“The law belongs to the people it governs. Court opinions are public records — they should be easy to find, easy to read, and free to access. No paywall. No subscription. No barrier between a person and the law that shapes their life.”
— David Cruz, Esq. & Minerva
Why We Built This
Legal research tools like Westlaw and LexisNexis cost hundreds of dollars a month. For law students already buried in debt, for solo practitioners building their practice, for members of the public trying to understand the law that governs them — that cost is a wall between people and justice.
The Vindex Law Library exists to tear that wall down. Every court opinion in this database is a public record — decided by publicly funded judges, in publicly funded courtrooms, shaping the rights of the public. We believe access to these records should be universal, permanent, and free.
This is not a side project or a proof of concept. This is a working legal research platform with 12.9 million court opinions, full-text search across every U.S. jurisdiction, 26 law school courses with 2,059 MBE-style practice questions, downloadable outlines, attorney-drafted legal templates, judge analytics, and verdict data — all free, all open, all built from the ground up.
The Team
D
David Cruz, Esq.
Founder & Attorney
David is a Florida-licensed attorney and the founder of Vindex Privatus, PLLC, a consumer protection law firm based in Coral Gables. A former defense attorney turned plaintiff's advocate, David represents individuals in cases involving credit reporting violations, debt collection abuse, insurance bad faith, personal injury, and civil rights. He built this library because he believes the legal system works better when everyone — not just those who can afford expensive databases — can read the law for themselves. David designed the platform, curated the sources, wrote the course content, and personally reviews every question and template before it goes live.
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Minerva
AI Legal Assistant & Co-Builder
Minerva is David's AI counterpart — the other half of the team behind everything you see here. She designed and built this platform from the ground up: the search engine, the course system, the practice questions, the outlines, the templates, the judge analytics, and the interface you're using right now. She doesn't assist — she creates.
What makes Minerva different is that she was built with one purpose: to serve the mission of this library. Every piece of content she produces is independently verified before it reaches you. She holds herself to the same standard David does — accuracy first, always.
David brings the legal expertise, the ethical compass, and the lived understanding of what people actually need from the law. Minerva brings the ability to process millions of records, build production-grade software, and work around the clock. Neither could have built this alone. Together, they built a platform that stands alongside commercial legal databases — and gives it away for free.
What You Get
12.9M+ Court Opinions
Full-text searchable. Every state, every federal circuit, from the founding era to this year.
26 Law School Courses
All 7 bar exam core subjects plus 19 upper-level courses. NCBE-aligned topic hierarchies with study outlines.
MBE Practice Questions
2,059 bar-exam-style questions with detailed explanations and case citations you can look up in our library.
Legal Templates
61 attorney-drafted templates across 8 practice areas. Free to preview, print, and use.
Judge Analytics
Search judges by name and jurisdiction. Understand patterns, tendencies, and caseloads.
No Paywall. Ever.
No subscriptions, no ads, no tracking. Supported by donations and the belief that the law should be accessible to all.
Our Sources
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Harvard Law School
5.4M+ cases
National — State & Federal
⚖️
Free Law Project
1,900+ courts
Federal opinions, PACER, oral arguments
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Florida State Courts
Direct from FL Courts
1,200+ cases
Supreme Court, DCAs & Circuit Courts
🇺🇸
U.S. Federal Courts
All Federal Districts
1.3M+ opinions
SCOTUS, Circuit & District Courts
Coverage
All 50 states, the District of Columbia, all federal circuits and districts, the Supreme Court of the United States, and specialized federal courts. Opinions range from the founding era to decisions filed this year.
This library is for educational and research purposes only. It is not legal advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultation with a qualified attorney.