State-by-State Laws for the Road

As you plan some well-earned escapes from law school this summer, there are some laws that you might want take along for the ride. Every state has its own mix of legislation related to vehicle safety, such as laws permitting the use of speed and red light cameras, restricting texting while driving, or stating specific sanctions for  impaired driving. The helpful websites of the Governor's Highway Safety Association and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety do a good job of putting it all together for you. Both sites offer state law summaries by issue and by individual state. Within these two sites, you should find up-to-date summary information on everything from child bicycle helmet laws to driving with hand-held phones. Before you take off for states unknown, you may want to check them out.         

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

A New Way to Follow Legal News and Developments: Law Ratchet

Law Ratchet scans legal news sites, curating and organizing the articles.  It claims to “find the most relevant and interesting articles for your practice areas as well as your interests. Whether your favorite legal sources are law reviews, blogs, regulatory websites, magazines or newspapers, we’ve got you covered.”

Law Rarchet can be accessed by using the Law Ratchet app, or your computer, using the Law Ratchet website

Hat tip to Law Librarian Blog

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Online Resources: BNA Benefits Practice Resource Center

If you are looking for a benefits publication that provides authoritative, in-depth, and practice-oriented news, analysis, and practice tools, try the Benefits Practice Resource Center.  The Resource Center is organized into six areas which includes Pensions & Retirement, Health Benefits, Fringe & Welfare Benefits, Compliance & Enforcement, Litigation, and Executive Compensation.

To access the Benefits Practice Resource Center:

• Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
• Click the "Labor and Employment Law" link
• Scroll down to "Benefits Practice Resource Center (BNA)"

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Whistleblower Insider

Whistleblowers, whether government or corporation insiders, are making news these days. Whistleblower law, a specialty practice area centered around several federal statutes and regulatory agencies responsible for preventing fraud and corruption and protecting consumers and the public welfare, is the focus of Whistleblower Insider, a free blog created by the law firm Constantine Cannon LLP.

An internationally recognized firm with offices in New York and Washington, DC, Constantine Cannon practices primarily in whistleblower representation, antitrust, government relations, commercial litigation and securities.  Their client base includes the healthcare, banking, electronic payments, insurance, telecommunications, and government contracting industries.

With Whistleblower Insider, it's easy to keep up with developments in whistleblower law and litigation.  In addition to the topical posts written by specialist attorneys at the firm, the blog includes a resources page with links to the texts of major whistleblower statutes and enforcement agency websites.  To receive email alerts as a free subscriber, just provide your email address.  



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Summer at last!

With the "unofficial start of summer" this weekend who isn't thinking about the beach?  Here on Long Island we have some of the world's best beaches (imho, not that I am biased or anything), Sandy notwithstanding.   The boardwalks in both Long Beach  and Jones Beach Boardwalk are being rebuilt.  Long Beach's boardwalk is not ready for visitors but I have read that the boardwalk in Jones Beach is.  For details on your favorite beach, see the NY Times' Survey of the Region's Battered Beaches published last week.

Have a great long weekend!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Civil war: a Marvel Comics event

Exams are over! Take a break to consider the legal issues that arise in Marvel Universe when Capital Hill proposes that all costumed heroes unmask themselves before the government! In Civil war: a Marvel Comics event, superheroes clash with one other as they struggle towards a decision that will change the Marvel Universe ... forever!

Civil war is located in the library's reserve collection, ask for it at the the circulation desk.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Electronic Devices and Lawyers

Quite frequently we see articles on "must have" electronic devices or apps for attorneys.  Today LTN has an article with a twist:  10 Devices You Should Never Take Along on a Business Trip.  Looking over the list of devices mentioned by the author demonstrates how quickly changing technology turns a once "must have" device into there is a better way to do this.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S    ! ! ! ! ! !    

You made it !!!

Best of luck to graduates!!!

First years - you survived your first year of law school, now you can make it through anything!

Second years - you are now experts at this law school gig - just one more year to go!



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Unusual U.S. Government Publications, Part One

On Thursdays this Summer, we will be running a series that highlights some unusual, even peculiar, historical publications by the U.S. Government.

First in our series is (opens PDF) Sprocket Man, a 1975 superhero comic book that promotes bicycle safety. It was produced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. DC and Marvel superhero comic books were very popular at the time, and the U.S. government took notice, it seems.

(Acknowledgements are due to Free Government Information and other sources too numerous to mention for this and subsequent entries in the series).

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Report from European Coalition for Digital Rights

A recent report from European Coalition for Digital Rights entitled, International Privacy Organisations: Don't Let Corporations Strip Citizens of Their Right to Privacy presents analysis by privacy experts of proposed amendments to the draft Data Protection Regulation. It suggests how many of these amendments threaten to critically undermine the privacy of EU consumers and citizens.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat