San Diego Law Library

Jestice bc "It's a free country ." More food alimento for San Diego. Just ice? Jesus San Diego needs food please. Someone has to be literate. All of us count. We have a celebration time to look out for all the persons that live here. Please remember everyone needs to eat December and every day.

SDLL is a valuable resource for legal research & learning. The San Diego Law Library is an excellent place for independent legal research, with open stacks that allow visitors to browse and explore a wealth of resources. While I appreciated their previous policy of allowing non-residents to check out certain guides and books, the library still offers outstanding opportunities for in-person study and reference. The copy room is available for use, and the staff is always polite and helpful—whether assisting with excerpts or answering research questions. Membership benefits include remote reference assistance, such as locating cases or retrieving excerpts from digitized print editions—an incredibly useful service. Additionally, the library plays a vital role in legal education, offering numerous programs for self-represented litigants and serving as a certified MCLE provider by State Bar. Whether you're a legal professional, a student, or navigating the court system on your own, this library is an indispensable resource.

I simply cannot say enough about how helpful the folks at the reference desk are. They are incredibly helpful, positive, empathetic, and are models of how one should strive for excellence in assisting those in need. I've managed customer-facing teams for many years and I can very easily tell they are top notch.

They are very helpful and a great place to study.

beautiful premises and staff are knowledgeable and helpful.

When I filed a lawsuit without an attorney, the San Diego County Public Law Library on Front Street was so useful that the judge thought I'd had legal assistance. Well, in a way I did--the law librarians were able to show me reference books, self-help books, and legal action guides that took me step by step though unfamiliar and quite complicated processes. In fact, in one of my pleadings where I needed to use specific language, I noted clearly on the second page the author and title of the book where I'd found the necessary wording. Unfortunately I drew a biased judge who never bothered to read the products of my months of legal research, having made up his mind beforehand, but the same thing can happen to people who are able to afford thousands of dollars for attorneys. If you have a legal problem and can't afford assistance, but are capable of doing your own research and writing, the San Diego County Public Law Library will help you find the books you need. While our legal system leaves much to be desired, having nothing in common with a justice system, our law library can help navigate the halls of injustice with minimum damage. For legal research, they have the necessary resources and the brilliant librarians can help you find what you need. Best of all, unless you need to borrow books (borrowing required a $50 annual borrowers' fee for non-attorneys, and a higher fee for attorneys), use of the library is free. That gives you access to all their books and their computers, plus free classes that explain how to use their computerized legal data bases. If you join their mailing list, you'll also be notified of special hour-long classes that cost $25, on specific legal topics that lawyers need to stay current on the law and non-lawyers might find interesting or useful. Yes, we seem to be living in a police state, where the powerful are often too eager to deny us our rights, but we also have a law library designed to help us defend ourselves. I've met people at the law library who defended themselves and won, so not everyone is as unlucky as I was. This library is a tremendous public resource and deserves more funding and appreciation. There aren't enough stars to do it justice.

This is a lovely, quiet place to study or read, even if you're not a law student. The security guard, however, had it out for me from the minute I sat down to read (no idea why). This was about 2.5 years ago. She lied about the library closing time, to get me out sooner, I guess? I was just reading quietly. Prior to the actual closing, she was very aggressive about kicking me out (still just reading) when everyone else was still seated. I had every intention of leaving promptly at closing with the other patrons. It was a really bizarre experience and a totally unnecessary display of harassment.

I've been using legal research materials and typing legal forms at this law library quite often the past four years. The library desk staff and librarians are very professional, knowledgeable, and always friendly. They know right where to direct you for research in all areas of law. There is a large computer center where anyone can fill out their own court forms and documents free and then you pay just to print out your forms. This law library is very beautiful, modern, and is kept very clean. It's also very quiet.

Thank you so much for your help from the front desk. I appreciate your time and assistance on getting closer to my research and goals! I really won't forget how much you helped me and the extra mile you went to looking up things for me, writing down websites and other information that you thought may help. It means a lot. The security guard on the other hand saw us packing to leave and told myself as well as my friend that we are being too loud and chatty that there is a table in the back room we can go to to talk and use that area. We mentioned we may go to the computers to look up something and he said "well you still can't talk over there because you're disturbing others. This is a library." The clerk never thought we were loud neither did her coworker at the front desk next to her. My friend was very uncomfortable with how this was handled and we ended up leaving sooner. Ironically I paid $35 for parking just to be here. Hopefully that guy doesn't do this to others and just had a bad day because I'd hate to think this was personal because he didn't talk to the two Caucasian people a few feet away from us. I don't think this is a race issue per say because the security guard was black, my friend is latina and I am Asian. It was just weird. Felt like maybe he thought we were ghetto or obnoxious the way he approached us. Not everyone is meant to be in pant suit or blazer in legal areas.

I've gone here maybe a handful of times to do a little research and print out some stuff. Previously, it was $.10 a print out, but for this it was $.20 which is still not bad when FedEx cost $.65 per page. I'm giving them three stars because this is a wonderful resource for students, no or low income or even homeless individuals. It is very very clean. It is very quiet and relaxing. A good place to study if you were a law student. I had not visited the bathroom any of the times I went. To use the computers one usually has to sign up at the security guards desk. Almost every time I've gone, there is one security guard who is extremely aggressive and rude. I have given him the benefit of doubt in passing off his aggressiveness as he may be encountering a lot of homeless people that are mentally ill. Thought that time he was having a bad day after all, we all have bad days. negative every time I've gone, he is extremely rude & arrogant. Far from helpful at all. Today was a particularly hectic day for me. I went there to go print out some items and answer some emails. I took a little long out front to work out some details on my phone. Since talking on the phone is not allowed which is understood. It was 4:30 PM and I had almost all the documents I needed to print in the queue. The security guard walked through the computer, aisles with a booming voice. I have never been there that late in the afternoon, but shut down time on the computer 4:45 PM. A little startled and ragged from the day I was on high alert, mentally. I had went to the print queue and saw the last document I was downloading, but not the other documents I had lined up to print out was gone. It was crunch time and he was rushing me. in my panic, I was squawking that my stuff had disappeared. A blonde librarian was very kind to help me although it was 4:45 PM. She was so kind that she was going to help me print the other documents. I had lost in the queue, but the other librarian on duty rolled her eyes and told her to shut it down because they had to go. I honestly pleaded I really need those papers because there is no reason why I should pay $.65 per paper print out. I was ran out and the security guard attempted to try to follow me out the door. I was muttering a bunch of swearwords, which I'm not proud of but after the day I was having this was the topper. If I at least finished this task, I wouldn't have felt like the whole day was wasted. It's going to be the start of a holiday weekend Christmas. The season of giving. You would think the security guard & the other librarian would've been more understanding and kind. Especially since I was very tearful from another issue. But no . Shame on them to not have any empathy for the frantic.

They do discriminate based on color as to who can access this library's resources. If you are not white, they will claim you are breaking the rules when you have not done so. I experienced this first hand on 4/19/2024.

If you are in the downtown area and looking for a place to study, this was a nice spot. I have been studying medicine in San Diego for the past four years and have become acquainted with most of the cafés and libraries in all of San Diego (i'm one of those people who can't be productive at home). It looks like they are still under some restrictions, so I was only allowed to explore the first floor. There is ongoing construction all around the building, but the noise wasn't that noticeable inside. The space was quiet and they were big tables with extra lighting. When you walk in currently, you are greeted by staff; I wasn't looking for legal research, but if you are, there is plenty of resources and staff to assist you. I would love to come back more than I will, because there are some downfalls. I went onto the website and looked for any pertinent information before I made my first trip there (consider this an exploratory trip), and there wasn't anything helpful things I should know on the website. I checked out other libraries and saw that some of them are still practicing some Covid related restrictions and for the most part, they were listed on the website. I am thankful that this library didn't restrict it to those studying law or looking for legal help; As some other major libraries affiliated with universities are restricting them to students only. For one, there was no parking. Downtown of course is very busy and all of the street parking was taken, and the lot that I parked in next to the library is $20 for 0-2 hours (35$ for 2+ hours). Since there was construction going on all around the library, there was even less public parking on the street. There are also signs on the windows and doors before you walk in saying that you need to have an appointment... since it wasn't busy, they let me in and wrote my name down anyway, but an FYI. Lastly, there were signs on the tables that said you could only use their electricity and Wi-Fi if you were doing legal research. I don't think that this is unfair, but it would be helpful to know before I got there since I just paid 20$ to park and came here to get work done undistracted. Overall the staff was incredibly kind (the guy at the door was super helpful). The library is beautiful and a fantastic resource for the community! What a gift to be able to have access to all of that information for free (I overheard a woman looking for legal information to help defend her elderly parent). It is just unfortunately not a convenient place to go to if you are looking for a quiet space.

Watched this security guard aggressively 'apprehend', belittle, and hover over this schizophrenic man, merely coexisting.. (he wasn't talking or anything and the library was close to closing.) He even told the man not to 'snatch' his belongings from him (he picked up his own Gatorade bottle that he dropped and exclaimed. "I've got it!" before the guy did) and when the security started really tearing into him I said 'it's his bottle and he wasn't even doing anything. Just leave him alone, wow.' and the guy started berating me, telling me I have a big mouth and to shut up. When he had been harassing people his entire shift I'd seen. He also tried to step on my Service Dogs tail every time he for some reason walked/stomped down my very short computer aisle (where nobody else was.) Again, I've got video. You could tell he was just looking for any reason for me to say something negative, or for him to tell me I had to leave because of my dog. So I just told him to keep his tail tucked. Good try, kiddo. ;) Several times did I see him up and ZOOM over to people to tell them to stop tapping their foot, stop typing so loud, etc. and when I finally videoed him CORNERING this man and bellowing into his face, he came rushing down the hall towards me. (I was at the very end in the corner by the women's bathroom.) When I asked an actual legitimate employee for his name, and was trying to file a complaint, he was basically having an emotional break, ran over to write his name down, interjecting into my chat with the employee, and demanding I repeat things as well as flat out lying about the things that transpired. I'll be contacting the ADA with my videos the INSTANT they open up. :) Aside from that, they were not very helpful. You have to do all the work yourself, which is what life is about- but don't go there thinking you'll get legal advice unless you're ready to search for it. It's clean and beautiful but overrun with vagrants since it's downtown.

This public law library is a fantastic community resource, offered to the public for little to no cost. The main source of funding for county law libraries comes from a portion of court civil filing fees. Yep, those hefty fees you pay to sue your neighbor or doctor or whoever, fund this beautiful building downtown. If you're not an attorney, a membership will cost you a mere $10 a year ($50 for attorneys) plus a $50 deposit. This gives you the ability to checkout materials. If you don't need to do so, you can research here for free. You can use the computers if you signup with security for a time slot. If no one is waiting you can signup and continue. They no longer offer Westlaw or WestlawNext. They do still have Lexis though. Printing from the computer is simple and costs $.20 a page. You pay at the printer after you enter your password that you've created for your document. They have a good amount of computers here for legal research. They are for legal research only, not for game playing. The library itself has an extensive amount of treatises and other secondary resources. They also carry all of the codes and statutes at large in print version. Although I have access to Westlaw, I prefer the print versions. There is something about the smell of books, I know, I'm weird. They even offer a document delivery service here. If you have a citation and would like the document delivered to you, they offer the service for a fee. Membership is not required. They can send it to your location, email, or fax. They have conference rooms available here as well. If you're a library member you get a discount on pricing. Also if you're a member you're able to use the reading room tables with electrical outlets. And they offer classes here on legal matters. The staff here is a great resource for assistance if you don't know where to start in your legal research or it's just your first time at this location. They can't give you legal advice, obviously, but they can point you in right direction for research items. If you're involved in a civil case pro se, this is a great place to start, not that I'd ever want to :-) You can find templates for court documents on their website. All are approved by CA courts. The San Diego County Public Law Library is located on Front St, between C St and B St. Parking is likely to be a hassle. They are open on Saturdays though from 9-1 pm, and parking is much easier then. It's also pretty empty. The library is well kept and maintained, bathrooms are surprisingly clean for a public building. They even have cute bottled water with their logo on the labels, nice touch.

Beautiful building, but bathrooms that where you can directly in...............Bathrooms upstairs were also locked & for such a big building only 3 stalls were available.

This is a very under appreciated library that can help those with any legalities to correctly and quickly identify Laws, Codes and Acts relating to any form of case, claim or filing. They are knowledgeable, helpful and well informed at no cost (other than the cost of copies). You can also use their expansive computers as well as be directed by email with forms, links and so forth.

For a guy who doesn't write many reviews on Yelp, this review is especially significant. The San Diego County Public Law Library is an invaluable resource for attorneys, paralegals, students and the public alike. As a newly admitted attorney with my own solo practice, I consistently rely on the Public Law Library to conduct my legal research using materials I would not have access to otherwise. There are countless practice guides and treatises in addition to the traditional codes and regulations you'd expect at a law library. Not only are the print materials a wealth of information but you'll also find that the reference librarians are immensely helpful as well. While they cannot provide legal advice, they can point you in the right direction and offer insight into which reference materials are most useful or popular for your particular issue. It is also worth mentioning that the Law Library offers relevant and timely legal education classes, some of which even offer MCLE credit. Class topics can range from routine (instruction on legal research databases) to more complex and provocative issues (social media and copyright concerns in comics). You should dispel whatever tired notions you may have of libraries as being inadequate relics of a bygone era. The San Diego County Public Law Library is more than just a terminus for legal research. It is a fun, vibrant and lively community hub; a place to go and a place to learn. What more could you ask for? If ignorance of the law excuses no one, then everyone should have a chance to learn about the law. Remember, knowledge is power...

This really is the best public law library I have been to. It has state of the art computers and meeting room equipment. This library has an enormous catalog and can get pretty much what you need on loan if they don't have it here. As an attorney, I come here regularly to use the free legal research databases and the breadth of available practice materials. This library even provides clinics, panels, and various continuing education seminars. I believe it is all free to the public. Attorneys must pay approximately $50 annually for a membership to take materials home, including large practice guides and treatises, but can use pretty much everything inside the library (except conference rooms) for free. This place also has wonderful staff to help point both attorneys and self represented parties move in the right direction. But of course staff won't give legal advice. The location, environment, and ambiance are great too. This law library is located in the heart of downtown, two blocks from the court houses and also a couple blocks from multiple trolley stations and bus stops. Inside, you will find modern industrial decor after the remodel 3 years ago. You can even find interesting art pieces sprinkled throughout. The interiors are always kept clean, including the bathrooms. The one downside is that sometimes unsavory people come in the library and disturb others in a variety of different ways. However I would not have it any other way because this place is critical for self represented parties no matter how down on their luck they may be; and this place provides vast legal resources to self represented persons to even the playing field, even if paradoxically self represented people may have difficulty figuring out how to use all these resources on their own. I f I could give this public law library 6?stars, I would.

Almost every weekday, I spend most of my time here during my lunch hour so that I can catch up on much needed studying and reading. I can also update my Facebook status (since everything at the jobs is being tracked and monitored) without Big Brother watching behind the firewall. I'm known as one of the regulars here. The wifi connection is great for the smart phone or laptop/netbook computer. I love it here, I get to study in peace. Two power outlet stations are located in the 3rd floor area for laptop users that happen to need a charge. The copy machines are located on the 1st and 3rd floor. They have workstations with Internet access as well - you'll need to first sign-up with the front desk. I plan to be here more often when the winter term begins for my master's program. They allow you to bring in liquids like coffee; however, no food or eating allowed! You can't use your cell phones in the study areas of the library. You'll need to go outside or use the specially designed sound booths for cell calls. The restrooms are very clean and you get more privacy. I actually prefer to 'deuce' here than at my office - which is why this place gets a 5-star rating. "Deuce-Out!"

I come to this library to do my homework, and for legal research. The location and hours of this library are very convenient; and the staff are very nice and helpful. I have never been at a law library before until I started taking my legal research class, and when I came to this library the first time I was very impressed. Great library, and great customer service.

Really nice facility. Quiet place for studying or surfing the web. Ask the staff for the free WiFi login. Excellent customer service. Glad I paid a visit.

Great place to come and work quietly. Bonus - there were no homeless people at the time of my visit. Ask at the desk for the internet pw. Worked out great for me to park here and work between meetings.

Great place to come and do legal research. They have something for all levels. You can be a big lawfirm lawyer working a class action or a simple homeless person working on their case, it does not matter because you will see all walks of life in this library. The reference librarians are super nice and helpful. They are full of knowledge and they are more than glad to share it.

The Downtown County Public Law Library is right across the street from the main courthouse, downtown,on Broadway. The library has four locations. In addition to a huge selection of reference material, the library has a sizable list of legal class topics including legal research and other legal self help clinics. I found the classes on how to use legal databases such as Westlaw and Lexis very helpful in preparation for a complex legal matter many years ago as a pro-per. After I finished college and started practicing law, I still find that the law libraries are always close enough for research. Last year I was in court and needed a specific case site. Since I am a solo practitioner, I did not have the time to return to my office to research. I just walked across the street to the main SDCLL and was able to get the information I needed in twenty minutes. A calendar of classes is posted on the website. I almost forgot to mention, the library has free-Wi-Fi and if you need any assistance, a helpful librarian is always available to help you. The SD County Public Law Libraries are great assets to our community. www.sdcpll.org

If you want to WOW your kids into reading take them here and show them what it is like to read up on the 8th floor-it acts like a shade tree and you can see the Coronado Bridge. Great place to study.

I love the ambience of this library different floors with different activities and books. The law section is great I visited because I wanted to see if I had any rights to possibly sue my HOA for not enforcing some of their bylaws ( I pay for rules ) it had a huge section dedicated to law and how to file even books on how to present yourself to whom you possibly want to sue in a manner which gets them speaking to you . If you ever had to deal with an HOA you would understand. Great place to be a cold San Diego day