Washoe County Law Library
Legal Topics Online Guide
This collection is a topical guide to Internet legal websites for the lay-person. Many of these web sites are county, state and federal government resources, bar and other associations, and legal publishers that provide information on legal and related issues.
The Law Library has monthly legal seminars on many of these legal topics. Click here for a complete list and to view archived seminars via video-on-demand.
Attorneys and Legal Agencies
When you need to hire an attorney
- Consumer's Guide to Legal Help - Hiring a Lawyer, by the American Bar Association
- How Lawyer's Charge - Nevada State Bar pamphlet
Attorney Directories
- Lawyers - directory from LexisNexis (Martindale) attorneys with peer review ratings
- Nevada State Bar - Nevada lawyer referral and information service
- Thomson Legal Record - research lawyers by name or practice area
- Washoe County Bar Association - attorneys in Reno, Nevada and surrounding community by practice area
Legal Assistance Agencies
- Lawyer in the Library Program (Reno) - at the Washoe County Law Library
- Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada - low income residents of Clark County Nevada
- Nevada Law Directory - database of free or low cost legal assistance in Nevada
- Nevada Legal Services - volunteers are located in Carson City, Reno, and Las Vegas
- Volunteer Attorneys of Rural Nevada (VARN)- free civil legal services to individuals and families with low income in rural northern Nevada; lawyer in the lobby program NEW!
- Washoe Legal Services - provides legal assistance to qualifying residents of Washoe County
- Washoe County Senior Law Project - services for eligible Washoe County seniors
Adoption
- Child Welfare Information Gateway - information on access to adoption records
- Nevada State Welfare Division - adoption report and birth certificates
- Safe Haven Law in Nevada - allows an infant to be relinquished to proper authorities
- Nevada Division of Child and Family Services - guide to adoption in Nevada and Adoption Reunion Registry
- Washoe County Social Services - adoption information and foster care HaveAHeartNV.org
Arbitration, Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
- American Arbitration Association - free ADR guides, rules and procedures, and some forms
- Mediators of Southern Nevada - promotes mediation for resolving disputes
- Mediation in Nevada Today - UNLV School of Law video
- Neighborhood Mediation Center - Washoe County program offers mediation services to settle disputes at no charge
- Second Judicial District Court (Washoe County) - meditation department
Bankruptcy, Credit, and Debt Collection
- Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Nevada - consumer credit counseling services, bankruptcy, credit laws
- Federal Trade Commission - consumer credit information
- Nevada Legal Services - debt collection and exempt property
- United States Bankruptcy Courts - bankruptcy basics via video on demand
- United States Banktuptcy Court, District of Nevada - bankruptcy forms
- Washoe Legal Services - provides a free bankruptcy clinic
Consumer Protection, Identity Theft, and Privacy
- Consumer.Gov - consumer information from the federal government
- Federal Citizen Information Center - consumer publications on many topics
- Federal Trade Commission - avoiding scams and more, credit, mortgages, more
- Do Not Call Registry
- Identity Theft FTC - what to do if your identity has been stolen
- Internet Crime Complaint Center
- Nevada State Contractor's Board - contractor license search,complaint forms
- Nevada, Bureau of Consumer Protection - protects Nevada consumers from fraudulent and unfair business practices
- FightFraud.nv.gov - protect yourself from scams and avoid foreclosure
- Privacy Rights Clearinghouse - information on privacy protection
- Privacy Resources - federal government information on identity theft, medical records, privacy rights
- Public Utility Commission of Nevada - consumer bill of rights and consumer complaints
Criminal Records, Restoration of Civil Rights, Pardons
- Carson City - sealing criminal records with instructions, sample petitions
- Clark County District Attorney's Office - booklet and forms for use in Clark County
- My Journey Home - support for post-released inmates and their families
- Nevada Board of Pardons - application for a pardon
- Nevada Department of Corrections - inmate database and victim notification forms
- Nevada, Criminal History Records Repository - information on sealing criminal records and background checks
- Nevada Sex Offender Registry - searchable database
- Restoration of civil rights - explanation and form for Nevada
- Washoe County - Public Defender | Alternate Public Defender - defends citizens in criminal suits
- Washoe County Sheriff - finger prints and records, filing complaints, inmate search
- Washoe County - sealing criminal records instructions, sample petitions, laws
Disability & Special Education
- ADA Home Page - guide to disability rights laws, ADA standards and information line
- DisabilityInfo.gov - federal government`s directory relevant to people with disabilities, their families, employers, service providers and other community members
- Overview of Special Educational Law - Nolo Press information on the Findlaw web site
- Nevada Disability & Advocacy Law Center - advocacy and protection for individuals with disabilities
- Nevada PEP - parent information center for families with children with disabilities and supporting professionals
- Nevada Rehabilitation Division - options for individuals with disabilities to live independently
Elder and Senior Law, Guardianship
- California Senior Legal Hotline - free legal advice for California residents
- Elder Protective Services - Nevada Division of Aging agency that investigates abuse of seniors
- National Senior Citizens Law Center - advocates nationwide for low-income seniors and persons with disabilities
- Nevada Care Connection - caregiver resources and information
- Nevada Legal Services - Nevada Seniors Help Line
- Washoe County Bar Association - Seniors & the Law: "A Guide for Aging Nevadans" pamphlet
- Washoe County Senior Services, Senior Law Project - legal services to persons 60 years or over in Washoe County
- Washoe County Public Guardian - court ordered guardianship referral investigations.
- Washoe County Guardianship Training
Employment, Labor, Discrimination, Unemployment
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) - federal law that provides job protected unpaid leave for medical reasons
- Nevada Attorney for Injured Workers - represents injured workers in litigation seeking workers compensation benefits
- Nevada Equal Rights Commission - oversees the state`s equal rights program, handling discrimination complaints relating to race, national origin, color, religion, gender and/or orientation, age (over 40) and disability
- Nevada Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation - unemployment handbook, online filing
- Nevada Legal Services - information on unemployment applications and appeals, petition for judicial review.
- Nevada Division of Industrial Relations - workers compensation, occupational safety and health, mine safety
- Nevada, Office of the Labor Commissioner - enforces labor laws, prosecutes claims, negotiates settlements
- US Department of Labor
- elaws advisors - employment laws assistance for workers and small businesses
- Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) - compliance assistance, laws and regulations, safety & health
- US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - investigates compliants based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, etc.
Family Law: Divorce, Custody, Domestic Violence and Child Welfare
- Clark County, Eighth Judicial District Court - Las Vegas area
- Family Law Self Help Center - Washoe County area
- Nevada, Division of Child & Family Services - adoption, child abuse, child protective services
- Nevada Network Against Domestic Violence - helps communities respond effectively to the needs of victims of domestic violence
- Washoe County, Second Judicial District Court
- Family Court Self Help Center
- Domestic Violence, TPO Office apply for temporary protection orders
- Washoe Legal Services - legal aid for victims of domestic violence
- Washoe Legal Services - Family Court Forms Clinic
Foreclosure Assistance
- Answers to Questions about foreclosure for homeowners in Clark County
- Foreclosure Process in Nevada - from Southern Nevada Legal Services
- Clark County District Court - Mortgage Foreclosure
- MakingHomeAffordable.com - refinancing and home loan modification federal programs
- Nevada Foreclosure Help! - state web site with information on foreclosure options
- Nevada Foreclosure mediation FAQ & Forms and 2009 Nevada legislation on foreclosure
- Nevada Legal Services - foreclosure and other mortgage options
- Nevada's New Foreclosure Mediation Rules - UNLV Law Library Research Guide
For more information on foreclosure for renters click here
Healthcare, Medical and Insurance
- Governor's Office for Consumer Health Assistance Division - provides help with health insurance disputes
- Consumer's Guide to Getting and Keeping Insurance in Nevada
- Consumer's Guide to Handling Disputes with Your... Health Plan - from the KaiserFoundation
- Nevada Division of Insurance
- HIPAA - from the US Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services
- US Dept of Health & Human Service - federal regulations
Immigration Law
- Immigration and Green Cards - information from Nolo Press
- Immigration Law - from Cornell Law Institute
- Immigration Law:a Primer - from Federal Judicial Center
- US CIS.gov - US Citizenship and Immigration Services: forms, electronic filing, case status, employment authorization
Individual and Civil Rights
Intellectual Property
- US Copyright Office - copyright basics, register a work, search
- US Patent and Trademark Office - search 3 million pending, registered and dead trademarks
Lawsuits & Courts
- Inside the Federal Courts - how they work
- How are Laws are Made - Library of Congress, Thomas
- How Courts Work - American Bar Association
- How to Represent Yourself in Court - from Clark County Courts
- Lose a Lawsuit? Collections of judgements
- Understanding the Federal Courts - about the US District Courts, Appellate Courts, and the Supreme Court
Probate, Estates and Wills
- American Bar Association - consumer's toolkit for Health Care Advanced Directives
- Nevada Center for Health & Ethics Policy - forms for advanced directives
- NVLivingWill.com - forms and instructions
- Nevada Last Will and Testament - pamphlet
- Nevada State Bar - Power of Attorney pamphlet
- Nevada State Bar - Probate and Administration of Estates pamphlet
- Synopsis of Nevada Probate Law - from Clark County, District Court
- Washoe County, District Court, Probate Division - calendar, rules, deficiencies, and wills database
Real Estate, Landlord Tenant, Mortgage and Foreclosure
- Silver State Fair Housing Council - fair housing rights, discrimination complaints, nvestigations, and assesses the barriers to fair housing
- Nevada Foreclosure Help - stop foreclosure tool kit
- Nevada Foreclosure for Renters - compiled by the Washoe County Law Library
- Nevada Legal Services - housing and eviction defense
- Nevada Real Estate Division - forms, alternative dispute resolution, common interest communities
- Common Interest Communities - videos on HOA Living and HOA Board duties
- Nevada Law and Reference Guide
- Nevada Residential Disclosure Guide
- Nevada State Bar - homestead pamphlet
- Nevada Supreme Court Foreclosure - information from the NV Supreme court.
- Washoe Legal Services - Landlord Tenant Law - free guide to Nevada laws
Small Business Assistance
- Business.gov - information from federal government agencies.
- CCH Business Owners Toolkit
- Nevada Microenterprise Initiative - funding resources for small business
- Nevada Small Business Development Center
- Nevada State Development Corporation
- US Small Business Administration
- US Small Business Administration, Nevada District Office, Las Vegas
Social Security, Medicare, Retirement
- Medicare.gov - enrollment, programs, prescription drugs, etc.
- MyMedicare.gov - access personalized information regarding your Medicare benefits
- Social Security Administration - retirement benefits, SSI and disability, and medicare
- Social Security Handbook
- Social Security Disability - apply online for benefits
- Your Social Security Earnings Statement
- Social Security Disability Insurance - Nevada Bureau of Disability Adjudication
Taxes (State, County, Federal) & Internal Revenue Service
- Internal Revenue Service - federal tax forms and publications
- Nevada Taxpayers Association - promotes the cause of the taxpayer
- Nevada Department of Taxation - tax rates, business license fees: register, file, and pay online
- Washoe County Assessor - real property assessment, tax rebates
- Real Property Assessment - searchable database
Traffic Citations & Vehicle Insurance
- Auto Insurance - "Consumer's Guide to Auto Insurance Rates in Nevada "
- Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles - search driving record, and links to drivers handbook
- Reno Justice Court - citation division which includes traffic citations
- Sparks Justice Court - citations and tickets
Need more information? Check out the comprehensive legal websites listed below:
- ABA LawInfo.org - information on legal topics
- Findlaw for the Public
- Nolo Press Self-Help Center - publishes legal materials for lay people
- WashLawWeb - Legal Research on the web from Washburn University
Disclaimer: The information on this web page should NOT be construed as providing legal advice; any inquiries relating to legal issues should be directed to legal counsel.
Last Update: September 11, 2010