Legal resources available at Benton County’s Law Library
Access to legal help is available to everyone.
State law mandates law libraries in Oregon, and the Benton County Law Library has been here since 1962 to help the general public. You might need help with a landlord-tenant issue or a neighbor dispute. You might wonder where to find a form to file in court or how to find a lawyer you can afford. You might even be a new lawyer in town, wondering how to research a case without paying for access to an expensive database. All of this and more is available at the law library.
The law library used to be a roomful of bookshelves on the top floor of the courthouse. But by the early 1990s, the weight of all those books was causing structural strain in the century-old building. The law library moved down the street to 559 SW Monroe Ave, across 6th Street from the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. Today, law library services include a public-access computer with the Westlaw database, and a resources webpage with links to statutes, court forms, and many other resources.
The law library is open to the public every Tuesday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (closed for an hour for lunch). On Tuesdays you can talk to the law librarian or use the public-access computer. The general public can make copies or print web pages at 25 cents per page, or bring in a flash drive to save search results. The law librarian is not a lawyer and can’t give you legal advice or tell you which legal form or document you need, but you can receive guidance on where to go to find what you’re looking for.
On other weekdays you can call the law library during normal business hours at 541-766-6673 for help finding online resources, or for phone contact information for free or low-cost attorneys, depending on your income level.
Local attorneys may access the law library and use Westlaw by checking out a key to the premises (call the phone number above). Most of the library’s print books are also available for attorney check-out.
Students may be interested in our collection of historical statutes and case law going back to the late 1800s. You can use the law library for your next research project.
Stop by next Tuesday to explore our resources!
