Source and Fact-Checking Policy

Last reviewed: August 26, 2026

Source order

  1. The controlling court, statute, regulation, agency, or licensing authority.
  2. Official federal, state, territorial, tribal, or local government guidance.
  3. Legal Services Corporation, court self-help, or state-bar public resources.
  4. Reputable secondary explanation only when the primary source does not answer the reader’s question.

What we verify

We verify names, jurisdictions, dates, form links, eligibility language, fees, deadlines, complaint routes, license lookup paths, and what an organization says it can and cannot do. We preserve contrary or limiting information instead of turning a source into a stronger claim.

Source dates and conflicts

Each high-stakes guide lists a review date. When authorities conflict, the page identifies the scope of each source and does not choose a universal answer. The court or agency responsible for the reader’s location and matter controls.

Corrections

A broken link, changed rule, or material error should be reported through our Contact or Corrections page. Material corrections receive a dated note describing what changed. We do not silently rewrite a conclusion to hide an error.

Related policies

These policies apply to LegalHelpOnline.org unless a page displays a more specific notice.