Welcome to Georgetown Law! This guide includes information about getting ready for class, where to study, Law Library locations to know, and practical tips to make your life easier.
We can't wait to help you with using the Law Library's services. We're here to help, so please ask if you have any questions!
New students will receive an email from the Law Library during Orientation with registration information for legal research platforms Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law.
Please register immediately for all three services and always use your Georgetown email as the contact email. First year J.D. students will need these before the first Legal Practice: Writing & Analysis class. The email from the Law Library will be sent to your Georgetown email address. If you do not see the email in your inbox or spam folder, please contact the Law Library's Reference Desk in-person, or by Chatting with a Librarian, emailing the Reference Desk, or calling the Reference Desk (202.662.9140).
For more information about use policies for the platforms during the school year or over the summer, please see our Lexis, Westlaw & Bloomberg Law webpage.
You can view the books that your professors have selected for your classes on the Georgetown Law Bookstore website (check the Law Center's Curriculum Guide for course information). You can buy the books directly from the Bookstore's website, or you can use the ISBN listed to find the exact same edition at any online bookseller or ebook vendor.
The Law Library has print and electronic study aids, which can provide you with model questions and answers, multiple choice questions, outlines, and concise explanations across a variety of subject areas. Print study aids are available in the Reading Room on the 2nd Floor of the Law Library. The most recently published study aids are very popular, so they must be used in the Reading Room and cannot be checked out. Older editions are located in the stacks and can be checked out. The Law Library also subscribes to the West Academic Study Aids database, which has study aids that can be accessed at any time on- or off-campus. For a step-by-step instructional video for accessing the platform, please view Electronic Study Aids. Search the entire collection of study aids in the Law Library catalog.
The Law Library maintains an electronic collection of past Law Center exams. Exams from the previous five years for current faculty are available in the Past Exams database (NetID required).
CALI provides hundreds of interactive legal instructional lessons on a wide variety of topics at all academic levels. New students will receive an email from the Law Library during Orientation with a registration code. Students who do not receive a code or need a new one should go to CALI Lessons for Students.
The Georgetown Law Student Bar Association (SBA) maintains an outline and syllabus bank (NetID required).
The main floor of the Law Library, where you enter the building, is the 2nd Floor, pictured above. Here are some key locations to know on that floor:
Other Law Library locations to know include...
View a complete map of each floor of the Law Library.
For an overview of the Quiet Zones, Community Zones, and Collaborative Zones in the Law Library, see Noise Zones. The Law Library strives to offer a range of supportive learning environments. The success of this depends on all users honoring these noise zone designations and being kind and respectful to those around them.
The Reading Room is a popular place to study and is a designated Quiet Zone. The Reading Room Mezzanine on the 3rd Floor is also a Quiet Zone.
Open carrel seating is available on the 3rd Floor (West), 4th Floor, 5th Floor, and in the Reading Room Mezzanine on a first-come, first-served basis. See Study Carrels & Research Shelves for more information.
Several study carrels on the 4th Floor are also available for short-term reservations by using the Study Space Booking System. Reservations may be made up to one week in advance and up to eight hours per day.
Group Study Rooms on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Floors may be booked through the Study Space Booking System. Reservations for larger rooms may be made by three or more students for a period of three hours per group, per day. For smaller Zoom Rooms, reservations may be made by one or two students for a period of three hours per day. Reservations for Group Study Rooms may be made up to one week in advance while Zoom Rooms may be reserved up to two days in advance.
The Open Collaborative Area on the 1st Floor of the Williams Law Library building and the John Wolff International and Comparative Law Reading Room in the Hotung building offer a mix of tables, standing desks, soft seating, and rolling whiteboards. No advance registration is needed to use either of these collaborative areas.
The Loewinger Lounge (on the 2nd Floor at the West end of the Reading Room) and the Atrium Lounge on the 5th Floor have comfortable, plush chairs and ottomans. Consult the Law Library floor maps for their specific locations.
You have access to a wide range of physical and electronic research materials including books, journals, articles, media, and more, which are searchable in the Law Library's catalog. Click "Sign In" and use your Georgetown NetID to access My Library Account where you can renew checkouts, save articles, and view search history. Signing in also ensures that full-text options and borrowing links are visible to you as a Georgetown Law student.
You also have access to materials from Lauinger Library and from other local academic libraries. Use the "Request book from a Local Academic Library" option after signing in to My Library Account to have an item delivered to the Law Library. Georgetown Law students can also submit an Interlibrary Loan request for books and articles that the Law Library does not own. Please note that we are not able to borrow casebooks, textbooks, or study aids for course readings through Interlibrary Loan.
The Law Library provides access to millions of electronic resources through a number of legal databases. You are also able to access a wide variety of non-legal and interdisciplinary databases through Lauinger Library. Databases can be found in the Law Library catalog or through our Law Library Databases list. If you experience any issues accessing our collection of electronic resources, refer to the Database Troubleshooting page. You can also submit the issue through the Database Problem Reporting Form.
Find a list of treatises and study aids organized by legal subject area.
Start with our research guides to identify resources by topic or jurisdiction.
New researchers of U.S. law may be interested in our Introduction to U.S. Legal Research guide and Bluebook guide. Students may also be interested in our News Research guide.
Schedule an individual research consultation with a librarian for help with your papers or other research projects. A librarian will contact you within two business days of receiving your request to set up a meeting and will prepare for your topic. Consultations are generally scheduled Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm, but we are happy to make special arrangements if you let us know.
Get more advice from fellow students and recent grads here!