Practice Resources
Laws
| Laws | Resources/Location | Library/Call Number |
|---|---|---|
|
General Laws of Massachusetts, Official Edition, The General Court |
4th Floor Published in even-numbered years; updated with monthly cumulative pamphlets and odd-year Supplements. |
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Massachusetts General Laws Annotated (Thomson Reuters) |
4th Floor and 5th Floor States Kept up-to-date by annual pocket parts, supplementary pamphlets, interim updates and legislative service |
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Annotated Laws of Massachusetts (LexisNexis) |
4th Floor and 5th Floor States Kept up-to-date by annual pocket parts, monthly advance legislative service, quarterly update pamphlets and midyear annotation service. |
Also available as Lexis ebooks (2023) |
|
Massachusetts General Laws |
Social Law Library, Substantive Law Database Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members |
Not Applicable |
|
Massachusetts General Laws |
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws | Not Applicable |
Rules
| Rules | Resources/Location | Library/Call Number |
|---|---|---|
|
Massachusetts Rules of Court, Volume I—State (Thomson Reuters) |
4th Floor and 5th Floor States Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members |
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Annotated Laws of Massachusetts, Court Rules (LexisNexis) (3 vol.) |
4th Floor and 5th Floor States |
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Massachusetts General Laws Annotated, Rules of Court, vol. 46A-49(Thomson Reuters) |
4th Floor and 5th Floor States |
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Massachusetts Rules of Court |
Social Law Library, Substantive Law Database Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members |
Not Applicable |
|
Massachusetts Rules of Court and Standing Orders |
https://www.mass.gov/guides/massachusetts-rules-of-court-and-standing-orders | Not Applicable |
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Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Rules Service |
Civil and Criminal rules for all Massachusetts state and federal courts; proposed and recent rule changes; forms. Online resource. In-Library use only. See Reference Librarian for access. |
Not Applicable |
Trial Court Cases*
*There are no regular reporting systems for the opinions of the District/Boston Municipal Courts, the Probate Court, or the Juvenile Court.
| Trial Court Cases | Resources/Location | Library/Call Number |
|---|---|---|
|
Superior Court |
Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
|
The Massachusetts Law Reporter, 1993-vol. 36, no. 10, Jan. 13, 2020 |
4th Floor Mass. (selected cases) |
|
|
Social Law Library: Substantive Law Databases:, Superior Court,1978- (selected cases); Business Litigation Session, 2000- |
Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members |
Not Applicable |
|
District Court Appellate Division - Reports of the decisions of the Appellate Division of the District Court are available as follows (1936-present): |
Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
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Massachusetts Appellate Division Reports, 1980–, with monthly advance sheets |
4th Floor Mass. & 5th Floor States Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members |
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|
Appellate Division of the District and Boston Municipal Courts Advance Sheets (bound) 1976-1980 |
5th Floor States | |
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Massachusetts Appellate Decisions, Volumes 1–59, 1942–1978 |
4th Floor Mass. and 5th Floor States | |
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Appellate Division Reports, Volumes 1–9, 1936-1944 |
5th Floor States | |
|
Social Law Library: Appellate Divisions of the District Court & BMC 2003 |
Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members | Not Applicable |
Land Court
| Land Court | Resources/Location | Library/Call Number |
|---|---|---|
|
Land Court Reporter (Massachusetts Landlaw) |
5th Floor States
|
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|
Social Law Library: Substantive Law Database, 1978- |
Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members | Not Applicable |
Housing Court
| Housing Court | Resources/Location | Library/Call Number |
|---|---|---|
|
Social Law Library, Substantive Law Database, Hampden 1987-, Boston 1989-, Lawrence 1990-, Taunton 1991-, Worcester 2001 |
Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members | Not Applicable |
Case Citator
| Case Citator | Resources/Location | Library/Call Number |
|---|---|---|
|
Shepard’s Massachusetts Citations, 9th ed., (Lexis Nexis) |
4th Floor Reference
|
Digest
| Digest | Resources/Location | Library/Call Number |
|---|---|---|
|
West’s Massachusetts Digest First |
5th Floor Mass.
|
|
|
West’s Massachusetts Digest Second |
4th Floor Mass. |
Jury Instructions
| Jury Instructions | Resources/Location | Library/Call Number |
|---|---|---|
|
Massachusetts Superior Court Criminal Practice Jury Instructions, 3d ed. |
5th Floor MCLE
|
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Criminal Model Jury Instructions for Use in the District Court |
5th Floor MCLE CD-ROM Supplement 2022, 4th Floor Reserve |
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|
Massachusetts Superior Court Civil Practice Jury Instructions |
5th Floor MCLE CD-ROM Supplement 2022, 4th Floor Reserve |
Standards of Judicial Practice
| Standards of Judicial Practice | Resources/Location | Library/Call Number |
|---|---|---|
|
Abuse Prevention Proceedings |
5th Floor States |
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Civil Commitment |
5th Floor States |
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Complaint Procedure |
5th Floor States |
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Inquest Proceedings |
5th Floor States | |
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Sentencing and Other Dispositions |
5th Floor States |
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Trials and Probable Cause Hearings |
5th Floor States |
Secondary Sources
| Secondary Sources | Resources/Location | Library/Call Number |
|---|---|---|
|
Massachusetts District Court Criminal Defense Manual |
5th Floor MCLE |
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Massachusetts Superior Court Civil Practice Manual |
5th Floor MCLE |
|
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Massachusetts Superior Court Criminal Practice Manual |
5th Floor MCLE |
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Massachusetts District Court Civil Practice Manual |
5th Floor MCLE | Not Applicable |
|
District Court Complaint Manual, District Court Dept., revised April, 2018 |
PDF available at https://www.mass.gov/lists/district-court-complaint-manual |
Not Applicable |
|
Massachusetts Summary Judgment Benchbook |
5th Floor STATES |
Supplement, 2017 |
|
Massachusetts Superior Court Criminal Practice Forms |
1st Floor |
|
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Handbook of Civil Procedure in the Massachusetts District Court, 5th ed. |
5th Floor STATES |
|
|
Massachusetts Criminal Law: A Prosecutor’s Guide, 41st ed. |
Available at https://wwwmassprosecutorsguidecom.ezproxy.socialaw.com/guide/welcome | |
|
Training Manual for Criminal Defense |
5th Floor MCLE |
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Massachusetts Proof of Cases, 3d ed |
5th Floor MCLE | |
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Handbook of Massachusetts Evidence 8th ed. |
5th Floor States Online Resource. Access restricted to in-Library use only. |
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Residential Landlord-Tenant Benchbook, 3d ed. |
5th Floor States | |
|
Not applicable
|
5th Floor States |
|
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Massachusetts Pleading & Practice: Forms & Commentary |
5th Floor States |
Available as a Lexis ebook |
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