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Real Law Society

The Real Law Society · Est. MMXXV

An institution for the study of primary legal authority.

We teach law as it is written — through statutes, regulations, court rules, recorded instruments, and the documented record — not through the folklore of the internet.

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Legal research and education. RLS is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or representation.

Established · MMXXVRead Law. Not Lore.™Vol. I — Folio I

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Research Desk

Have a legal claim examined.

Commission research into a defined legal proposition or subject. The Research Desk identifies relevant authorities and documents its findings with source references, including findings that do not support the claim.

Claim Check: $195 base fee

Other services and scope extensions are available. Applicable taxes and accepted extensions may affect the final price.

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A verified account is required. No payment at intake. Scope and final price are reviewed before payment; research begins after scope acceptance and payment confirmation.

Society Membership

Build a continuing research and study practice.

Keep free access to public scholarship, or choose paid Society Membership for additional research tools, designated publication downloads, member pricing and eligibility to enroll in open Academy certificate programs.

$15 per month or $150 per year

Annual membership saves $30 compared with twelve monthly payments.

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Free registration and paid membership are different choices. Commissioned research is purchased separately. Membership does not itself confer a certificate or professional credential.

Academy

Learn to investigate from primary sources.

Explore structured study in legal research, estate administration, and trust and fiduciary practice. Read the program requirements and choose the course of study that fits your interests.

Active Society Membership and separate enrollment required

Certificates require satisfactory completion and review of the required work.

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An academic certificate of study is not a law degree, professional license or authority to practice law.

Research workbook · Edition 1.0

Legal Research Starter Kit

Turn a legal claim into a question you can investigate. Reusable worksheets, a citation checklist and a completed fictional example help you build a research file another reader can follow.

$39.00 USD once · Editable Word workbook and printable PDF

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§ I

The Founding Charter

The Charter of the Real Law Society.

Four articles describe the discipline of the institution and the terms on which it teaches.

  1. I

    Of Authority

    We work from primary sources and the documented record — statutes, regulations, court rules, recorded instruments, and the reports of the courts.

  2. II

    Of Reading

    The reading is the work. The citation is the proof. We teach the discipline of close reading before we teach any conclusion.

  3. III

    Of Restraint

    Where authority ends, we stop. Where the law is unsettled, we say so. The institution does not pretend to certainty it has not earned.

  4. IV

    Of Standing

    The Society teaches the law as a written instrument. It is an institution of education and scholarship; it does not give legal advice.

Adopted MMXXV · The Founding Charter

§ II

Our Mission

To teach law as it is written, from the documented record, with the care of a research institution and the patience of a library.

— from the Founding Charter, MMXXV

§ III

Why We Exist

Four pillars carry the Society's work.

The Society replaces internet folklore with primary authority. Each pillar names a discipline; together they describe the way we read.

I

Evidence

Every claim is anchored in a primary source that the reader can examine.

II

Authority

We work from statutes, regulations, court rules, and the reported record.

III

Procedure

Law moves on procedure. We teach the sequence as much as the substance.

IV

Critical Thinking

Doubt, verify, then accept. The discipline of reading carefully is the discipline itself.

§ IV

The Academy

Ten Schools, each a department.

Education is organized as it is in any serious institution: by department. Every member of the Society may read every School.

Schools I–X · The Academy

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§ V

Learning Pathways

Foundations to scholarship.

Members move through four stages of study. Each stage opens new privileges in the Library and a new role in the Journal.

Study proceeds in sequence. The reading is the practice. The record is the proof.

Pathway · I → IV

  1. Foundations

    The hierarchy of authority, the reading of statutes and regulations, the architecture of a citation.

  2. Practice

    Working a matter from intake to disposition with attention to procedure and record.

  3. Mastery

    Depth in a chosen School: trust, estate, property, commercial, consumer, tax, or constitutional law.

  4. Scholarship

    Contributing to the Library and the Journal. Reading widely; citing precisely.

§ VI

The Research Library

Eleven catalogue divisions.

Browse the Library by division. Full-text catalogue search remains in development; the Library browser and its available collections are open to readers.

A full-text catalogue search is in active curation. Submit to enter the Library browser and explore the divisions now open.

Catalogue Divisions

XI Collections

  1. Constitutions

    Charters of government — federal and state — read as written instruments.

    9 records

  2. Statutes

    Codified federal and state statutory law, organized by title and chapter.

    3 records

  3. Regulations

    The Code of Federal Regulations and state administrative codes.

    2 records

  4. Court Rules

    Federal and state rules of procedure, evidence, and local practice.

    3 records

  5. Judicial Opinions

    Selected opinions of the federal and state courts of record.

    33 records

  6. Administrative Guidance

    Agency interpretive material — revenue rulings, advisory opinions, and policy statements.

    2 records

  7. Historical Documents

    Founding-era charters, antecedent instruments, and treaty texts.

    3 records

  8. Treatises

    Restatements, hornbooks, and reference works of accepted authority.

    3 records

  9. Practice Manuals

    Procedural handbooks compiled by clerks, judges, and the bar.

    2 records

  10. Forms

    Court-approved forms, registers, and recorder instruments.

    2 records

  11. Research Collections

    Curated bodies of authority gathered by subject across the divisions.

    10 collections

Catalogue · XI Divisions

Enter the Library →

§ VII

Featured Publications

A press of the institution.

The Society publishes treatises, monographs, and practice manuals. Each is reviewed by faculty and printed with care.

The Society Press · Volume I

All publications →

§ VIII

The Society in Progress

A record of the institution.

A timeline of the Society itself — its founding, its Academy, its Library, its press, its Journal, and the shape of what comes next.

  1. MMXXV

    Founding

    Established

    The Society is established; the Charter is adopted and the institutional identity is set.

  2. MMXXV

    The Academy

    Active

    Ten Schools open to members of the Society, each organised as a department of study.

  3. MMXXVI

    The Research Library

    Active

    Eleven catalogue divisions enter active curation; the catalogue search opens in stages.

  4. MMXXVI

    Publications

    Forthcoming

    The first treatises and monographs enter faculty review under the Society press.

  5. MMXXVII

    The Journal

    Forthcoming

    Volume I of the Journal opens to faculty contributions and member scholarship.

  6. MMXXVIII →

    Future Vision

    Future Vision

    Open scholarship, fellowships, and the Institutional Archive of primary sources.

§ IX

Institutional Metrics

A registrar's tally.

Not a marketing chart. A record of what the Society holds, teaches, and is in the course of preparing.

X

Schools

Departments within the Academy

XI

Research Collections

Catalogue divisions in active curation

MMDCCL+

Primary Sources Catalogued

Statutes, regulations, court rules, and recorded instruments

XXIV

Treatises in Development

Under faculty review for the Society press

LII

Jurisdictions Covered

Federal, state, and territorial systems of law

MMXXV

Founding Cohort

Optional designation by application; the 90-day window opens when the Society announces it

§ X

Institutional Philosophy

On the discipline of reading.

The Society holds that law is a written instrument and is best taught from the instrument outward. We work from statutes, regulations, court rules, recorded instruments, and the documented record. Where authority ends, we stop. Where it is unsettled, we say so. The reading is the work; the citation is the proof; the patience is the practice.

§ XI

Founding Membership

Founding Membership

The founding cohort of the Society.

The Founding Cohort recognizes members who help establish the Society. Applications are reviewed by the Office of Administration. This designation does not include Society Membership or change access to the Academy.

  • A recorded Founding Cohort designation shown in the Member Room.
  • Optional and free; one application per member, reviewed in order received.
  • Applications accepted for 90 days once the Society opens the window.
  • No change to membership standing, dues, access, or office.
View MembershipRead the Philosophy

§ XII

Frequently Asked

Questions, considered.

A short list of the questions we receive most often. Longer treatments live in the About and Community pages.

Postscript

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Read published work, compare research services, or review the Academy's open programs and enrollment requirements.

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