Finding the Securities Acts
Tip: A common snag in statutory research is the use of the section numbers of the original Public Laws to identify provisions instead of the title and section number where they are codified. Tables in the USCA and USCS, as well as in looseleaf services, will provide conversions from one designation to another.
Note: Be sure to check the currency, coverage, and status (official or unofficial) of all sources.
Official sources of Federal Securities Law
The U. S. Statutes at Large and the U. S. Code are the official sources of the securities acts and will be available in many libraries of all kinds. Please see the Summer Guide to Researching Federal and State Statutes for information on using these official sources.
Comprehensive (Unofficial) Sources
a) Looseleaf Services
- CCH's Federal Securities Law Reporter
- BNA’s Securities Regulation & Law Report - less comprehensive than the Federal Securities Law Reporter.
b) Electronic Sources
The electronic version of CCH's Federal Securities Law Reporter. (Non-commercial use only; Harvard ID and pin required.) After clicking on the link above, click on "CCH Business & Finance Research Network," then on "Enter" and then click on the "Securities" tab.
The Laws That Govern the Securities Industry section of the SEC website provides information about the laws and links to the full text.
Lexis
- The Lexis Securites Page - topical page that lists the databases with coverage of securities law.
- USCS - Securities - Titles 7, 12, 15, 18 and 31 (FEDSEC; USCS) database includes the codified securities statutes.
Westlaw
- Westlaw Securities Page - To view this page, when you login to Westlaw, make sure you are on the Directory page (the "Directory" link is across the top) then click on "Topical Practice Areas" and then on "Securities."
- Federal Securities - U.S. Code Annotated (FSEC-USCA) database includes the codified securities statutes.
In addition, there are comprehensive free web sources, including:
- Cornell LII: Securities Law
- University of Cincinnati School of Law: Securities Lawyer’s Deskbook
- Thurgood Marshall Law Library Securities Guide
Your law firm’s librarian will know the online sources for researching securities law that are available at your firm as well as the firm’s guidelines for using them.