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Legal Information Institute
Ithaca, New York, United States
What it is
Legal Information Institute (LII) is a free web resource for finding U.S. legal materials and understanding them. Its collections include the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Code, Code of Federal Regulations, state regulations, Supreme Court opinions and federal rules. LII adds structure to government-published legal data by identifying, extracting, annotating and indexing its features. It also publishes explanatory resources, including Wex, Supreme Court Bulletin previews and case summaries in its Gender Justice Collection. Readers can search case law and statutes and regulations, consult legal commentary, and use citation tools. Read It Online accepts a formal case citation and links to free and paid judicial-opinion resources. Its free Introduction to Basic Legal Citation is maintained by co-founder Professor Peter Martin as an alternative to the Bluebook. State regulations from all 50 states and Washington, DC are available with enhanced features. The site covers U.S. federal law, all 50 states and selected world law, and offers research alerts. LII says it cannot provide legal advice or personalized research help.
For and against
For
- Free public access to legal information and collections
- Searches case law, statutes and regulations
- Read It Online resolves formal case citations
- State regulations include all 50 states and Washington, DC
Against
- No legal advice or personalized research help
- Web platform only
The verdict
LII brings legal collections, search tools and explanatory materials together for public use. Readers needing individualized legal guidance will need help beyond what the site provides.
Who it suits
LII suits readers looking for public legal materials, citation tools and plain-language explanatory resources. It is not a source of legal advice or personalized research assistance.
Plans and prices
Free access
Legal information and collections available to the public free of charge
Read 4 Oct 2026 · about.law.cornell.edu
On the record
- Audience
- LII describes its work as making legal information more findable and understandable for the public.about.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
- Citation resolver
- Read It Online lets users enter a formal case citation to get hyperlinks to free and paid resources for judicial opinions.about.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
- Enriched legal data
- LII identifies, extracts, annotates, indexes, and presents features in government-published legal data.about.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
- Explanatory content
- LII creates original materials including Wex, Supreme Court Bulletin previews, and case summaries in its Gender Justice Collection.about.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
- Legal citation guide
- Introduction to Basic Legal Citation is a free alternative to the Bluebook and is maintained by LII co-founder Professor Peter Martin.about.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
- Legal collections
- The site provides collections including the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Code, Code of Federal Regulations, state regulations, Supreme Court opinions, and federal rules.about.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
- Licensing
- Special licensing or redistribution terms can be requested through the permissions category in LII's contact form.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
- Payments
- LII says it does not sell products or services through the website, and PayPal collects donation credit card numbers rather than LII.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
- Privacy and security
- LII says it takes steps to safeguard personally identifiable information but cannot guarantee electronic data will never be accessed or released inconsistently with its policy.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- LII publishes law online for free and creates materials to help people understand it.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
- State regulations
- LII makes regulations from all 50 states plus Washington, DC available with enhanced features and functionality.about.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
- Support limit
- LII cannot provide legal advice, interpretations of law, or personalized help with legal research or school projects.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
- Technical help
- Users can report site problems through the contact form, and LII says most problems with dysfunctional scripts or software are fixed right away.law.cornell.edu · read 4 Oct 2026
