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Submitted by Brian J. Archambault, Head Law Librarian, Lawrence Law Library. Public Access Primary Law Databases Available without Charge at Massachusetts Trial Court Libraries The Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries are now offering to our patrons in-library public access to one or more of the following Computer Assisted Legal Research databases at no cost to the patron: Casemaker, Loislaw, Lexis, and/or Westlaw (Printing charges may apply). The subscriptions focus on primary materials (cases, statutes, regulations, court rules, and the like) from Federal, Massachusetts and other states, but some secondary and analytical sources may be included, depending on the database chosen.
Come in to the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Library most convenient to you and try out this new offering. Library staff members are available to assist you in choosing and using the database that is right for your needs. Massachusetts Probate and Family Court Posts Informational Materials in Judiciary's "Self-Help Center" Sixteen of the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court's informational publications are now available on the new Self Help Center on the Massachusetts Judiciary Web Site. To access these materials, users should go to The site contains information created by the Administrative Office of the Probate and Family Court to help unrepresented litigants obtain legal assistance and representation and to navigate the court system.
All materials are posted in two formats. The HTML versions provide live links to other sections of the Judiciary web site and to outside sites and are compatible with devices that allow the physically challenged to make use of material on the Internet. The PDF versions match the paper pamphlets available in the courthouses and Trial Court Law Libraries and are easily printed.
Included in the initial posting of the Self Help Center are the pamphlets entitled "Looking for Legal Assistance?" which provide listings of free legal resources, bar-sponsored lawyer referral services and legal aid organizations in each of the state's fourteen counties. As Probate and Family Court Chief Justice Sean M. Dunphy has said, "For various social and economic reasons, many individuals are initiating and defending cases in the Probate and Family Court with no legal assistance. As a result, litigants, and sometimes their children, lose valuable legal rights. My goal is to encourage people to obtain legal advice, if not full representation, before filing and during the pendency of a case. These pamphlets, originally published in June 2001, provide the information that people need to begin the search for the level of assistance with which they feel comfortable".
The other pamphlets available in the Self Help Center are "Before Asking For Help..." which lists the types of assistance that court-users can expect from staff at the Registries of Probate and "Before Going into Court...", ten tips on how to prepare for an appearance in the courtroom. In the coming months the Self Help Center will become a collection of a wider range of information which is helpful to individuals who do not currently have legal representation. It will include materials currently available in printed format from the Probate and Family Court, information posted elsewhere on the Judiciary web site and links to information on web sites sponsored by other organizations.
Executive Orders Available in Full Text Through Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries Website
Governors of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from time to time issue Executive Orders, which have the force of law. The Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries have for some time now posted a listing of these Executive Orders on our website. We have recently begun to retrospectively add full-text availability of these Executive Orders through our website as well. The link is http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/execorders.html, and we invite you to see the growing list of Executive Orders available in full-text.
Lawrence Law Library Continues to Offer Extended Hours
The Lawrence Law Library is open to the public as follows:
Monday through Thursday: 8:30AM to 8:00PM
Friday: 8:30AM to 4:30PM
Saturday: 10:00AM to 3:00PM Evening and Weekend Hours are made possible by NMRLS funding, as part of the "Reference-On-Call" service. We are available in person, by telephone (978-687-7608), fax (978-688-2346), or email LawrenceLawLibrary@yahoo.com.
The Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries are your Public Law Libraries
The NMRLS Region includes three of the seventeen Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries: Lawrence Law Library, Lowell Law Library, and the Essex Law Library (Salem, MA). Directions, hours, telephone numbers and email addresses for all Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries can be found at http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/.
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