Law students may access library resources during regular hours. Law students also have 24-hour access to the J. Reuben Clark Building with their campus ID card, and may enter the library after the outer building doors are locked at 10pm. ID card access is governed by the Law School Security Policy.

General Library Schedule

The J. Reuben Clark Law School Building (JRCB) is open to the general public during normal operating hours. The Law School provides after-hours access to law faculty, staff, and students as described by this policy. The University has installed a swipe card security system that is designed to restrict access for the general public after normal operating hours* and provide managed access to authorized individuals after-hours.

Normal Operating Hours

The normal operating hours of the JRCB are defined as:

Fall and Winter Semester
Monday through Saturday 5:55 am until 10:00 pm.*
Sunday 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 pm.

Spring and Summer Term
Monday through Saturday 5:55 am until 8:00 pm.*
Sunday 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 pm.

Holidays and other restrictions
Monday through Saturday 8:00 am until 5:00 pm.
Sunday 8:00 am until 5:00 pm.
Or as posted.

Access to the Law Library

* The Law Library is not open to the public beyond the JRCB normal operating hours. However, library patrons who enter the Law Library before the building closes may remain in the Law Library until library closing. After the JRCB building doors are locked, Law Library patrons who are not authorized for swipe card access to the building cannot re-enter the building or Law Library until the building next opens, even though the library may not yet have closed.

Management of After Hours Access

After-hours access is managed by the C-cure security system. Building access is defined by predetermined assigned roles. Faculty and staff typically have 24/7 access to virtually all areas of the building. Law students have access to the co-curricular offices, the student commons (211, 213, 215), vending machine area (224), and other open areas (excluding administrative areas) of the law school after hours. There is no access to the Library once the Library has closed. The third floor doors exiting the library to the law school are secured at 8:00 pm Monday through Friday and are closed on Saturday and Sunday.  Exiting through these doors after closing hours is a violation of the security agreement and may result in fines.

To receive after hours privileges for the law building, law students must agree to the terms of the JRCB / HWHLL Security System Policies. New Faculty, Staff, and Students must present their BYU ID card to Melanie Chao to be assigned the appropriate privilege.

Anyone found inside the building after the normal operating hours should be willing and able to provide his or her BYU ID card upon request or exit the building immediately. Any staff member who feels uncomfortable requesting such credentials from a person within the building is encouraged to contact University Police who can appropriately evaluate the situation. For Police verification purposes, the C-cure system can be used to verify that an individual is authorized to access the building after-hours.

Because full-time and part-time custodial staff members perform most of their labors after the outside doors have been locked and before the public is let in to the building in the morning, Law Students should be cooperative with requests to vacate areas during normal cleaning operations.

Failure to abide by this policy may lead to a loss of after-hours access as well as Law School and University disciplinary action.

(Policy Date: September 2016)

As a courtesy, the Law Library assigns study carrels to regularly admitted law students in good standing. First-year law students are randomly assigned carrels in the “1L area” at the beginning of the school year. Second- and third-year students are able to select their carrels based on a randomly-generated lottery order. All law students are expected to abide by the terms of the “Carrel Occupancy Agreement.” (pdf version), including the Carrel Use Policy. (Repeated failure to abide by the terms of the Agreement may result in the loss of carrel privileges. It may also result in the denial of carrel privileges in future years.)Each carrel has locking cabinets and file drawers and is provided with power and data outlets. Carrel problems should be reported online or to the Circulation Desk.

View the carrel features video:

Carrel Use Policy

Carrel maps

• First Floor (download PDF)
• Third Floor (download PDF)

There are 15 study rooms in the Law Library, designated exclusively for Law School use. The rooms may be reserved for two consecutive hours by groups of two or more law students. Study groups may sign up for only two 2-hour blocks in a given room each day. Groups must occupy a room within 15 minutes of their scheduled reservation, or lose their reservation for that hour. Unoccupied study rooms are available on a first-come-first-served basis to any group of two or more law students. No food or drink is allowed in any study room.

For tips on study groups (including best practices, study group activities, and study group technology tools), see the Student Groups for Law Students research guide.

For personal study, consider instead the Quiet Study Room on the second floor.

A Quiet Reading Room in the northeast corner of the main floor of the library is available for law student study during all hours the library is open. This room, which was specifically designed to create a place for quiet study, is restricted to law students and is accessible only with a law student ID card. The room will accommodate up to fifty students and includes a mix of soft seating as well as tables and carrels.

The Rex E. Lee Room (393 JRCB)  is a great place to take a break, relax, and socialize with friends and family members. There is a collection of popular novels and magazines in the room in the room that law students may choose from to read and then return to the shelf. Many students donate their paperbacks to the collection when they have finished reading them. There is also a “kiddie” corner where children can read and play, and a variety of  games and puzzles students can use to unwind and relieve stress.

The Circulation Desk receives lost & found items from the J. Reuben Clark Building. These items are collected by the BYU Lost & Found Department once or twice a week. Be aware that it often takes a few days for items to be turned in. In addition, some “finders” of lost items take them directly to the campus lost & found.

Individuals who have lost items in the JRCB are encouraged to check several times with the Circulation staff to see if the items have been turned in, and also with the BYU Lost & Found Department (1055 WSC, (801) 422-3024).

Lexis

Graduating law students have access to Lexis through December 31, 2022. Beginning July 10, 2022, when you sign on to Lexis you will see the Graduate Homepage where you can select a gift from Lexis (Law360, Intelligize, Lexis for Microsoft Office, Practical Guidance, or a LexisNexis e-book).

Bloomberg Law

Graduating law students have access to Bloomberg Law for six months after graduation.

Westlaw

Westlaw provides access for six months after graduation for up to 60 hours per month. You must register for “Grad Elite” status at https://lawschool.thomsonreuters.com/grad-elite-status/. Just like with summer access, you may NOT use Westlaw to do research for a client— only for personal learning or preparing for the bar exam.

The Law Library also has two computer terminals near the reference desk with public Westlaw access. They are available for use by anyone when the library is open to the public. Researchers must limit their sessions to 30 minutes when someone else is waiting. You are welcome to return to the library to use the terminals.

Fastcase

All attorneys who have bar membership in the United States have free access to Fastcase. Check your bar association’s website for details.

Other Law Library Databases

Students have access to most other law library databases including Quimbee until the August 1st following graduation. After graduation, BYU Law School alumni have access to two electronic resources through the Law Library: HeinOnline’s Law Journal Library and the LexisNexis Digital Library. Alumni can access some databases like HeinOnline (all BYU Law content), Westlaw patron access, and VitalLaw by visiting the Law Library in person.

HeinOnline Alumni Access: Alumni can access HeinOnline’s extensive library of over 2,800 law journals. Use the HeinOnline Alumni Access link at the bottom of the Law Library’s home page under “Helpful Links” and log in with your NetID and password.

LexisNexis Digital Library Attorney Access: Alumni and members of the Utah Bar can sign up for an account to checkout e-book versions of legal treatises and volumes of the Utah Code Annotated. For more information and a complete list of titles, go to https://lawlibrary.byu.edu/information/digital-library-attorney-access/. 

Carrels

Carrels are available to recent graduates who are studying for the bar exam. Students who graduate in December are able to continue using the carrel they are currently assigned. Students who graduate in April will need to vacate their current carrel and pick a carrel for the summer via the carrel pick website. Further instructions regarding carrel picks will be sent to graduating students prior to the end of the semester.

Building Access

Security and building access to the J. Reuben Clark Building remain the same until August 1 of the year you graduate. Graduating students have 24/7 access to the building and the quiet reading room in the library during library hours until August 1.

Reference Services

Graduates are always welcome to contact Reference Services or law librarians with research questions! Contact information is available at https://lawlibrary.byu.edu/information/ask-a-librarian/.

Law Library Checkout Privileges and Document Delivery

Full checkout privileges extend through the end of the August following graduation. Afterward, graduates can sign up for a Community User account. Open the Community User Agreement.

In addition, we can provide scans of pages from non-circulating materials and email them to you. Send the title, author, and page range, along with a link to the book in our library catalog, to Melanie Coleman. Please allow 24 hours for turnaround. Requests are not processed over the weekend. Requests received after 3 p.m. on Friday are processed the following Monday. Requests that violate copyright law will not be processed.

Harold B. Lee (Main Campus) Library Privileges

Access to books and databases provided by the Harold B. Lee Library ends the August 31 following graduation. You can get circulation privileges by becoming a “friend of the library” for a $50 donation. For larger donations you can get remote access to some databases. For more information, see https://lib.byu.edu/services/friends-of-the-library/.

CLE Credits

The Utah State Bar has authorized a limited number of recordings on CD and DVD for self-study CLE credit. Utah attorneys can check out these materials from the Law Library for free for a short time. For more information and a list of available recordings, see https://lawlibrary.byu.edu/information/self-study-cle-materials/.

BYU Email Addresses

Graduating law students have access to their @law.byu.edu email addresses for one full year following graduation (until May 1 of the next year). Law School IT will contact alumni approximately one month before accounts expire to give you a chance to move your emails to another account.

In addition, BYU alumni have access to a permanent @byu.net email address that can be forwarded to the email service provider of your choice. For information go to https://alumni.byu.edu/email-forwarding.

Software (Microsoft Office, Zoom, Box, Eduroam, etc.)

Graduating students have access to BYU software for 30 days following graduation. For more information go to https://law.byu.edu/departments/it-services/laptop-initiative/software-and-services-for-students/ or email the Help Desk.