The legal profession is a fast-moving business, with changes in demand and new technologies impacting how lawyers work every day. It’s important for all legal firms to keep up with the trends and to find ways to adapt their services to best meet client needs. One trend that has gained popularity in recent years is called “law new.” While it’s a bit of an undefined term, it generally refers to alternative legal service providers (ALSPs), startups and law firm subsidiaries that augment traditional legal services.
State laws go into effect all year round, but the beginning of a new year is an especially common time for fresh enforcement to begin. As we enter 2023, states across America are bringing in new laws on issues ranging from quirky to serious, with many addressing topics dominating the national conversation.
To help you keep up with the law new, we’ve compiled a list of notable laws that went into effect at the start of this year. You can browse state laws in effect in the table below, or use our search tool to filter by subject matter and year. You can also switch between regular and special session laws on the fly, or even select a specific legislative branch to see only laws passed during that period.
Laws that have been enacted by Congress, or signed into law by the President, are added to this collection after being assigned public law (PL) numbers and published in the Statutes at Large. The New York Law Journal also publishes a list of laws that have been enacted by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor.
The process for creating a federal law starts when a bill is introduced in the House of Representatives or Senate. It’s then assigned to a committee in each chamber that will research it, make changes and vote on it. Once a bill passes through a chamber, it’s sent to the other chamber where a similar process is followed. Then, if the bill is passed in both chambers, it’s sent to the President for signing. If a president does not sign a law into effect, the bill dies.