Review summaries of the United States legal system. Before studying a specific area of law, or a single law, you should have a firm understanding of the legal system in which these laws are passed. Several websites exist which summerize the legal system in the country (see Resources).
Purchase legal hornbooks. Hornbooks are introductory treatises targeted to students who wish to introduce themselves to legal topics. Hornbooks are available in numerous areas of the law, including contracts, criminal law, torts, property law and environmental law. Hornbooks anchor your learning in major legal concepts within an overall topic, such as contracts. Each legal concept is explained using a landmark case in that field. For example, if you are learning about equal protection as constitutional right, you will review Loving v. Virginia, the case establishing that the denial of the benefits of marriage based on race is a violation of the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the U.S. Constitution. Hornbooks can be purchased online or at law school bookstores.
Purchase legal casebooks in any area of interest. While hornbooks contain summaries of cases, casebooks contain the actual language of court decisions. Reading actual case language is helpful to understanding the legal principles behind decisions. Many courts organize their decisions in a way that people can understand, although some courts publish lengthy decisions that require several readings to fully understand. Casebooks can be purchased online or at your local law school bookstore.
Search for a specific law or regulation in a search engine, such as Google, Yahoo or Bing. The search results will lead to summaries and other documents that help you understand a particular law. For example, if you want more information on the Affordable Care Act, search for it using one of these search engines. A search for "Affordable Care Act" on Google leads you to the official government website as the first source, as of March 31, 2010.