Oregon Legal Research

To conduct thorough and effective legal research, use a research process consisting of the following steps: (1) Offline preparation - define your legal issue, identify important facts and the relevant jurisdiction, and generate search terms; (2) Read secondary sources such as encyclopedias, practice guides, treatises, and law journal articles in order to understand your legal issue and find citations to primary sources; (3) Find enacted law (constitutions, statutes, rules); (4) Find and analyze case law; and (5) Update, read, and analyze all sources and conduct follow-up research. 

This guide identifies websites and research platforms you will use as you move through the research process for issues involving Oregon law. If you need help finding a resource in the law library, please contact our circulation desk. If you have a question about a resource or would like to add a resource to this guide, please contact Megan Austin or Kelly Reynolds. 

Beth Williams & David Dames, Researching Oregon Initiatives and Referendums, 26 Legal Reference Services Q. 273 (2007). (Access through HeinOnline for law students and faculty). 

Guide to Law Online: Oregon is a research guide from the Law Library of Congress with links to free, online legal materials.

Boley Law Library Oregon Legal Research Guide is a comprehensive guide by the Boley Law Library at Lewis and Clark Law School.

Willamette University Law Library Oregon Law Guide provides a thorough outline of links to online Oregon legal resources.

Oregon Legal Research: Primary and Secondary Sources - CALI lesson (CALI is a subscription service for law students and faculty). 

State of Oregon Law Library provides comprehensive access to the public to Oregon legal resources and provides several research guides on common research topics.