LibGuides: Representing Yourself in Court: Home

Welcome

This guide is intended to aid non-lawyers and self-represented litigants in finding and decoding legal information. Please click the tabs above to navigate between pages.

Need Legal Advice?

Finding an Attorney
If you want legal advice or representation, see our separate guide on finding an attorney.

Please note that the Drake Law Library cannot specify which laws apply to a situation, interpret the law, help complete forms, or give legal advice.

About the Drake Law Library

Ask a Librarian
Need to talk to a librarian? This page lets you know when professional librarians are available, how you can contact them, and summarizes the services they provide.

Research Overviews

People's Law Library of Iowa
Provides legal information on selected topics, offers tips for researching legal issues and finding an attorney, and defines terminology. Links to Iowa judiciary legal forms relevant to the topics covered.
How to Research a Legal Problem: A Guide for Non-Lawyers
(American Association of Law Libraries)
This guide offers sequential steps and sources intended to help a person with a legal problem find information to resolve or prevent conflict.
Locating the Law
This handbook, intended for non-law librarians, introduces basic concepts of legal research. 6th ed. by the Southern California Association of Law Libraries

Books about Legal Research

These books explain how to conduct legal research. If you don't find what you need in this list, consult the books tab within this guide, or search SuperSearch (the library catalog) or Amazon for "legal research."

Iowa Legal Research by John Edwards, Karen L. Wallace & Melissa H. Weresh
Call Number: Law Library Reserve KFI4275 .I587 (older editions in Law Library Stacks)
Iowa Legal Research Guide by John Edwards, editor
Call Number: Law Library Reserve, Ready Reference, or Iowa Wing KFI4275 .E339 2003
Legal Research: How to Find and Understand the Law by Stephen Elias
Call Number: Law Library Stacks KF240 .E35
Legal Research in a Nutshell by Kent C. Olson & Morris L. Cohen
Call Number: Law Library Stacks KF240 .C54

Books about the Legal System

These books explain the legal system and process. If you don't find what you need in this list, consult the Books tab within this guide, or search SuperSearch (the library catalog) or Amazon for "legal self-help."