Traditionally, legal information, whether in the form of news, expert commentary or even original source documents, has been provided at a cost. Some services sell ads. Some require registration or even purchase of subscriptions. There is nothing inherently wrong with these approaches, but they simply do not coexist with JURIST's core mission.

We believe we can educate and empower more people by eliminating traditional barriers to legal information. That means no subscriptions, no registrations and no advertising. Instead, we depend on the support of people like you that use and believe in JURIST.

JURIST is the world's only law school-based comprehensive legal news service. JURIST highlights legal issues and areas that may get left out of legal news coverage in mainstream media. JURIST pays particular attention to emerging global legal issues and less visible domestic developments in the US.

JURIST provides its readers with the primary source materials and contextual information that will enable them to form their own opinions about serious legal developments affecting their lives. JURIST serves its audience by providing hard facts and expert analysis in an ad-free environment with no subscription necessary. JURIST reaches hundreds of thousands of readers every month through our website, our RSS feeds, our email list, plus our Facebook and Twitter social media services.

JURIST began in 1996 as the individual effort of Professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. While we continue to benefit from Pitt Law’s support and Professor Hibbitts’ vision and direction, JURIST has since become an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit with more than 60 student staff volunteers, two professional staff members, and an interested and engaged board of directors.

At JURIST, we document law to empower people and educate the world.

The Internet is our virtual classroom, allowing us to reach hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Our legal news and commentaries make up our daily syllabus, our guide to the critical legal issues of the day.

But educating our audience is only half the story. JURIST's staff includes over 60 law student volunteers. These students not only learn about the events that they cover, but also develop and practice research and writing skills that meet the needs of the 21st century. JURIST students learn to write fluidly, accurately and concisely on potentially unfamiliar topics and under extremely short deadlines. They also learn the value of service to the community at large, as they often spend as much or more time working to further JURIST’s mission as they do any other activity in law school. Ultimately, when our students enter practice, we believe that these skills benefit their clients, colleagues and the bench. In this way, JURIST prepares these students to be better lawyers and, hopefully, improves the practice of law itself.

JURIST is a non-profit corporation, registered as a charitable purpose under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. As such, contributions to JURIST are generally deductible for federal income tax purposes for US tax payers. Supporters outside the United States should seek local tax advice, but of course all contributions are welcome!