Last reviewed on April 27, 2026.
What LegalKB is
LegalKB is an independent reference site that explains US legal concepts in plain English. The goal is simple: when someone runs into a legal term, a procedure, or a state rule and wants a clear summary before talking to a lawyer, LegalKB should be a useful place to start.
The site organises its content into four parts:
- A glossary of legal terms grouped A–Z, with short, plain-language definitions and the practice area each term belongs to.
- Practice-area explainers covering the major branches of US law that affect everyday life — personal injury, family law, criminal defense, estate planning, employment, immigration, real estate, business law, bankruptcy, and tax.
- State-by-state guides for topics where the rules vary meaningfully between states: divorce, child custody, DUI, landlord-tenant, statute of limitations, small claims, court filing fees, gun laws, and workers' compensation.
- Estimator tools for two areas where readers most often want a ballpark figure: personal injury settlements and child support.
Who it's for
LegalKB is written for non-lawyers who need to make sense of a legal situation: someone who has just been served with papers and wants to understand what they mean; a tenant trying to figure out whether a security-deposit deduction is legal; a small-business owner comparing LLC formation rules across states; a first-time executor reading about probate. The site is also useful as a fast lookup for paralegals, journalists, and students who want a clean summary before drilling into primary sources.
Editorial approach
Content on LegalKB follows a few principles:
- Educational, not advisory. The site does not give legal advice, recommend a course of action for a specific case, or form an attorney–client relationship. Where a reader's situation calls for advice, the page directs them to consult a licensed attorney in their jurisdiction.
- General principles over hot takes. Pages explain how a concept generally works in US law and where the practical pitfalls usually are. Where state law varies, the variation is described in general terms rather than promoted as a single answer.
- Plain language. Legal writing is full of terms of art. Where a technical term is unavoidable, it is defined in context or linked to its glossary entry.
- Clear separation between fact and procedure. Substantive rules ("what counts as negligence") are presented separately from procedural steps ("how a small-claims case typically moves through court"), so readers know which question they're answering.
- No fabricated specifics. Pages avoid invented case studies, fictional clients, or unsourced statistics. Where a number, deadline, or threshold is mentioned, it reflects a generally documented rule.
How content is produced
Each page on LegalKB is written and reviewed against publicly available legal sources — federal and state statutes, court rules, and widely cited explanatory material. Pages are reviewed periodically and the "Last reviewed" date at the top of each page reflects the most recent check. Laws change frequently, especially at the state level, so readers should always confirm anything time-sensitive against an official state or federal source before acting on it.
If you spot something that looks out of date or inaccurate, please reach out via the contact page — corrections are welcome and reviewed promptly.
What LegalKB is not
- It is not a law firm and does not represent clients.
- It does not match readers with attorneys for a fee.
- It does not host legal forms or document templates that require completion under attorney supervision.
- It does not provide tax, financial, or medical advice, even where pages touch on those topics in connection with a legal issue.
Readers facing an active legal matter — a deadline, a hearing, an arrest, a custody dispute, a contract dispute — should treat LegalKB as background reading and then speak to a licensed attorney in their state. For readers with limited resources, the legal aid resources page lists organisations that provide free or reduced-fee help.
Advertising and how the site is funded
LegalKB is supported by display advertising, including ads served through Google AdSense. Advertising is kept clearly separate from editorial content. No advertiser pays to influence the substance of a page, and there are no sponsored definitions, paid attorney rankings, or affiliate-driven legal recommendations on the site. For details on how ads and analytics interact with your visit, see the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.
Contact
For corrections, accessibility issues, privacy questions, or general feedback, see the contact page. For the legal terms governing your use of the site, see the Terms of Service and Disclaimer.