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Law School Home

Legal Research Resources for the Public: Overview

Welcome to the University of Michigan Law School Library

Although the law library cannot provide legal advice, you are welcome to use the law library for your own legal research. Many of the resources of the MLaw Library are open to community patrons. This guide will help public patrons understand how to use the Library, how to get started in their legal research, and where to go for help in legal matters.

The library may have restricted hours and building access during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Please check our main website for the most up-to-date information about our visitor access policy, building hours, and public health requirements for using the space.

What Librarians Can Do For You

Library Staff Can:

  • Help you locate specific resources or categories in the catalog.
  • Instruct you on how to use the law library resources for your research.
  • Direct you to a list of legal assistance organizations that may be relevant to your research.

Library Staff Cannot:

  • Give legal advice or opinions.
  • Do legal research for you.
  • Tell you which forms you may need or where to file them.
  • Check out library materials to a member of the public.

For questions about using the library as a member of the public, give us a call at (734) 764-9324.

Need Help?

  Call us at 734-764-9324

text message icon Text us at 734-329-5606

twitter bird icon Tweet @ us!

  Email us at askalawlibrarian@umich.edu. Emails are answered by Librarians during standard business hours, Monday-Friday. Patrons may expect a response within 1-2 business days for most emails.

  Consult with us. Schedule an appointment to meet with a Reference Librarian.

  Visit us at the Information Desk on Sub-1 for immediate in-person assistance. Open 8 am - midnight, Sunday-Thursday, and 8am - 10pm, Friday-Saturday*

 

The chat service is available to all of our patrons but is designed to meet the legal research needs of U-M students, staff, and faculty.

Chat is monitored from 1-7 pm Monday-Wednesday and 1-5 pm Thursday-Friday on days when class is in session.

*Excluding University holidays and semester breaks--check library hours for more information. The Building and library are available to law school community ONLY after 6 pm, and are closed to all but law school community on home football Saturdays.