Research and Source Gathering: Australia

From my cozy spot near the Reference Desk, I've been watching many students face the challenge of their first source gathering assignment for one of the law journals. Among the most challenging sources to locate are cases, statutes, and law journal articles from foreign countries, including Australia, which is is a popular jurisdiction for authors treating family law and other social science-related topics.

To get off to a good start in understanding the landscape of the Australia's government and legal system, including the courts and legislatures of its states and territories, start with two of my favorite research guides: Researching Australian Law, by Nicholas Pengelley and Sue Milne, published on the legal research and technology site LLRX.com; and Update: A Guide to Online Research Resources for the Australian Federal Legal System with some Reference to the State Level, by Petal Kinder, Court Librarian at the High Court of Australia. This and many other country research guides are available on GlobaLex, the site of New York University's Hauser Global Law School Program.
       

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Bitcoin Law

 

 You have no doubt heard about the ups and downs of the virtual currency Bitcoin for the last year or so.   No surprise, then, that there is a developing body of  "Bitcoin Law".

Some notable "Bitcoin Laws":

• the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a consumer advisory in August 2014 
•  the IRS determined that Bitcoin should be treated as  property for tax purposes - see IRS Notice 2014-21
•  New York State Dept. of Financial Services has issued proposed regulations of virtual currencies
• United States v. Ulbricht, No. 14-cr-68 (KBF) (S.D.N.Y. July 9 2014) - federal district court determined BitCoin is subject to money laundering statutes

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For additional information and analysis, see:
- "Bitcoin and Virtual Currency Regulation",  Sept. 4, 2014 New York Law Journal ( on Lexis). 

- "Court Addresses Bitcoin Other Novel Online Technology Issues", Aug, 19, 2014 NYLJ (on Lexis)


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Federal Appellate Court Considers NSA Surveillance

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently heard oral arguments in the American Civil Liberties Union’s lawsuit challenging the National Security Agency’s collection of Americans’ telephone records. Read more here.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Docket Information Removed from Pacer

First, the good news: Pacer made changes to implement a new Case Management/Electronic Case Files system. The new CM/ECF system promises new improvements for users and replaces the older CM/ECF architecture.  Now, the bad news: Docket information for the five courts below have been removed because "the locally developed legacy case management systems in the five courts listed below are now incompatible with PACER; therefore, the judiciary is no longer able to provide electronic access to the closed cases on those systems."

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit	Cases filed prior to January 1, 2010
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit	Cases filed prior to January 1, 2008
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit	Cases filed prior to January 1, 2010
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit	Cases filed prior to March 1, 2012
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California	Cases filed prior to May 1, 2001

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Pomodoro Technique and the Pomotodo App for Time Management

The Pomodoro Technique for time management works for law students and lawyers. The basic idea is to work in short bursts of time, usually around 25 minutes, and make yourself more productive in a shorter span of time!  Read more about it here.  And implement it in your life with Pomotodo, available in iOS and Android.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

1L Law Library Survival Guide

The first few weeks of law school can be overwhelming and there is so many new terms and sources that 1L's are being exposed to this semester.  The Library has put together a 1L Law Library Survival Guide to get you acquainted with all the materials that you will be hearing about and seeing this semester.  This research guide explains the resources, both print and electronic, in the law library for a new law student. There are brief explanations of the types of legal resources that a law student is likely to encounter for research and exam preparation.  Remember we are here to help you and if you have any questions please stop by at the Reference Desk.  Click here to access the guide.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat