Law Blog

The Law Library has a limited number of copies of the excellent booklet, "Understanding Your Domestic Relations Rights in Virginia 2010-2011" to give away to the general public.

Prepared specially for non-lawyers by the Metropolitan Richmond Women's Bar Association, the booklet provides clear and up-to-date answers to many of the most commonly asked questions about adoption, paternity, family violence, divorce, spousal and child support, custody and visitation, property settlements, and etc.

Get your copy by contacting the Law Librarian at 540-372-1144, ext. 238.

Easy access to local codes and ordinances is just the sort of thing that we've come to expect from the Internet. The City of Fredericksburg, Stafford County, Spotsylvania County and Westmoreland County  -- all now have their codes available on line.

But for those times when on-line won't do, there are printed copies of all these codes available in the Law Library, where CRRL staff members can also assist you in using them.

Due to increased federal withholding, federal workers will see a lower number on their annuity checks. Higher health insurance premiums and no cost-of-living adjustments for two years make this change even more noticable.

Retirees can affect the amount of their checks bu adjusting their federal tax withholding deductions at www.opm.gov/retire or by calling 1-888-767-6738. Be aware that changing the amount of withholdings will not change your tax liability.

Aside from the federal taxes, residents also have to pay state taxes. Below are a few useful links that will help you prepare your Virginia state tax return.

Virginia Department of Taxation : Find forms and instructions for individuals and businesses.

Virginia Tax Rate Schedule and Tax Table : Taxes at a glance

Tax Table Calculator : Use this calculator to compute your Virginia tax amount based on your taxable income.

2010 Resident 760 : Resident Individual Income Tax Booklet

It's that time of the year again: The IRS wants our money, or, if we are lucky, will send us a check to give back some of those hard-earned dollars. But let's be honest: Tax time can be stressful, and tax forms can be quite confusing.

That's why the library offers free instruction booklets for your 2010 Federal Income Taxes as well as the Form 1040EZ.

Sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you would like to know what the law says about a certain topic. But where to start? And how? Law and everything related can be so intimidating: it seems complicated, overwhelming, unorganized, contradicting …
But fear not! Your law library is here to help.
In addition to important and up-to-date print resources, the CRRL offers its patrons access to Westlaw, one of the leading legal research databases.

The Government Printing Office (GPO) publishes and distributes official and authentic government publications to Congress, Federal Agencies, Federal Depository Libraries and the American public. The GPO is currently migrating their information from GPO Access to a new system called Federal Digital System or FDsys. FDsys is an advanced digital system that will allow the GPO to manage Government information from all three branches of government. Advantages to the new system include the ability for Congress and Federal Agencies to submit files and orders electronically to the GPO, Government information will reach a wider audience through the internet based system, preservation of information will be ensured even as technology changes, and the GPO will have greater control of the format of the information they receive. Movement from GPO Access to FDsys will be completed on a step by step basis, finishing in 2010.

There are several ways to conduct a search using FDsys. From the homepage in the left menu click on GPO Access - FDsys. On this page you can type a keyword in the text box and conduct a simple search. There is also an advance search option which allows you to select the publication and limit dates. You can also limit your search to full text, branch of government, category or citation. Selecting the help link provides you with information on conducting searches.

Launched in 1995, THOMAS has expanded to include information on bills and resolutions, activity in Congress, an index to the Congressional Record, schedules and calendars, Presidential Nominations, treaties, and government resources. At this site you can also learn how your government works. A link to information for teachers including classroom activities, lesson plans and more is available on the homepage. 

 Need a form for business or legal work? We do not have fill in the blank forms, but we have resources available for you. Our resources include both online and print resources. When you are looking for legal forms, Virginia Forms and the Virginia Practice Series are good places to start. The Virginia Forms multi-volume set is available at the Headquarters Branch, Porter Branch, Salem Church Branch and Snow Branch. The Virginia Practice Series is available in the Law Library at the Headquarters Branch. It is also available online through the Westlaw database available in the Law Library. In the Law Library you will also find CLE (Continuing Legal Education) books. These are the three ring binders located on the spinner in the Law Library. These notebooks contain information and examples of forms as provided for continuing education classes for attorneys. In the Quiet Reading Room at the Headquarters Branch, browse the Nolo Press books located on the wall under the window. If you need help finding forms, sign-up for Training on Demand with the Law Librarian!