Mount Vernon Public Library
28 South First Avenue - Mount Vernon, New York 10550 - (914) 668-1840

Mills Law Collection

The Mills Law Collection was bequeathed to the Mount Vernon Public Library by Justice Isaac Mills. Justice Mills had a private practice in Mount Vernon in the early 1900s. He also served as a Westchester County Supreme Court judge. Justice Mills’ son, LeRoy, also an attorney, held his father’s private legal collection until his own death in 1938. It was at that time that the legal libraries of both, which comprised approximately 4,100 volumes, were given to Mount Vernon Public Library. The law collection continued to grow due to occasional gifts by the Mount Vernon Bar Association and other interested individuals. Today, the Library maintains the largest collection of law materials available in any Westchester public library.

The Mills Law Collection is available for library use only.

The librarians at Mount Vernon Public Library are available to assist patrons in using the Mills Law Collection, however, the librarians do not offer legal advice or counsel. The following list of titles are included in the Mills Law Collection:

New York State

  1. New York Jurisprudence, 2d – Covers both civil and criminal law of New York based on state statures, and state and federal case law.
  2. Carmody-Wait 2d – Cyclopedia of New York Practice with Forms. A multi-volume set covering New York civil and criminal practice. It covers the Civil Practice Law and Rules, including pleading and practice forms.
  3. West’s New York Digest, 3d (Key Number Digest) – Contains all headnotes, classified according to West’s Key Number System, for New York state and federal court decisions reported from 1961 to 1978.
  4. West’s New York Digest, 4th (Key Number Digest) – Contains all headnotes, classified according to West’s Key Number System, for New York state and federal court decisions from 1978 to today.
  5. McKinney’s Session Laws of New York – This work serves as a permanent repository of the New York statutes.
  6. McKinney’s Consolidated Laws of New York Annotated – These volumes provide full text of New York statutes and the New York Constitution.
  7. West’s McKinney’s Forms – A detailed guide to the drafting of form-based documents covering major legal issues.
  8. Bender’s Forms for the Civil Practice – Forms for New York Civil Practice Laws and Rules.
  9. New York Supplement, 2d Series – For New York state cases.
  10. New York Miscellaneous Reports – Cases decided in the courts of record of the State of New York other than the Court of Appeals and the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
  11. Appellate Division Reports of the Supreme Court – Reports from the intermediate appellate court of New York state.
  12. New York Reports Court of Appeals – Reports from the highest court of New York State.

Federal

  1. American Jurisprudence, 2d – Consider this to be the “legal encyclopedia” of the United States.
  2. United States Statutes at Large – Official source of the laws and resolutions passed by Congress.
  3. West’s Federal Practice Digest, 4th – Used to locate Federal cases.
  4. United States Supreme Court Digest (Lawyer’s Edition) –This is the index for United States Supreme Court cases.
  5. American Law Reports, 3d (ALR) – Clarifications are based upon cases that represent emerging, unsettled or changing areas of the law or legal issues.
  6. United States Code Annotated – This is an annotated version of the United States Code or Statutes.
  7. United States Supreme Court Reports (Lawyer’s Edition, 2d Series) — For United State cases.
  8. Federal Supplement, 2d – Is a case law reporter in the United States district court.
  9. Federal Reporter – For United States cases.

New York State Regulation

Official Compilation of the Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York (NYCRR) – Contains state agency rules and regulations adopted under the State Administrative Procedure Act (SAPA).

Federal Regulations

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) – Is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

Administrative News

New York City Charter and Administrative Code Annotated – This is the text of the New York City Charter and the New York City Administrative Code with court decisions from the time of the enactment of the Code and Charter.

United States Code Congressional and Administrative News – Contains new federal laws, Congressional Committee Reports, Signing Statements, Presidential Proclamations, Executive Orders, Reorganization Plans, President’s Messages, Federal Regulations for the U.S. Federal government, Proposed Constitutional Amendments, Federal Court Rules, and Sentencing Guidelines.

General Materials

  • Black’s Law Dictionary
  • Bouvier’s Law Dictionary
  • Colonial Laws of New York
  • Criminal Trial Techniques (3 Vols.) by F. Lee Bailey & Kenneth J. Fishman
  • Drafting New York Wills: Laws and Forms, 3rd Edition (2 Vols.)
  • Lawyers Cooperative Practice Guide
  • Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
  • Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory
  • New York Evidence-Proof of Cases, 2nd Edition (3 Vols.)
  • New York Landlord and Tenant: Including Summary Proceedings, 4th edition
  • New York Landlord and Tenant: Rent control and Stabilization, 2nd edition

Legal Associations:

Westchester County Bar Association
300 Hamilton Avenue., Suite 301
White Plains, NY 10601
Phone #: (914) 761-3707
Fax #: (914) 761-9402
E-mail: wcba@bestweb.net

New York State Bar Association
1 Elk Street.
Albany, NY 12207
Phone #: (518) 463-3200
Westchester/Rockland Paralegal Association
P.O. Box 668
New City, NY 10956

Westchester Black Bar Association, Inc.
333 Mamaroneck Avenue., PMB 219
White Plains, NY 10605
Phone #: (914) 667-8338
Fax #: (914) 667-0751

Miscellaneous

The Legal Aid Society – Federal Defender Division
White Plains – Southern District
300 Quarropas Street.
White Plains, NY 10601
Phone #: (914) 428-7124
Fax #: (914) 997-6872
Westchester County Legal Referral Service
300 Hamilton Avenue.
Ste. 301
White Plains, NY 10601
Phone #: (914) 761-5151

Useful Legal Websites

  1. FindLaw – Searching local lawyers and forms all in one place. http://www.findlaw.com
  2. LegalEngine.com – provide variety of legal information. http://www.legalengine.com
  3. LegalZoom Legal Documentation Service – Created by top attorneys, LegalZoom helps you create reliable legal documents for most ordinary issues for free.http://www.legalzoom.com
  4. Law Practice Forms – This is a quick and easy way to find free forms online. It also offers great checklists. http://www.lectlaw.com//forma.htm
  5. Nolo.com – Self-help law source with a variety of information and forms in various areas of law. http://www.nolo.com
  6. US Legal Forms – Forms have to be purchased, but you can get a preview of the forms. http://www.uslegalforms.com
  7. The Virtual Chase – offers index legal research. http://www.virtualchase.com

  • Rotunda Exhibit Request Form

    Rotunda Gallery Request Form

  • Library Rotunda Fresco

    The Fresco in the Exhibition Room (Rotunda) were executed by the local artist Louise Brann. They were inspired by the 15th century Gobelin Tapestry series "Lady and the Unicorn" that resides in the Cluny museum. The four panels created between January 1936 and October 1937 include "Autumn","Education","Occupation","Winter", "Spring", and "Summer".
    Library Rotunda Fresco