Law Library collection

We maintain an extensive text and database collection for legal research, in print and online.

Resources

Search print and electronic resources

Law Library catalog

Search across the extensive print and electronic collection at the San Francisco Law Library.
Legal databases

Get free public access to databases, both inside the library and remotely.
Research guides on legal topics

Curated guides to resources from librarians at the San Francisco Law Library.
Self-help

Find free or low-cost self-help resources in the Bay Area.
Legal forms

Find electronic and print forms for court and sample legal agreements at the San Francisco Law Library.

Special collections

Archived materials

Treatises, legal encyclopedias, and jury instructions

Earlier editions of many treatises and legal encyclopedias, including California Jurisprudence and Witkin.

California codes

Superseded volumes from Deering's and West's Annotated California Codes, California Rules of Court, and prior editions of California Codes, beginning in the late 1800s.

The California Statutes as enacted (Chapter Statutes) are available from 1850.

California Administrative Materials archive

Includes all California Administrative Registers from 1945 forward, several snapshots of the California Administrative Code from various years, Notice Registers (Z Registers) starting from 1980, older California Building Codes, and earlier editions of Uniform Building Codes. 

San Francisco Municipal Code archive

Includes older San Francisco charters and municipal codes, various dates and municipal topics. Includes the San Francisco Building Code, along with superseded pages from current loose-leaf editions of the San Francisco Municipal Code.

See our guide to accessing this archive.

Law Practice Management collection

Focuses on the practical and business realities of running a law practice, including opening a practice, marketing, client relations, billing, and more.

See our guide to the LPM collection.

MCLE self-study audio programs

Self-study programs to help attorneys complete their MCLE requirements. CDs may be borrowed or used in the library for a small fee. 

See our guide to MCLE audio programs for a list of all programs and borrowing details.

Help for non-lawyers

Extensive self-help collection from Nolo Press and other publishers. These are guides written by lawyers for non-lawyers, to help people understand legal issues.

You can also access Nolo Press titles remotely for free from anywhere.

Rare book collection

These rare legal books are not currently circulating.

Departments

San Francisco Law Library