When searching for information in an unfamiliar area of law or legal procedure in Pennsylvania, a great starting point is Westlaw Practical Law.
Why use Westlaw Practical Law?
- Saves Time since there is no need to start from scratch as Standard Documents & Clauses are available
- Familiarize yourself with the area of law for your legal issue
- Learn the steps to putting together a Pennsylvania complaint, motion, mechanic’s lien, or will.
Over 118,000 legal resources are part of this comprehensive source which covers 17 practice areas (divisions of legal work by types of law) including Arbitration, Data Privacy & Cybersecurity, Health Care, Labor & Employment, Litigation, Trusts & Estates.
Where can I access Practical Law?
This resource is part of the Westlaw database available in-person at each Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) location, including the Allegheny County Law Library, using a current CLP card or your Allegheny County Law Library card.
To get to this source, go to the CLP homepage and click on Search the Site and type in Westlaw. You will see Westlaw presentation programs along with the link to the database itself. Click on the database link and once you click on the confirm button, you are in Westlaw. Next, click on the Practical Law icon on the right side of the home page.
Westlaw Practical Law has 88 Pennsylvania Specific Toolkits
After signing in to Westlaw, to navigate to the Toolkits:
- First click on the Jurisdictions tab and select Pennsylvania
- Next, choose Resource Types, i.e. Toolkits, Standard Documents, or Checklists, etc.
- Then choose Toolkits
The Toolkit list is alphabetical by title. Search for a specific one using the search bar at the top of the page or choose the area of law from the list in the left column or scan the list of 88 toolkits to find the one that fits your needs.
The following are a representative list of toolkits for Pennsylvania: Commencing a Lawsuit Toolkit, Responding to a Complaint Toolkit, Motion Practice Toolkit, Mechanics’ Liens Toolkit (PA), and Will Plan Toolkit.
Westlaw’s Practical Law resources are written and kept by over 650 full-time attorney editors. The information contained in the source is continually updated to keep the content current. 134,000+ hours were spent in 2024 supporting and updating the resources by Westlaw’s dedicated team of experts.
To access Westlaw, you can visit Allegheny County Law Library or any Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh location. Though Westlaw is not available for use in your home or away from the Library, with locations across the city, you are never too far from Westlaw.
Let us know if you need further help with this or any other legal information requests by stopping in, asking us virtually by filling out our Ask a Librarian form, or by calling 412.350.5353. We are here to help you.