Barco Law Library: Pennsylvania Law
- PA Legal Research Guide
- A very helpful essay by an experienced Law Librarian describing standard PA resources.
- Pennsylvania Manual
- A guide to current and historical Pennsylvania government.
- PA Government Agency Directory
- Direct phone numbers for people & offices in PA government.
- Allegheny County Website
- The official website with links to all departments.
Legislative Sources
- Pennsylvania Statutes: Unofficial Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes from West
- This site from West provides free access to an unannotated version of West's Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated Statutes.
- PA Bills
- The General Assembly has Bill Information on the Session Information page, for researching PA legislative history. Search by Bill Topic or Bill Number.
Locate a Lobbyist. - Pennsylvania General Assembly
- Current session work, bill updates, committee links. Pennsylvania Manual.
House Democratic Caucus
Senate Democratic Caucus
House Republican Caucus
Senate Republican Caucus - County & Local Government Pages
- Many of these home pages include court rules & local ordinances.
- Allegheny County Website
- The official website with links to all departments.
- Pennsylvania Legislators' Municipal Deskbook
- A source, written for legislators, about the way PA municipal government works. Includes descriptions of legal issues that are signifcant to local governments.
- Pennsylvania Government Charters
- Everything from the Charter for the Province in 1681 to the Constitution in 1776.
Judicial Sources
- State:
- Administrative Office of PA Courts
- Case reports, bar results, notices, court descriptions.
- Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners
- Administrators of the PA Bar Exam.
- PA Superior Court
- Full-text of opinions, forms, schedule, judicial biographies, and history.
- Courts of Common Pleas
- Database of opinions and links to primary Web sites for several PA counties including Westmoreland, Lancaster, Monroe, & Chester initially.
- Court Rules
- PA Rules of Civil Procedure
- PA Rules of Criminal Procedure
- PA Rules of Evidence
- Federal Courts in Pennsylvania
- Western District Court
- Forms, court locations, rules, directory, job listings.
- Third Circuit Court of Appeals
- Case reports, rules, and forms.
- Eastern District Court
- Opinions, news, rules, announcements, document filing, directory.
- Middle District Court
- Local rules, forms, opinions, Pacer, and more.
Local:
Information about court structure, personnel and operations, case scheduling information, local rules, annual reports and more.
Jury homepage provide information and allows prospective jurors the convenience of completing necessary qualification and deferral requests on-line.
Administrative Sources
- PA Government Agency Directory
- Links to all official sites from the State executive, legislative & judicial branches.
- Pennsylvania Code
- Full-text of all PA agency regulations. Search by subject or browse.
- Pennsylvania Bulletin
- Chronological compillation of regulations, governor's orders, rules of court, agency notices.
- State Atty. General
- News, and programs involving consumer issues & crimes.
- PA Environmental Hearing Board
- Full-text opinions since 1997, docket, and general Board info.
- PA Workers Comp Journal
- Workers Compensation court rules, recent decisions, news, and web links.
- Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing
- Sentencing guidelines, commission information, criminal justice links.
Professional Sources
- PA Bar Association
- Lawyers' professional organization.
- PA Disciplinary Board
- Disciplinary rules, FAQs from attorneys and consumers, attorney registration and discipline records.
- Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board
- Approved courses, rules, forms, info for instructors, practitioners, out-of-state lawyers.
- PA Bar Institute
- Continuing legal education course information.
