Research Databases

Boston College's Law Library subscribes to over 200 legal databases, providing a wide variety of resources. These databases can be accessed from this A-Z List.  Law students also have access to all of the University’s databases, which can be filtered by subject (e.g., biology, social work, gender studies) or database type (e.g., data/statistics, newspapers, market research/industry reports.  On this page, you can find information regarding legal research, study aids, and recommended databases. 

The Teaching & Research librarians are always happy to consult with you to determine the best databases for your specific research project. Connect with us using any of the methods below.

Email Us

Email us your research questions to lawresearchhelp@bc.edu and we'll get back to you by the next business. You also can call us at 617-552-2971 during our scheduled reference hours.

Request a Research Consultation

You can request an online or in-person appointment with a research librarian. We can help you get started with a research project or paper, train you on legal databases, give you tips on navigating the Bluebook, or help you locate specific sources. You can choose a specific librarian or the first available.

Chat with a Librarian

To get live help with a research question, you can request to chat with a research librarian during our scheduled reference hours.

Help With Common Legal Research Tasks

Study Aids

The Law Library subscribes to multiple sources of study aids for class and exam prep. Before buying an expensive study aid, check out the resources available to you for free! For more help, see our BC Law Library Research Guide on Study Aids and Exam Preparation Resources.

Bloomberg Law: Law School Course Resources

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Features course-specific resources, including advanced courses, as well as class prep & stress management resources.

West Academic Study Aids

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Includes hornbooks, legal outlines, case briefs and exam prep materials and more!

CALI

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The Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction: Ask for Registration Code at the Information Desk in the Law Library.

Aspen Learning Library

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Includes Examples & Explanations, Glannon Guides, Emanuel Outlines, and more!

Popular and Recommended Databases

Below are some of BC Law's most popular databases, with explanations as to how they can best serve your research needs. Additionally, this section contains some student favorites for specific courses and databases recommended by the Law Librarians. 

Featured Database

Each year one of the "Students' Favorites" is selected to be featured as a top resource. Check back to see if your recommendation is selected next year!


U.S. Code from the House of Representatives’ Office of Law Revision Counsel

I found this free database to be a convenient and easy way to easily search through statutes by their popular names or by their Public Law/Statutes at Large numbers. After learning about it, I have made heavy use of it for Law Review work and some other assignments as well. It has made life infinitely easier when dealing with current and no-longer-in-force statutes.
John Ferraro, 3L (Advanced Legal Research)