Legal Reference Sources Subject Guide

Legal Encyclopedias

9 resources available
- Restricted to WMU users  - Open Access

Encyclopedias have articles on major topics of the law. They emphasize statutory and case law, with extended footnotes. They are a good starting point for the study of a legal issue. Consult the pocket part of each volume for up-to-date information. It is usually necessary to approach these encyclopedias by first using the Index volumes.

American Jurisprudence

2nd edition (Am.Jur.2d)
KF 154 .A4 1962 (Ref)
Subtitle: A modern comprehensive text statement of American law, State and Federal. This multi-volumed work includes general articles that collect, examine, and summarize the broad principles of American law and, at the same time, provide direct leads to supporting cases, related annotations, forms, proofs, and trial techniques. Alphabetically arranged in more than 400 topics or chapters.

Corpus Juris Secundum (C.J.S.)

KF 154 .C6x (Ref)
Use this sophisticated encyclopedia to gain an overview of legal topics including positions taken in specific cases across the country. Multivoumes cover over 400 topics from civil, criminal, substantive, procedural, state, and federal law. Entries are kept current with cumulative pocket parts.

Encyclopedia of Conflict Resolution

HM 136 .B783 1997 (Ref)
Covers both historical issues and current topics including the subcategories of negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. Gives an introduction to concepts, techniques, information, and resources in the field of conflict resolution.

Encyclopedia of Law and Economics

A free five-volume online encyclopedia covering many aspects of law and economics. Searchable by author and keywords. Includes 20,000 bibliographic citations.

Encyclopedia of Law & Society

K 583 .E53 2007 (Ref)
A 3 vol. encyclopedia organized around 11 themes such as the sociology of law, law and economics, criminology, etc. A Reader's Guide at the front of the first volume identifies the terms found under each theme but the encyclopedia itself is organized alphabetically by the entry name. Individuals, countries, and disciplines are interrelated to sociolegal studies by over 500 specialists.

Gale Encyclopdia of Everyday Law

KF 387 >G27 2003 (Ref)
A "two-volume encyclopedia of practical information on laws and issues affecting people's everyday lives" (Introduction).
A guide for the layperson arranged in 24 catagories, e.g., education, immigration, Internet, real estate, etc.

Legal Atlas of the United States

KF 387 .F35 1997 (Central Reference)
A 1997 title made up of more than 140 maps of the country illustrating "how states differ" on various legal issues, e.g., family law, personal law, violent crime, property crime, the justice system and corrections.

Oxford International Encyclopedia of Legal History

K50 .O94 2009 (Ref)
This 6-volume "comprehensive, international, interdisciplinary reference work includes approximately 1,000 articles on all aspects of legal history throughout the world from ancient to modern times. ... Addresses major categories of law including private law (contract, tort, civil procedure), varieties of public law (criminal law, administrative law, statutory law), and higher law/ constitutional law" (Excerpted from Syndetic Solutions). A detailed index, bibliographies, and cross-references exist and in the last volume, there is a topical outline of world legal history arranged by the eight legal systems.

West's Encyclopedia of American Law

KF 154 .W47 2005 (Ref)
A multi-volume reference work containing entries on a very broad range of topics relating to law. The entries include short biographies and accounts of important court cases and controversies. Kept up to date with annual supplements.

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