METHODOLOGY
How we write and check our information
Legal information is only useful if it's right. Here's exactly where ours comes from and how it's checked.
Sources
- New York statutes — the official text of the Consolidated Laws published by the New York State Senate (Open Legislation).
- Federal law — the United States Code and the current Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR).
- Courts and agencies — the New York State Unified Court System's CourtHelp, the NYS Department of Labor, Homes and Community Renewal, the Attorney General, the CFPB, the FTC and other official bodies.
- Case law — decisions of the New York Court of Appeals from the Caselaw Access Project's open collection (used in the full check).
We never copy commercial legal databases. Today the library has 121 pages citing 259 official sources.
How each guide is written
- Each legal statement is written from the official text of the section it cites, which is read before the sentence is written.
- Every page names its sources and the exact sections, with the date each source was last opened and read.
- Figures that change (minimum wage, court limits, benefit amounts) are shown with an “as of” date and the source to check.
- Pages are written in plain English and say when a lawyer, legal aid or an agency is the right next step.
- Pages are not reviewed by an attorney unless the page says so; we never claim a review that didn't happen.
How the full check is verified
The full check searches the law for your situation, then writes a brief in which every legal point must cite a source and quote it. The quote is matched against the source text in code, and a separate model call judges whether the source actually supports the point. Points that fail are moved to “our reading (not confirmed by a source)”. If no point holds, you get a summary of facts instead and your payment is refunded.
Corrections
Laws change. If you find something outdated or wrong, write to us and we'll check and correct it; corrected pages show a new update date.