RESEARCH GUIDE

MASSACHUSETTS TRIAL COURT PRACTICE RESOURCES


 

LAWS

  Resource/Location
Library/Call Number
General Laws of Massachusetts, Official Edition, The General Court 4th Floor
Published in even-numbered years; updated with monthly cumulative pamphlets and odd-year Supplements.
KFM2429.M37
Massachusetts General Laws Annotated (Thomson Reuters) 4th Floor and 5th Floor States
Kept up-to-date by annual pocket parts, supplementary pamphlets, interim updates and legislative service.
KFM2430 1958 .A2
Annotated Laws of Massachusetts (LexisNexis) 4th Floor and 5th Floor States
Kept up-to-date by annual pocket parts, monthly advance legislative service, quarterly update pamphlets and midyear annotation service.
KFM2430 1932 .A2
Also available as Lexis ebooks (2023)
Massachusetts General Laws   Social Law Library, Substantive Law Database Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members  
Massachusetts General Laws https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws

 

RULES

  Resource/Location
Library/Call Number
Massachusetts Rules of Court, Volume I—State (Thomson Reuters) 4th Floor and 5th Floor States
Online access to Substantive databases restricted to members
KFM2929.A195
Annotated Laws of Massachusetts, Court Rules (LexisNexis) (3 vol.)
4th Floor and 5th Floor States
KFM2430 1932 .A2

Massachusetts General Laws Annotated, Rules of Court, vol. 46A-49(Thomson Reuters)

4th Floor and 5th Floor States  KFM2430
Massachusetts Rules of Court

Social Law Library, Substantive Law Database

Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members
 
Massachusetts Rules of Court and Standing Orders https://www.mass.gov/guides/massachusetts-rules-of-court-and-standing-orders
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Rules Service
Civil and Criminal rules for all Massachusetts state and federal courts; proposed and recent rule changes; forms.
Online resource. In-Library use only. See Reference Librarian for access.
 
 
 

TRIAL COURT CASES*

*There are no regular reporting systems for the opinions of the District/Boston Municipal Courts, the Probate Court, or the Juvenile Court.

  Resource/Location
Library/Call Number
Superior Court  
The Massachusetts Law Reporter, 1993-vol. 36, no. 10, Jan. 13, 2020
4th Floor Mass. (selected cases) KFM2452 .M37 
Social Law Library: Substantive Law Databases:, Superior Court,1978- (selected cases);  Business Litigation Session, 2000- Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members
 
District Court Appellate Division - 

Reports of the decisions of the Appellate Division of the District Court are available as follows (1936-present):

   

Massachusetts Appellate Division Reports, 1980–, with monthly advance sheets

4th Floor Mass. & 5th Floor States
Online access to Substantive databases restricted to members 
KFM2451 .A24

Appellate Division of the District and Boston Municipal Courts Advance Sheets (bound) 1976-1980

5th Floor States  KFM2451 .A24
Massachusetts Appellate Decisions, Volumes 1–59, 1942–1978
4th Floor Mass. and 5th Floor States  KFM2451 .A24
Appellate Division Reports, Volumes 1–9, 1936-1944
5th Floor States
KFM2451 .A23
Social Law Library: Appellate Divisions of the District Court & BMC 2003  Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members
 
 

LAND COURT

  Resource/Location
Library/Call Number
Land Court Reporter (Massachusetts Landlaw) 5th Floor States  KFM2512.A517 M37
Social Law Library: Substantive Law Database, 1978-
Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members  

HOUSING COURT

  Resource/Location
Library/Call Number

Social Law Library, Substantive Law Database, Hampden 1987-, Boston 1989-, Lawrence 1990-, Taunton 1991-, Worcester 2001

Online access to Substantive Databases restricted to Members
  
 

CASE CITATOR

  Resource/Location
Library/Call Number

Shepard’s Massachusetts Citations, 9th ed., (Lexis Nexis)

4th Floor Reference

KFM2459 .S53
 

DIGEST

Resource/Location
Library/Call Number
West’s Massachusetts Digest First  5th Floor Mass. 
KFM2457 .M36 1933 
West’s Massachusetts Digest Second
4th Floor Mass. 
KFM2457 .W47 1986
 
 

JURY INSTRUCTIONS

Resource/Location
Library/Call Number
Massachusetts Superior Court Criminal Practice Jury Instructions, 3d ed. 5th Floor MCLE
KFM2983.A6 M38 2018
Criminal Model Jury Instructions for Use in the District Court
5th Floor MCLE

CD-ROM Supplement 2022, 4th Floor Reserve
Available at https://www.mass.gov/lists/criminal-model-jury-instructions-for-use-in-the-district-court

KFM2983 .M372 2009
Massachusetts Superior Court Civil Practice Jury Instructions
5th Floor MCLE
CD-ROM Supplement, 2018, 4th Floor Reserve
KFM2942.6 .M37 2008
 
 

STANDARDS OF JUDICIAL PRACTICE

Resource/Location
Library/Call Number
Abuse Prevention Proceedings
5th Floor States
KFM2967.F35 A25 1994c
Civil Commitment  5th Floor States KFM2491.I5 M37 2011 
Complaint Procedure 5th Floor States KFM2978 .A814 2008
Inquest Proceedings 5th Floor States KFM2915 .S72 1990
Sentencing and Other Dispositions
5th Floor States KFM2983.2 .A83 1984
Trials and Probable Cause Hearings
5th Floor States KFM2938 .A32 1981
 
 

SECONDARY SOURCES

Massachusetts Jury Trial Benchbook. 5th ed. 
Resource/Location
Library/Call Number
Massachusetts District Court Criminal Defense Manual
5th Floor MCLE
KFM2975.Z9 M273 2023
Massachusetts Superior Court Civil Practice Manual
5th Floor MCLE  KFM2930.M47 2023
Massachusetts Superior Court Criminal Practice Manual 5th Floor MCLE
KFM2979.Z9 M37 2014
Massachusetts District Court Civil Practice Manual  5th Floor MCLE 
Form
 
District Court Complaint Manual, District Court Dept., revised April, 2018

PDF available at https://www.mass.gov/lists/district-court-complaint-manual

 
Massachusetts Summary Judgment Benchbook
5th Floor STATES 

KFM2946 .S8 G74 2005

Supplement, 2017
Massachusetts Superior Court Criminal Practice Forms
1st Floor KFM2979.Z9 M36 1999
Handbook of Civil Procedure in the Massachusetts District Court, 5th ed.
5th Floor STATES KFM2930 .P474 2018
Massachusetts Criminal Law: A Prosecutor’s Guide, 41st ed.
Available at https://wwwmassprosecutorsguidecom.ezproxy.socialaw.com/guide/welcome  
Training Manual for Criminal Defense  5th Floor MCLE  KFM2975 .W45 2010
Massachusetts Proof of Cases, 3d ed
5th Floor STATES KFM2940 .M6772 2011-
Handbook of Massachusetts Evidence 8th ed.  5th Floor STATES
Online Resource. Access restricted to in-Library use only
KFM2940.z9 B762 2015-
Residential Landlord-Tenant Benchbook, 3d ed.
5th Floor States 
KFM2517 .R47 2013
5th Floor States
KFM2942.Z9 M368
 
Massachusetts Pleading & Practice: Forms & Commentary
5th Floor States

KFM2930 .M37 1974-

Available as a Lexis ebook