Founded in 1870, the San Francisco Law Library offers free legal information to all with print and online resources and knowledgeable reference assistance.
Serving the public and legal community, the San Francisco Law Library is an autonomous agency established by state law in 1870. It was the first county law library in the state of California, and the model for the statewide county law library system. It is governed by a board of trustees composed of seven members of the San Francisco bar, the mayor, the presiding judge of the superior court, and the judges of the superior court appellate department. The Law Library provides reference assistance, access to online legal databases, and print and electronic legal resource services at its centrally located library in the Civic Center.
It is the mission of the San Francisco Law Library to provide the judiciary, the public, the bar, and city, county, and state officials free access and use of legal reference materials in order that they may conduct their legal affairs and preserve their legal rights.
The San Francisco Law Library is a full-service legal research institution offering a knowledgeable and experienced team of Reference Librarians along with an extensive collection of current and historical legal materials. Drawing on over 70 years of combined legal research and practice experience, our reference team is prepared to guide patrons through the complex laws and procedures of our legal system.
The Law Library collection combines electronic and print resources to provide access to California and Federal primary and secondary legal sources covering a wide range of legal topics including: practice in state and federal court, constitutional issues, intellectual property, employment law, immigration, insurance, real property, and criminal law, to name a few. Library databases available for public use within the library include: Lexis, WestlawNext, CEB OnLaw, Fastcase, HeinOnline, Martin Dean Essential Forms, and Dissomaster. The Nolo Legal Information Reference Center provides remote access to Nolo Press materials written by lawyers for non-lawyers, excelling in providing basic information on areas such as landlord tenant, guardianship, preparing simple wills, and neighbor law. Other special collections include materials on law practice management for solo and small firm attorneys; MCLE audio programs to satisfy California State Bar licensing requirements; and a deep archive of California administrative materials, San Francisco municipal codes, and California state statutes. The Law Library also offers a series of lunchtime seminars on various topics, given by San Francisco lawyers and judges, open to the public. Conference rooms are available to rent for legal purposes only.
