Attorneys may have a reputation for preferring paper over electronic books, but the sheer number of excellent online resources for lawyers out there seems to indicate otherwise.
 

Online Resources for Lawyers: High-Quality Legal Information at Your Fingertips

Whether you are looking to get up to speed with the latest developments in the industry, do some legal research, or explore potential job opportunities, the list below might be a great place to start.

Note that while most of the resources below are free, some are paid or have a paid version. You may be able to access some of the paid content using your association’s or employer’s logins.

 

News, Analyses, and Industry Trends 

• American Bar Association. News, industry developments, career advice, articles about the legal profession, and more.
• Bloomberg Law. News and articles on major cases, transactions, and developments in the legal field.
• Harvard Law School. Legal news, articles, and analyses.
• JD Supra. Syndicated content from a wide array of legal and business publications, all under one roof. 
• Law.com. Legal news, surveys, and an up-to-date overview of the legal market. 
• Lexology. Analysis, insights, and international legal updates provided by more than 900 law firms and service providers around the world. Searchable online library with 850,000+ articles, including 450+ new entries daily.
• Stanford Law School. News and commentary on various legal topics.
• The American Lawyer Magazine. A monthly magazine featuring industry news, articles, and analyses of current issues.
• Yale Law School. News, articles, and commentary on current affairs.

 

Legal Research Tools 

• Casetext. Statutes and case law research, brief analysis, and AI-powered drafting.
• e-CFR. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations.
• Fastcase App. Free mobile research app for iPhone/iPad. Includes cases and statutes from states plus federal law.
• Federal Register. Daily journal of the U.S. Government. 
• GovTrack. Monitor federal legislation and bills.
• Google Scholar. Case law and law review articles.
• Justia. Federal and state statutes, case law, and a free PACER search.
• Municode. Municipal codes.
• ROSS. AI-powered legal research software.
• SSRN. Multidisciplinary academic journals, including law review articles.

 

Court System

• Court Statistics Project. Caseload data.
• DOJ Justice 101. A project of the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys. Introduction and FAQs about the Federal Court System, legal terms glossary, career center, news, library with resources for lawyers, statistical reports, and more.
• Federal Bar Association. Association news, events, and resources.
• National Center for State Courts. State court educational resources, trending topics, and events.
• United States Courts. Official website of the U.S. federal courts.
• World Legal Information Institute. Free and independent access to international law.

 

Career Advice and Legal Directories

• CareerDicta. Career advice for law students and practicing lawyers with a particular focus on what happens after you pass the bar. The articles range from how to market yourself as a solo lawyer to how to start a virtual law office.
• Chambers Associate. Individual profiles of the major law firms. Reports and surveys on the industry.
• FindLaw. Legal news, job listings, case law, and educational resources for law students and legal professionals.
• LawJobs.com. Classifieds, job openings, and nationwide ads for paralegals, legal support staff, and attorneys. The dedicated career center lists career profiles, salary information, and career advice. 
• Martindale. Attorney directory. Search by law school and geographic or practice area. 
• National Association of Law Placement. Legal employee directory plus various statistical reports.
• Vault. Law firm rankings and profiles, career advice, and a “Day in the Life” series of articles, which provide a look into the daily lives of attorneys in a few different fields.

 

Legal Practice Management

• Lawyerist. Resource and community hub for setting up, running, and growing a small law firm. Includes resources about office management, marketing, finances, legal software, client services, and more.
• The Balance Small Business. Articles on law firm management, career issues, and legal skills.

• Women in Law

• Ms. JD. Ms. JD features general career advice for all students as well as targeted resources for women considering law school or legal practice. 

 

Women in Law

• Ms. JD. Ms. JD features general career advice for all students as well as targeted resources for women considering law school or legal practice. 

 

Podcasts

• ABA Journal: Asked and Answered. Discussions on various legal topics and current affairs with industry leaders.
• ABA Journal: Modern Law Library. Top legal authors present their works and discuss historical events, legal theories, and more.
• Legal Toolkit. New ideas, services, and programs to improve your practice and workflow.

 

Entertainment

• Above the Law. News, recent developments, law firm directory, and the latest legal gossip. 

 

Lawyers and Law Firms are Going Digital 

With widespread digitalization sweeping across the legal industry, you may find yourself doing more and more of your work online – from research to client meetings and beyond.

According to the 2020 Legal Trends Report by client intake and practice management software provider Clio: 

• As much as 85% of the polled law firms said they used practice management software.
• 79% of lawyers stored their firm’s data on some type of cloud platform.
• 73% of firms accepted electronic payments.
• 62% of the polled firms allowed clients to sign and share documents digitally.
• 83% of firms said they now meet with clients virtually.

The Hidden Risks of Online Work

The FBI’s 2020 Internet Crime Report recorded a 69% increase in the number of cybercrime complaints in the country compared to 2019. In total, this amounted to a record 791,790 complaints and over $4.1 billion in associated losses.

Businesses, in particular, seem to have been the favorite target of cybercriminals, with 19,369 complaints of Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes and adjusted losses of $1.8 billion.

What these figures suggest is that lawyers using electronic solutions in their practice should be extra vigilant. To help avoid cyberattacks, consider investing in advanced IT security systems, update your hardware and software regularly, and only use reputable online resources.
 

Consider Getting Cyber Insurance for Attorneys

Unfortunately, cyberattacks could happen even if you take precautions. 

To help cover yourself and your firm against financial loss due to data breaches, you may want to take out cyber liability insurance. Our cyber policies can give you peace of mind when working online.

Get a free quote today.