Library Guides: Law: Washington State Law

Getting Started

One of the best ways to find case law or statutes - particularly when you are unfamiliar with an area of law - is to find a relevant secondary source. Examples include:

Law review articles- Examples include the Washington Law Review and Washington University Law Review.

Legal encyclopedias- Examples include American Jurisprudence and Corpus Juris Secundum (available at the Pierce County Law Library). For Washington specific materials, see the Washington Practice series, also available at the Pierce County Law Library. UWT also has access to West's Encyclopedia of American Law .

When you use a secondary source, you not only find case law and statutes, but also vocabulary that can improve your searches. To further improve your searches see the glossary of legal terms within this guide.

Good places to start your Washington state legal research

Research Guide: Washington State Law
This guide from UW's Gallagher Law Library offers links to get you started in researching Washington state law.
Washington Legal Researcher's Deskbook, 3d edition
UW Tacoma Library Ready Reference
KFW75 .W37 2002 & Online

Resources for Washington State Law

Washington Administrative Code (WAC)
Regulations of the executive branch agencies. Regulations are a source of primary law in Washington State. The online version of the WAC is updated twice a month.
Revised Code of Washington (RCW)
Compilation of all permanent laws now in force. It is a collection of Session Laws (enacted by the Legislature, and signed by the Governor, or enacted via the initiative process), arranged by topic, with amendments added and repealed laws removed.

Washington State Code Reviser
The Code Reviser codifies, revises, corrects and publishes the state laws and regulations. From here you can link to the statutes, the Revised Code of Washington (RCW); and regulations, the Washington Administrative Code, (WAC).
Washington legislature bill information
Washington courts
You can find court rules, links to state cases, and court forms from this website.
A Citizen's Guide to Washington Courts
Here's an introduction to the Washington state court system.
Washington State County and City Codes

Nexis Uni

Nexis Uni, offered through the UW, can help you locate case law, statutes and court rules. The links below take you to specific sections of the Nexis Uni database.