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Law: NY Laws

What do State laws cover?

State laws and the jurisdication of state courts includes the following areas

(image from nysl.nysed.gov).  

Seal of the State of New York From nysl.nysed.gov

          • Crimes under state legislation.
          • State constitutional issues and cases involving state laws or regulations.
          • Family law issues.
          • Real property issues.
          • Most private contract disputes (except those resolved under bankruptcy law).
          • Most issues involving the regulation of trades and professions.
          • Most professional malpractice issues.
          • Most issues involving the internal governance of business associations such as partnerships and corporations.
          • Most personal injury lawsuits.
          • Most workers' injury claims.
          • Probate and inheritance matters
          • Most traffic violations and registration of motor vehicles.

Finding New York Statutes, Rules or Regulations

For more information on how New York State Laws are passed into law see this New York State Senate page, How a Bill Become a Law.

See below for a selection of links on the subject.

How to find NYS legislative history

New York City Laws

Need help with a New York State legal matter?

LawHelp/NY (www.lawhelpny.org/)    was created to help low and moderate income New Yorkers find legal help and information. It includes referrals to free legal services, legal fact sheets and FAQs, links to social services agencies, and information about the court system.

NYS Courts and NYS Unified Court System

NYS Civil Court Structure

NYS Criminal Court Structure

(images from NYCourts.gov)

For more information about the New York courts, representing yourself, litigants, attorneys, jurors, judges and careers, visit the official website for the New York State Unified Court System at http://www.courts.state.ny.us. where you can also find:

  • New York State law libraries.
  • A-Z  list of NY law publications.
  • NYS forms and filing fees.

Finding New York Case Law

How do you decode a legal citation?

A legal citation includes:

  • the volume number
  • the name of the publication in abbreviated format
  • the page number

For example:

  • 45 N.Y. 239 means you will find the case in volume 45 of the New York Reports on page 239
  • 9 N.Y.C.R.R. Section 62  means you will find this statute in Title 9 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations in section 62
  • 13. N.Y. City L. Rev. 34 means you will find this law review article in volume 13 of the New York City Law Review on page 34