Legal Secondary Sources are a particularly important part of the research process. There are simply too many laws to go through, and understanding the laws when you find them can be very difficult. Secondary Sources explain the law and tell you which specific laws are important for the question you are trying to answer. This saves a lot of time in researching.
Free Secondary Sources are an important part of legal research for those without the means to pay for lawyers, and even for lawyers themselves who would rather not pay for access to expensive databases like Westlaw and Lexis.
Free Secondary Sources about the law have traditionally been hard to find. However, there have been a lot of developments in the past several years, and it is becoming easier than ever to find what you need.
State and Federal governments, along with Bar Associations and Legal Aid groups, have recognized the growing need for helping people understand the law.
Model Jury Instructions do a great job explaining the basic elements of a legal issue and often tell you the cases or statutes that are the basis of the instruction.
Benchbooks are books that judges may use as a reference for legal procedure. They often include references to the statutes and cases that provide those rules.
Libraries provide access to books of course. But they also do a lot more. They provide access to electronic databases and online books that can help you understand the law
There are legal encyclopedias that provide basic explanations of different legal topics and can be good to look at. A couple of the more well-known ones are below.