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Legal Information and Resources

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This resource guide is intended to help the community find reliable information on legal matters, including resources for finding legal representation. The library cannot provide legal advice or recommend a specific attorney or firm.

The guide highlights some common areas of legal research, primarily focused on New Jersey. The list is not comprehensive but will provide an idea of the types of resources to look for to assist in your personal situation. 

The following resources are primarily online resources, but physical materials may be found in the library’s catalog by searching for keywords like “business law,” “estate planning,” etc. You may be specifically interested in the NOLO guides, which are a series of books on a variety of personal and professional legal topics. If you need additional assistance finding information, please contact us.

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General Legal Reference

These resources each cover a wide range of information on many different types of law, so they may be helpful first stops when researching a legal question.

  • Legal Information Reference Center – This database contains legal reference books and a wide range of legal forms and templates on topics including wills, landlord/tenant, copyright and more. Access available in the library; library card required to access remotely.
  • New Jersey State Library – Legal Reference (609-278-2640, ext: 102) – Contact the State Library to speak with law librarians and access additional print and electronic resources.
  • New Jersey Courts Self-Help Center – Provided by the New Jersey Court system, this resource offers legal forms, self-help kits, and court information for representing yourself in a court case, finding court records, managing small claims, landlord-tenant disputes and more.
  • New Jersey Judiciary Ombudsman Program (Mercer County: 609-571-4200, ext. 74205) – Each Superior Court vicinage has an ombudsman. Their staff can help you find information and offices, explain court processes, and guide you through the court process.

Find Legal Representation

While we cannot recommend a specific attorney or firm, there are multiple organizations that can help you identify the correct representation for your needs and/or help you identify free or low-cost legal assistance.

  • NJ.gov – Find Legal Aid – Access a list of legal aid organization for New Jersey residents by county.
  • Legal Services of New Jersey (732-572-9100) – LSNJ coordinates the statewide Legal Services system, which provides free legal assistance to low-income New Jerseyans for their civil legal problems. You can also access handbooks, brochures, and more through their publications page.
  • Central Jersey Legal Services (Mercer County: 609-695-6249) – CJLS is a nonprofit legal aid program that provides free comprehensive civil legal services to low-income residents of Mercer, Middlesex, and Union Counties.
  • Community Health Law Project (Central New Jersey: 609-392-5553) – CHLP provides legal and advocacy services, training, education, and related activities to persons with disabilities and chronic health conditions.
  • Mercer County Bar Association (609-585-6200) – Contact the Bar Association’s lawyer referral service to find attorneys working in the area.
  • List of New Jersey County Bar Associations – Contact the Bar Association’s lawyer referral service to find attorneys working in a specific county.
  • NJ State Bar Association Military Legal Assistance Program (888-541-1900) – NJSB provides free legal help in civil cases to New Jersey residents who have served overseas since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the areas of family law, employment law, debtor/creditor law and military/administrative law.
  • Martindale.com – This database allows you to browse attorneys and firms by location or area of practice. Peer and client reviews are included.
  • American Bar Association Directory of Law School Public Interest & Pro Bono Programs (800-285-2221) – Find law schools and other programs that offer free or low-cost legal assistance.
  • National Disability Rights Network (New Jersey, Disability Rights NJ: 609-292-9742) – NDRN is the nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and Client Assistance Programs (CAP). Collectively, the P&A/CAP network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.
  • New Jersey Office of New Americans Legal Services – Assistance is available for the NJ Detention and Deportation Defense Initiative, which provides legal support for someone who is facing deportation and/or has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Legal Representation for [Unaccompanied] Children and Youth Program (201-305-9217), which provides free legal counsel and social services coordination to migrant children and youth arriving to New Jersey as unaccompanied minors seeking refuge.

New Jersey Law and Related Resources

There are resources available through the state to help you research current New Jersey law and to learn more about pending legislation.

  • New Jersey Statute searchable database (unannotated): Navigate by keyword search or using the sidebar to jump to specific sections
  • New Jersey Administrative Code online access, NJ Office of Administrative Law – The Administrative Code details how various state entities implement New Jersey laws.
  • New Jersey Executive Orders (1954 – present) – The NJ State Library (NJSL) Law Library’s Executive Branch resource page offers direction to searchable, digitized archive of gubernatorial executive orders, from Governor Edison through Governor Kean, as well as comprehensive online access to orders issued by Governors Hughes through Murphy.
  • New Jersey Court Opinions – Court decisions are called opinions. The NJCourts website includes both “published” and “unpublished” opinions. Published opinions set legal precedent and can be used to support legal arguments in future New Jersey court cases. Unpublished opinions do not set legal precedent and usually are not cited in other court cases.
  • Find your state representatives – Find names and contact information for members of the New Jersey State Legislature.
  • Bill Search, New Jersey Legislature Office of Legislative Services (OLS) – Although OLS does not provide research assistance to the general public, it does maintain a toll-free information service in New Jersey (800-792-8630) through which the public may inquire as to the status of a bill, the calendar of events, legislative rosters, legislative procedures and other general information.

Additional resources:

  • Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Office of Witness Advocacy (609-989-6428) – The Office of Victim Witness Advocacy provides crime victims and witnesses with services designed to help them cope with the aftermath of victimization and make their participation in the criminal justice process less difficult and burdensome.
  • New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Division of Consumer Affairs (609-984-5828)- this Division oversees a large portion of, though not all, professional licensure for the state of New Jersey. It also contains the Office of Consumer Protection, Lemon Law Unit, and more.

Federal Law and Related Resources

These resources can help you research current federal law and to learn more about pending legislation.

Elder/Senior Law

These resources can assist people looking to ensure the care and quality of life of seniors.

New Jersey Division of Aging Services, NJ Department of Human Services – This division oversees several offices and programs targeted to ensuring that seniors in New Jersey receive appropriate care, whether they remain at home or enter a care facility. The following resources are overseen by this division:

  • Office of the Public Guardian for Elderly Adults (609-588-6500)- The Office of the Public Guardian for Elderly Adults makes legal, financial and healthcare decisions for individuals aged 60 and older who have been determined by a Superior Court judge to be incapacitated.
  • Adult Protective Services (Mercer County: 609-989-4346)- This program investigates reports of suspected abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults living in the community. 
  • Long Term Care Ombudsman (877-582-6995)- This office investigates and responds to complaints of abuse, neglect and exploitation of individuals 60 years of age and older who reside in licensed facilities within the State, both public and private. 
  • Area Agencies on Aging – Each county in New Jersey has an office that develops comprehensive, coordinated service systems for adults aged 60 and over.

Additional resources:

  • Mercer County Surrogate Court (609-989-6331)- This court is involved with probate, will, executorship, trusteeship, and other estate matters.
  • NJ Probate Law – This article from NOLO helps explain probate law in New Jersey, which deals with the handling of a person’s estate.
  • Adult Guardianship, New Jersey Courts Self-Help Center
  • Center for Modern Aging Princeton (609-751-9699) – While the senior center cannot provide direct legal assistance, their casework service can help direct seniors and caregivers to additional resources specific to their needs.

Employment Law

Employers and employees can find guidance on applicable state and federal laws and resources below.

Family Law

These resources cover topics like divorce, custody, and child support.

  • New Jersey Child Support information hub (877-655-4371)
  • New Jersey Department of Children and Families (855-463-6323)
  • New Jersey Courts Self-Help Resource Center – Find topics under the “self-represented” heading including child support, divorce, and domestic violence.
  • NJ State Bar Association Military Legal Assistance Program (888-541-1900) – NJSB provides free legal help in civil cases to New Jersey residents who have served overseas since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the areas of: family law, employment law, debtor/creditor law, and military/administrative law.
  • Court Appointed Special Advocates (Mercer County: 609-434-0050) – The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of New Jersey program, together with county-based CASA programs, supports and promotes best interest child advocacy so that every child and youth placed in foster care and other out-of-home placements can be safe, have a permanent home, and the opportunity to thrive. CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for a child’s best interests in court and the community.  

Immigration/Citizenship Law

Find information to assist current and potential immigrants as well as resources for preparing for the US citizenship test.

Materials for citizenship test preparation:

Landlord/Tenant Law

Both landlords and tenants can find resources below for handling disputes.

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