The leading source for TCPA legal research.  Frequently Asked Questions

What is TCPA Reports? (TCPA Rep.)  TCPA Reports is the permanent reporter of TCPALaw.com.  It is a topical reporter and slip service similar to those by CCH, BNA, or Mealey's, which covers TCPA related litigation exclusively.  Citation to TCPA Reports is in the form "[year] TCPA Rep. [document number]" much like Westlaw or Lexis.  TCPA Rep. citations are widely used by attorneys in TCPA litigation and are generally accepted by and cited by courts that would accept similar ciations to Westlaw or Lexis published cases.  Documents can be retrieved by their TCPA Reports citation here.

1. What is TCPALaw.com?
It originally began in 1996 as a repository of research materials and case law for litigants and attorneys. It slowly evolved with news, a slip reporter service, and on-line databases for tracking defendant activities and a discovery repository. It is now the number one source for research and support of Telephone Consumer Protection Act litigation. It has been recommended to litigants by the FCC as a resource, and counts many state legislators' offices and state attorneys' general offices as subscribers.

2. Didn't the site used to be free?
Yes. It was originally free to access, and supported by kind souls that contributed funds to help defray the costs of running the site.

3. Why is it now a subscription service?
This was a very gut wrenching decision. Beginning in 2001, the site began to grow exponentially. Because of the significant increase in TCPA cases and large number of users accessing the site desiring more features, maintaining the site has become a full time endeavor. Since the beginning, the site was run by a single individual that simply could not keep up with it and still fulfill other obligations due to the massive increase in site updates. Because of the rising costs in both time and money to operate the site, it was decided to make TCPALaw.com a subscription based service in order to defray those costs, hire programmers, and retain a full time webmaster to enhance the site.

4. How much does a subscription cost and what does it include?
Subscriptions are $250 per year for individual non-attorneys and law firms of two or fewer attorneys.  Larger firms subscriotion's are based on the size of the firm. All paid subscribers will receive immediate access to the site as soon as your subscription agreement is received in the mail.  Contact us if you need expedited handling.

5. What are the new features that are being added?

• Slip reporter service.
• Access to the library of over 550 TCPA decisions - most unavailable in any other reporter.
• Enhanced caselaw pages with both headnotes and fulltext, plus scanned PDF versions of all unpublished decisions.
• New topical caselaw indexes organizing caselaw by issues decided.
• New TCPA-specific headnote system.
• New custom headnotes system for caselaw.
• New full text searching of the caselaw library and site-wide searching.
• Enhanced briefing library, with internal links to cited caselaw.
• New full text searching of the briefing library.
• Enhanced directory of TCPA experienced attorneys.
• Class action support page, with class certification orders and extensive research support for class litigation issues.
• FCC document library, with linked research tools annotating relevant FCC rules and orders.
• ... and much more!

7. I am not an attorney, can I subscribe to the site?
Yes. In the past, access was restricted to attorneys because of potential legal restrictions on non-attorneys being provided legal research my other non-attorneys. Since it is now published by the Margulis Law Group, it is now open to both attorneys and non-attorneys alike.

8. I am part of a multi-attorney firm, can we get a subscription for use by the entire office?
Yes. Firms with more than two attorneis should contact us for a quote.

9.I am a judge or clerk for a judge, can I get a fee waiver?
Yes. Access to caselaw and certain other portions of the site are provided as a public service to any sitting judge or judge's clerk. This includes small claims court magistrates. Simply follow the instructions on the application form. Judges and clerks will not receive access to briefing and message areas since it could create a conflict because parties before the court may be posting materials in that area that could be unduly influential or be considered ex parte.

10. I am with a government enforcement agency or attorney general office, can we get a fee waiver?
Yes. But care should be taken in access to message areas since entities that you are investigating may be posting and reading materials in that area. Please contact us for details.

11. I am with a non-profit or public service group, can we get a fee waiver?
Under some conditions, we will consider a fee waver, with certain restriction, for such groups. Please contact us to discuss it.

12. I just want to get a copy of a single case, and don't want a full year subscription.
Just like Westlaw and Lexis, individuals can purchase a single document. However, the value of the subscription is not just access to caselaw. The briefing, notification services, and research materials are very useful. Single copies of cases are $25.00, and include a PDF copy of the original court order (where available), and the slip reported typeset version.  (Note this service is for non-attorneys only and is limited to 2 cases per person).

13. How do I get listed on the site as a TCPA attorney in my state?
When you enter your profile information after logging into the site, you can indicate if you wish to be listed with the other TCPA attorneys and in which states.

14. Can I contribute materials to the site?
We depend an a large network of people to provide us materials - especially unpublished court orders. People that provide us significant assistance in this area can receive substantial discounts on their subscription fee. Please contact us for details.

15. Can I get legal advice from the site?
No. None of the materials on the site offer legal advice. There are some experienced TCPA attorneys that are listed on the site that can provide such services. For attorneys that desire research, briefing assistance, or other expert services, a number of individuals which offer those services can be contacted through the Margulis Law Group.

16. How do I contact the site operators?
Please see the contact form.

If you want to send snail-mail, the address is:

TCPA Reports
14236 Cedar Springs Dr.
Chesterfield, MO 63017

18. Can I get an e-mail address @TCPALaw.com?
Yes. Starting soon, subscribers can get an e-mail address <name>@TCPALaw.com for $25 annually. That address will be forwarded to your primary ISP mailbox.

19. Can I advertise on TCPALaw.com? We will allow very limited display of some relevant advertising links on the site. No pop-ups, no pop-unders, no javascript, no animated images, no Flash, no rich media content... basically no crap. Banners of 460x70 pixels, under 16K in size are acceptable. Contact us for more information.

Q. If my attorney has access to the site, can I access it using his or her password?
Other than the free public areas, only individuals who have signed a subscriber agreement can legally access the site.  If you are represented by an attorney, there are legal restrictions on us being able to provide information directly to you.

Q. My state is now starting to require attorneys to file PDF copies of everything using a service such as CourtLink.  What are a subscriber's rights and responsibilities with respect to the electronic text, HTML, or PDF copies of case law that I download from TCPALaw.com?
Access to and use of documents on TCPALaw.com is governed by the subscriber agreement which permits subscribers to provide copies of documents from TCPALaw.com used in their pleadings to courts and other parties where such are required by their court.  You can not post copies of materials obtained from TCPALaw.com on web sites, USENET, or otherwise distribute them to the public.