Legal Research Tools on Laymans
Legal research shouldn't require a law degree or expensive database subscriptions.
Laymans gives you the same research tools that attorneys use - AI-powered search, access to real court records through UniCourt, state-by-state public records, and intelligent organization systems - all in one free platform. Whether you're building a case, checking precedent, verifying business entities, or investigating a legal matter, Laymans puts professional research capabilities in your hands.
Follow the Legal Research Workflow
New to legal research? Our Legal Research Workflow walks you through search strategies, organizing findings, and leveraging court records effectively.
Why Laymans Research Tools Matter
Traditional legal research platforms like Westlaw and LexisNexis cost thousands of dollars per year. Public records are scattered across hundreds of government websites. Court dockets require knowing exact case numbers and jurisdictions. Laymans changes that.
What makes Laymans different:
| Traditional Research | Laymans Approach |
|---|---|
| Keyword-only search with exact matches | AI-powered semantic search - finds results even when you don't use legal jargon |
| Expensive database subscriptions ($300-500/month) | Completely free access to court records, public data, and legal resources |
| Scattered across 50+ websites | One unified interface for search, court records, and public data |
| No organization tools | Bookmarks, search history, and casefiles keep everything organized |
| Court records by case number only | Search by name, issue, or concept through UniCourt integration |
The result: You can conduct the same research as a licensed attorney - finding precedent, verifying parties, and building evidence-based arguments - without paying thousands of dollars or navigating dozens of government portals.
AI-Powered Search That Understands You
Laymans search isn't just keyword matching - it uses semantic AI to understand what you're actually looking for, even if you don't know the legal terminology.
How it works:
Search capabilities
- Natural language queries - Search "my landlord won't fix the heat" instead of "implied warranty of habitability"
- Semantic similarity - Results ranked by meaning, not just matching words
- Cross-category search - Find legal services, templates, court cases, educational resources, and movements in one search
- County filtering - Localize results to your jurisdiction automatically
- Smart sorting - By relevance, popularity, recency, or usage frequency
Example search:
"wrongful eviction California"Returns:
- Attorney services specializing in tenant rights
- Template demand letters for eviction disputes
- Relevant court cases from UniCourt
- Educational seminars on housing law
- Public movements organizing around housing issues
- Public records for verifying landlord business entities
Start now: Conducting Your First Search
Access Real Court Records with UniCourt
UniCourt specializes in the cases that affect everyday people - traffic tickets, family court, landlord-tenant disputes, small claims, and local litigation. Not just federal appellate decisions, but the real cases happening in your county courthouse.
What you can find:
| Record Type | What's Included | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Local Court Dockets | Traffic tickets, misdemeanors, small claims | Check your own case status, find similar cases |
| Family Court | Divorce, custody, support proceedings | Research precedent for family law matters |
| Civil Litigation | Landlord-tenant, contract disputes, personal injury | Find how similar cases were decided |
| Medicaid/Benefits | Administrative hearings and appeals | Appeal denied benefits with supporting case law |
Key features:
- Search by name, concept, or issue - No case numbers required
- Bluebook citations - Auto-generated proper legal citations
- Direct links - Access original court documents
- Case tracking - Get updates when cases are updated with new filings
- Save as casefiles - Store court records securely in your account
- AI integration - Leyla (Laymans AI) can reference UniCourt cases when building your documents
UniCourt Coverage
UniCourt excels at local-level cases but may not have every federal or appellate decision. For federal circuit court opinions, supplement with free resources like Google Scholar or court websites.
Start now: How to Lookup Court Cases with UniCourt
Public Records Across All 50 States
Verifying parties, checking business entities, and accessing government data is critical for building strong legal cases. Laymans aggregates public records from all 50 states into one searchable interface.
Available domains by state:
Click to see full list of public record types
| Domain | What You Can Find | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Statutes | Current state legislation via Legiscan | Cite the actual law in your case |
| FOIA | Freedom of Information Act requests and repositories | Access government documents and data |
| Businesses & UCC | Active business registrations, UCC filings | Verify the legal entity you're suing or contracting with |
| Professional Licenses | Attorney, doctor, contractor license lookups | Confirm credentials before hiring |
| Driver Records | License and plate number lookups | Verify identity in traffic or accident cases |
| Voter Records | Public voting registration data | Establish residency or identity |
| Property Records | Building ownership and deed information | Sue the correct property owner |
| Police Records | Badge number verification via Invisible Institute | Research officer history in misconduct cases |
| Inmate Searches | State prison and jail databases | Locate individuals or check criminal history |
| Vital Records | Birth, death, marriage certificates via VitalChek | Obtain necessary legal documents |
How Laymans delivers public records:
- Embedded portals - Search and interact without leaving Laymans
- Auto-populated forms - Pre-filled based on your county selection
- Direct integrations - Specialized tools for statutes, police records, and business lookups
- Fallback instructions - If online access isn't available, get mail/in-person instructions
Use the Laymans Browser Extension
Install the Laymans browser extension to quickly save public record pages as casefiles while you research across government websites.
Start now: How to Access Public Records
Organize Your Research
Professional legal research requires organization. Laymans provides three systems to keep your findings structured and accessible:
1. Bookmarks - Save for Later
Found a useful template, court case, or attorney profile? Bookmark it.
Features:
- One-click saving from search results
- Organized by category (cases, services, resources, etc.)
- Accessible across all devices
- Reference directly in case creation
Use case: You're researching landlord-tenant law but not ready to hire an attorney yet. Bookmark 3-4 tenant rights lawyers, a few template demand letters, and relevant court cases. When you're ready to act, everything is saved and waiting.
Learn more: Managing Your Bookmarks
2. Search History - Resume Research
Laymans automatically saves your search queries so you can pick up where you left off.
Features:
- Full search history with timestamps
- Re-run previous searches with one click
- Delete searches you want to remove
- Export your research trail
Use case: You spent 2 hours researching consumer protection laws last week. Instead of starting over, go to Search History, click your "consumer protection California" search, and continue exactly where you stopped.
Learn more: Managing Your Search History
3. Casefiles - Store Everything
Casefiles are secure containers for all research related to a legal matter - court cases from UniCourt, public records, bookmarked resources, uploaded documents, and more.
Why use casefiles for research:
- AI-powered case building - When you create a case, Leyla can reference all materials in your casefiles
- Evidence organization - Keep receipts, contracts, correspondence, and research in one place
- Encrypted storage - Your research is private and secure
- Multi-device access - Access your research from any device
Research workflow:
- Create a casefile for your legal matter
- Save UniCourt cases as casefiles
- Upload relevant public records
- Bookmark useful templates and resources
- Reference the entire casefile when building your case with AI
Learn more: What is a Casefile? | Create a Casefile
Research Strategies That Work
For Building a Legal Case
Goal: Find precedent, verify parties, gather evidence
Strategy:
- Search Laymans for your legal issue ("wrongful termination New York")
- Check UniCourt for similar local cases and outcomes
- Access Public Records to verify business entities, professional licenses, or property ownership
- Bookmark relevant resources (templates, attorneys, educational materials)
- Save everything to a casefile for your matter
- Create a case - Leyla references your entire casefile to build professional legal documents
For Finding Legal Services
Goal: Hire an attorney or purchase legal services
Strategy:
- Search by issue ("family law mediation")
- Filter by county to find local practitioners
- Review profiles - See attorney credentials, pricing, and reviews
- Bookmark top candidates for comparison
- Purchase services directly or apply campaign/case fund financing
For Self-Education
Goal: Understand your legal rights and options
Strategy:
- Search for seminars on your topic
- Join relevant movements to access curated educational materials
- Review template documents to understand legal language and structure
- Check public statutes for your state's actual laws
- Ask Leyla (Laymans AI) questions via Start > Co-Create
Research Tools Comparison
| Feature | Law School Libraries | Westlaw/LexisNexis | Laymans | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free (if enrolled) | $300-500/month | Free | Free |
| Court Records | Limited to databases | Comprehensive federal/state | Partial via Scholar | Local + federal via UniCourt |
| Public Records | Must visit govt websites | Some databases | Scattered results | All 50 states unified |
| AI Search | No | No | Basic | Semantic legal search |
| Organization | Manual notes | Folders/tags | Bookmarks | Bookmarks + Search History + Casefiles |
| Attorney Access | No | No | Directory listings | Direct hiring + pricing |
| Document Creation | No | Templates only | No | AI-powered case building |
Tips for Effective Legal Research
Start Broad, Then Narrow
Begin with general searches ("employment discrimination") then filter by county, sort by relevance, and dive into specific court cases or statutes. This prevents missing important results.
Verify Critical Information
While Laymans provides access to official sources (UniCourt, state databases), always verify critical facts - especially names, case numbers, and filing deadlines - with original court documents.
Use Multiple Search Terms
Legal concepts have many names. Search "wrongful termination," "unfair firing," "employment discrimination," and "retaliation" to find all relevant results.
Track Your Research
Create a casefile at the start of your research project. As you find useful materials, save them to the casefile. This creates an automatic research trail and makes case building easier later.
Getting Started with Legal Research
| Step | Action | Resource |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Learn how to search effectively | Conducting Your First Search |
| 2 | Explore court records | UniCourt Integration |
| 3 | Access public records for your state | Public Records Guide |
| 4 | Organize your findings | Bookmarks + Search History |
| 5 | Store research in casefiles | Create a Casefile |
| 6 | Build your case with AI | Start a Case |
Research Features Overview
| Tool | What It Does | When to Use It |
|---|---|---|
| Semantic Search | AI-powered search across all Laymans resources | Finding legal services, templates, attorneys, educational content |
| UniCourt Integration | Search real court dockets and case law | Building precedent, checking case status, researching similar cases |
| Public Records | Access 50 state databases for statutes, businesses, licenses, etc. | Verifying parties, checking credentials, citing current law |
| Bookmarks | Save useful resources for later | Comparing attorneys, saving templates, organizing research |
| Search History | Resume previous research sessions | Continuing multi-day research projects |
| Casefiles | Encrypted storage for all research materials | Organizing evidence, feeding AI case creation, long-term storage |
Legal research is power. With Laymans, you have the same tools as licensed attorneys - AI search, court records, public data, and intelligent organization - all free and accessible. Start researching your legal matter today, and when you're ready, turn that research into action by building your case.