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Law: Home

This guide is designed to help you navigate Library-licensed and open access research sources beyond what you might easily find in UC Library Search.

  • Use the front page to find quick links to frequently requested resources and tools.
  • Explore the tabs on the left to find curated links to specialized resources for different subfields, methodologies, and research questions.

Accessing Electronic Resources?

You can access thousands of e-journals, e-books, databases, and more through UC San Diego Library.

For on-campus access, make sure that you are connected to the UCSD-Protected wifi.

To access library resources from off-campus:

Option 1: Connect through UC Library Search

Sign in to UC Library Search with OpenAthens for seamless access.

Option 2: Sign in at a Publisher or Resource Site

  • Look for 'Sign in Through My Institution' or 'Access via OpenAthens'.
  • Select 'University of California San Diego' and choose OpenAthens Federation if prompted.

Option 3: Connect through Campus VPN

  • Download and open the VPN AnyConnect 
  • Select "2- Step-Secured - all thru UCSD" when prompted for connection type
  • Approve your sign-in through Duo

For help with troubleshooting, visit our Connect to Library Resources page.

Best Bets for Legal Research

Just learning about a topic? Start with secondary sources like books (also known as treatises) or law review articles (scholarly journals of the legal world). Law review articles often contain citations to relevant primary sources (legislation, regulations, court cases) on the topic at hand. Reading secondary sources on your research topic can save you lots of time.

Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) and HeinOnline contain the full text of law review articles and other secondary source research tools, such as legal encyclopedias and other reference books. These databases also include the full text of federal and state case law (published court opinions), regulations, and statutes. 

For lower-level court transcripts, you will generally need to contact the original court for availability and ordering instructions. (Expect to pay a fee.)
►Search tip: See newspapers/media coverage for additional information on cases that never made it to the appellate courts or were otherwise never published.