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Reviewed 15 November 2009 See also Legal Research and Assistance, below.  E-mail: Administrator@LawSource.com

Pennsylvania Court Decisions

Supreme Court (Pa.) Superior Court (Pa. Super. Ct.) * Commonwealth Court (Pa. Commw. Ct.) * ————— U.S. District Court — Eastern District (E.D. Pa.) U.S. District Court — Middle District (M.D. Pa.) U.S. District Court — Western District (W.D. Pa.) * —————  * No search function.

Appellate cases can be retrieved by citation (e.g., “542 Pa. 614” or “447 Pa. Super. 388” or “669 A.2d 338”) from a LEXIS database (free searching goes back five years only). There is also a text-search function. (Registration is required but is free.)

Pennsylvania Constitution and Legislation

1. Constitution (Pa. Const.)
   Additional Resources
   ¶  Pennsylvania Constitution Web Page ... [Duquesne Univ. Law Sch.] — “This site is meant to be a primary source of information about the text, history, and meaning of the Pennsylvania Constitution. Lawyers, journalists, and members of the public are welcome to start here when beginning research about the Pennsylvania Constitution, Pennsylvania cases pending in various courts, current public policy debates, and information about the constitutions of other states.”

2. Bills
   See also the Pennsylvania General Assembly web site.

3. Laws of Pennsylvania (Pa. Laws)
   Note—The legislature's web site provides links to the texts of enacted bills that were approved (and so became session laws), from 1975 to the present. Alternatively, those bills are presented as pamphlet laws, from 1980 to the present, on the web site of the Legislative Reference Bureau.

4. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes
   Note—The official codification, Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, is not currently available on the legislature's web site. The principal unofficial codification, known as Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes, is available free on the internet at the Thomson/West web site.
   Additional Resources
   ¶  “Compiling a Pennsylvania Legislative History — Making a Daunting Task Seem Easy” by Kristin McKeaney, Reference Librarian ... [Jenkins Law Library (Pa.)] — This article is reproduced from Pennsylvania Law Weekly. See also a slightly briefer treatment, “How to Compile a Pennsylvania Legislative History.” (Note: Legislative histories on the provider's web site are not available free.) ¶  Unofficial Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes ... [Martin Law Offices, L.L.P. (Pa.)] — This collection is maintained by a district court judge.
   ¶  Inheritance and Estate Tax Act ... [Daniel B. Evans, Esq. (Pa.)]

Pennsylvania Rules of Procedure and Practice

Rules of Procedure ♦ State Court Rules
Rules of Judicial Administration (Pa. R. Jud. Admin.) ————— Rules of Appellate Procedure (Pa. R. App. P.) Rules of Civil Procedure (Pa. R. Civ. P.) Rules of Criminal Procedure (Pa. R. Crim. P.) Criminal Sentencing Guidelines Rules of Evidence (Pa. R. Evid.) ————— Orphans' Court Rules (Pa. Orphans' Ct. R.) District Court Rules of Civil Procedure (Pa. Dist. Ct. R. Civ. P.) Minor Court Civil Rules
See also a collection of so-called general rules for the judicial system.
Local Court Rules ♦ U.S. Court Rules
Bucks County Courts—Rules Centre County Court of Common Pleas Civil Rules Forest County Court of Common Pleas Rules Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas Rules Lycoming County Court of Common Pleas Rules Mercer County Court of Common Pleas Rules Pike County Court of Common Pleas Rules Warren County Court of Common Pleas Rules ————— Philadelphia Orphans' Court Rules Schuylkill County Orphans' Court Rules York County Orphans' Court Rules ————— U.S. District Court Rules—Eastern District (E.D. Pa. R.)     —Middle District (M.D. Pa. R.)     —Western District (W.D. Pa. R.) U.S. Bankruptcy Court Rules—Eastern District (E.D. Pa. Bankr. R.)     —Middle District (M.D. Pa. Bankr. R.)     —Western District (W.D. Pa. Bankr. R.)
See also a page of links to local court rules.
Rules of Practice ♦ Judicial Rules ♦ Professional Ethics Decisions
Admission to Practice Professional Ethics and Conduct ————— Judicial Conduct
1. Rules and Regulations for Continuing Legal Education
   Additional Resources
   ¶  Orphans' Court Rules ... [Daniel B. Evans, Esq. (Pa.)]
   ¶  Selected rules of practice and procedure ... [District Court 15-4-04 (Chester County)] — Incomplete collections of the rules of civil and criminal procedure.
   ¶  Summary of district court procedure ... [District Court 15-4-04 (Chester County)] — A fairly comprehensive summary of procedure (and jurisdiction and venue) as well as a brief history of Pennsylvania district justice Courts (located at the end of a home page; scroll down the page to find this).

Pennsylvania Administrative Law Sources

Regulations
Pennsylvania [Administrative] Code (Pa. Code) Pennsylvania Bulletin (Pa. Bull.)
1. Opinions ♦ Decisions ♦ Orders ♦ Rulings
   Liquor Control Board Advisory Notices

Pennsylvania Local Law Sources

Charters
Allegheny County Delaware County Erie County Lackawanna County Lehigh County Northampton County Philadelphia  
Note that a charter could be included in a collection of ordinances (see below) instead of being separately accessible.
County Ordinances
Allegheny County <2>   
Click on the button keyed to the name of the county. NOTE: On some web sites, selecting the state is necessary for access to the ordinances link.
Municipal Ordinances
Abington Township <4> Allegheny Township <4> Antrim Township <4> Baldwin Borough <4> Bensalem <5> Bern Township <4> Birmingham Township <4> Bloomsburg <4> Bradford <4> Brecknock Township <4> Bridgeville Borough <4> Brighton Subdivision <4> Bristol Township <4> Brookville Borough <4> Butler Township <4> California Borough <4> Caln Township <4> Carlisle Borough <4> Catasauqua Borough <4> Chambersburg Borough <4> Cheltenham Township <4> Chestnuthill Township <4> Clarion Borough <4> Coatesville <4> College Township <4> Columbia Borough <4> Concord Township <4> Conewago Township <4> Coudersport Borough <4> Crafton Borough <4> Denver Borough <4> Derry Township <4> Dickinson Township <4> Downingtown Borough <4> Doylestown Borough <4> Doylestown Township <4> Eagles Mere Borough <4> East Bradford Township <4> East Brandywine Township <4> East Caln Township <4> East Cocalico Township <4> East Goshen Township <4> East Greenville Borough <4> East Norriton Township <4> East Whiteland Township <4> Ebensburg Borough <4> Economy Borough <4> Edgewood Borough <4> Emsworth Borough <4> Ephrata Borough <4> Evans City Borough <4> Exeter Township <4> Falls Township <4> Forks Township <4> Fox Chapel Borough <4> Franconia Township <4> Franklin Park Borough <4> Franklin Township <4> Glenolden Borough <4> Greencastle Borough <4> Greene Township <4> Greensburg <4> Hanover Township <4> Hatfield Township <4> Haverford Township <4> Heidelberg Borough <4> Hempfield Township <4> Hilltown Township <4> Horsham Township <4> Jenkintown Borough <4> Johnstown <2> Kane Borough <4> Kenhorst Borough <4> Kennett Township <4> Kidder Township <4> Kilbuck Township <4> Kingston Township <4> Kutztown Borough <4> Lancaster <4> Lansdale Borough <4> Lansdowne Borough <4> Leetsdale Borough <4> Lewisburg Borough <4> Ligonier Township <4> Limerick Township <4> Londonderry Township <4> Lower Allen Township <4> Lower Frederick Township <4> Lower Gwynedd Township <4> Lower Makefield Township <4> Lower Merion Township <4> Lower Moreland Township <4> Lower Providence Township <4> Lower Salford Township <4> Lower Saucon Township <4> Malvern Borough <4> Manheim Township <4> Marple Township <4> Meadville <3> Media Borough <4> Middle Smithfield Township <4> Middlesex Township <4> Middletown Borough <4> Middletown Township <4> Monaca Borough <4> Monroeville <4> Montgomery Township <4> Moosic Borough <4> Morrisville Borough <4> Mount Joy Township <4> Mount Pleasant Township <4> Murrysville <4> Nether Providence Township <4> New Garden Township <4> New Hope Borough <4> New Wilmington Borough <4> Newtown Township <4> Norristown <4> North Codorus Township <4> North Cornwall Township <4> North Coventry Township <4> North Middleton Township <4> North Strabane Township <4> Northampton Township <4> Oakmont Borough <4> O'Hara Township <4> Palmer Township <4> Palmerton Borough <4> Patterson Township <4> Patton Township <4> Pen Argyl Borough <4> Penn Township <4> Philadelphia <2> Pittsburgh <5> Pleasant Hills Borough <4> Plumstead Township <4> Plymouth Township <4> Pocopson Township <4> Pottsville <4> Punxsutawney Borough <4> Radnor Township <4> Ralpho Township <4> Ridley Park Borough <4> Ridley Township <4> Rostraver Township <4> Royersford Borough <4> Sayre Borough <4> Schwenksville Borough <4> Scranton <4> Sewickley Borough <4> Shaler Township <4> Sharon <2> Shippensburg Borough <4> Skippack Township <4> South Fayette Township <4> Spring Garden Township <4> Spring Grove Borough <4> Springettsbury Township <4> Springfield Township <4> Springfield Township <4> Steelton Borough <4> Straban Township <4> Sunbury <4> Swarthmore <2> Swatara Township <4> Thornbury Township <4> Tobyhanna Township <4> Towamencin Township <4> Trafford Borough <4> Tredyffrin Township <4> Union Township <4> Upper Allen Township <4> Upper Dublin Township <4> Upper Frederick Township <4> Upper Gwynedd Township <4> Upper Merion Township <4> Upper Moreland Township <4> Upper Pottsgrove Township <4> Upper Providence Township <2> <4> Upper Uwchlan Township <4> Warrington Township <4> Warwick Township <4> Washington Township <4> Waynesboro Borough <4> West Brandywine Township <4> West Chester Borough <4> West Conshohocken Borough <4> West Goshen Township <4> West Hanover Township <4> West Lampeter Township <4> West Whiteland Township <4> Westtown Township <4> Whitemarsh Township <4> Whitpain Township <4> Wilkes-Barre <5> Wilkinsburg Borough <4> Willistown Township <4> Wilson Borough <4> Worcester Township <4> Wright Township <4> York Township <4>      
Click on the button keyed to the name of the municipality. NOTE: On some web sites, selecting the state is necessary for access to the ordinances link.
Additional Resources
¶  Philadelphia Charter and Municipal Code — Amendments ... [LocalLaw Publications, Inc. (Pa.)] — Find amendments since 1997 by entering a keyword, or an ordinance number, or a code section number, in a search form.

Pennsylvania Law-Related Periodicals

1. Journal of Constitutional Law (J. Const. L.) ... [Univ. of Pennsylvania Law Sch.]
2. Villanova Journal of Law and Investment Management (Vill. J.L. & Inv. Mgmt.)

Other Pennsylvania Commentary

1. Newspaper Handbook ... [Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers' Ass'n] — A legal reference tool for newspaper publishers, editors, reporters, and business personnel. It contains summaries of laws that affect the editorial, operational, and advertising functions of a newspaper (but are generally useful beyond the scope of a newspaper business).

2. The Pennsylvania Manual ... [Pennsylvania Dep't of Gen. Servs.] — Information presented in nine sections with these titles: Pennsylvania Past and Present; Constitution of Pennsylvania; General Assembly; Executive; Judiciary; Local Government; Elections; The Federal Government. Includes an appendix (miscellaneous information) and two indexes.

3. Legal Guide to Doing Business in Pennsylvania. Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC. ... [Lex Mundi]

Pennsylvania Law-Related Topical Web Sites

Pennsylvania Court Information

Web Sites
Unified Judicial System (Administrative Office of the Courts) ————— Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Centre County Court of Common Pleas Chester County Court of Common Pleas Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Forest County Court of Common Pleas Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas Mifflin County Court of Common Pleas Northampton County Court of Common Pleas Philadelphia Courts Pike County Courts Warren County Court of Common Pleas York County Courts ————— District Court 15-4-04 [Chester County] ————— U.S. District Court—Eastern District     —Middle District     —Western District U.S. Bankruptcy Court—Eastern District     —Middle District     —Western District
Addresses ♦ Names ♦ Numbers
Prothonotaries ————— Mercer County Courts York County Courts ————— District Justices — Mifflin County

Pennsylvania Forms

1. Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts — Forms
   Court Forms
   Chester County—Orphans' Court ————— U.S. District Court—Western District

2. State Agency Forms
   1. Revenue Department
      Tax Forms and Publications ... Documents are in PDF files.
   2. Department of Transportation
      Driver and Vehicle Services Forms

3. Business Entity Forms ...[Paracorp, Inc. (Cal.)] — Convenient interface to view and print in-blank official state forms (in PDF files) for filing by business entities. A JavaScript-enabled browser is required.

Other Pennsylvania Resources

Government-Related Web Sites
General Assembly     —Senate     —House of Representatives Judicial Branch ————— Attorney General ————— Revenue Department Secretary of State
See also the Piper Resources list of sites.
Additional Resources
¶  Vital Records — Contact Information ... [Elizabeth Orsay (Ind.)]
¶  Workers' Compensation — Agency Contact and Staff Contact Information ... [Robert W. McDowell / North Carolina Industrial Commission]
Bar Associations ♦ Law-Related Organizations
Pennsylvannia Bar Association Pennsylvania Bar Institute ————— Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania Justinian Society Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Pennsylvania Defense Institute Pennsylvania Association for Justice [formerly: Trial Lawyers Association] ————— Allegheny County Bar Association Berks County Bar Association Bucks County Bar Association Chester County Bar Association Cumberland County Bar Association Dauphin County Bar Association Delaware County Bar Association Erie County, Bar Association of Lehigh County, Bar Association of Lycoming [County] Law Association Mercer County Bar Association Monroe County Bar Association Montgomery [County] Bar Association Northampton County Bar Association Philadelphia Bar Association Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association Schuylkill County Bar Association Westmoreland [County] Bar Association York County Bar Association
See the National Federation of Paralegal Associations for links to websites of member organizations.
Law Schools ♦ Admission to Practice ♦ Continuing Legal Education
Board of Law Examiners ————— Dickinson School of Law Duquesne University School of Law Earle Mack School of Law (Drexel University) James E. Beasley School of Law (Temple University) University of Pennsylvania Law School University of Pittsburgh School of Law Villanova University School of Law Widener University School of Law
1. Consulate General of Mexico in Philadelphia • Consulado General de México en Philadelphia

Legal Research and Assistance

Law Libraries
Senate Library Adams County Allegheny County Beaver County Bucks County Butler County Chester County Clearfield County Dauphin County Delaware County: Francis J. Catania Law Library Lancaster County Lawrence County Lehigh County: Judge Donald E. Wieand Law Library Luzerne County: Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association Mercer County Montgomery County Westmoreland County York County Drexel University (Earle Mack Sch. of Law) Duquesne University: Center for Legal Information Penn State: H. Laddie Montague, Jr. Law Library (Dickinson Sch. of Law) Temple University University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library University of Pittsburgh: Barco Law Library Villanova University: Arthur Pulling Law Library Widener University Jenkins Memorial Law Library (Philadelphia)
See also links to web sites of public law libraries and catalogs of academic law libraries, maintained by the library at Washburn University School of Law; and the LibrarySites.Info database of library web sites (“Libcat”).
1. Bankruptcy Law and Procedures for Pennsylvania Residents ... [Calicchia & Kinast LLP (Ohio)] — This web site, presented by a Cleveland bankruptcy law firm, covers basic information about the bankruptcy process, describes debt consolidation and credit counseling as alternatives to bankruptcy, lists the property that an individual is allowed to keep (with citations to governing provisions of Pennsylvania law), and gives information about the bankruptcy courts and how to contact bankruptcy attorneys in Pennsylvania.

2. Low-Cost Legal Aid ... See also the web site for LawHelp.org and the web site for SelfHelpSupport.org.
   1. Pennsylvania Legal Help for the Poor ... [Am. Bar Ass'n] — Contact information for statewide and local legal-aid programs, from the ABA's Directory of Pro Bono Programs. The ABA also provides a page of links to pro bono programs' web sites.
   2. WomensLaw.org — Sources of Legal Help ... [WomensLaw.org (N.Y.)] — Sources of legal help (not limited to legal help for women) include statewide domestic-violence resources, local domestic-violence resources listed by city or town, free or low-cost legal services, and lawyer referral services.