • All Virginia state and federal published opinions
  • American Law Reports (ALR), Corpus Juris Secundum (CJS), American Jurisprudence (Am Jur 2d), Restatements, many subject-specific federal treatises and loose-leaf services, several sets of form books, and legal newspapers –
    American Law Reports (ALR), Series 1st-6th, Federal and Federal 2nd. These books show how different jurisdictions have ruled on an issue, and direct you to more information about the topic.
  • Learn about legal topics and find definitions with legal encyclopedias and dictionaries. Our collection includes American Jurisprudence 2d, Corpus Juris Secundum, Michie’s Jurisprudence of Virginia and West Virginia, and Black’s Law Dictionary.
  • Virginia practice materials, including a large selection of CLE’s, Michie’s Jurisprudence, Virginia Forms, Model Jury Instructions, Virginia Practice, and many more continuing education resources including Bryson on Virginia Civil Procedure, Williston on Contracts, A Guide to Evidence in Virginia,  Words and Phrases, and Restatements of the Law.
  • Read the opinion of a case as written by the judge. Reporters include United States Supreme Court Lawyers Ed., Federal, Federal Supplement, South Eastern, Virginia, and Virginia Court of Appeals.
  • Free access to WestlawNext, and Lexis Advance, including state and federal cases, statutes and regulations from all jurisdictions, as well as various secondary sources, forms, and briefs–all online.  Available in the library only.
  • Free access to BNA’s U. S. News & World Report both online and print.
  • Free access with Richmond Public Library Card to Gale Legal Forms online.

The Law Library reference desk is generally staffed during normal library hours. If you need assistance, we recommend calling ahead to verify that someone will be there to help you.

For more information about our materials, please visit us, call us at (804) 646-6500, or email us at lawlibrary@richmondgov.com.