Legal Research and New Attorneys: A Survey

As the 1Ls experienced their first law school class this week, delving into Legal Writing, Analysis, and Research, a timely report appeared summarizing how legal research is really performed by new attorneys.  "Rebooting Legal Research in a Digital Age," authored by Steven Lastres, Director of Library & Knowledge Management at the New York-based international law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, is drawn from the recent "New Attorney Research Methods Survey" conducted by the Research Intelligence Group.  The 190 survey respondents from both small and large firms, nearly forty percent of them 28 or younger, included many graduates from the classes of 2011 and 2012.  If you are like most of them, in your first few years of practice you will spend more than 30% of your time doing legal research, and you will likely spend most of this time using paid online services.  Like nearly half of those surveyed, you may think that legal research should be a larger part of the law school curriculum.  So focus in on those LWR classes and those training sessions and workshops given by the librarians.  And check out this revealing report on the current state of legal research for new attorneys.

Hat tip to Law Librarian Blog.          

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

1Ls - Lexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg made easier

WELCOME Class of 2016!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that you are pretty much "oriented" it is time to get down to business.  Your Legal Analysis Writing & Research professor will expect you to attend training on Lexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law provided by one of your favorite librarians.  You need attend only one of the classes.

Sign up at the Library Circulation desk to get your preferred time.   Here is the schedule .

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Neuromyths

Further to our recent theme of getting smarter.

Now that the academic year is starting, and our brains are shifting into high gear, it seems a good time to reconsider certain erroneous beliefs about the brain and its functions. For instance, the commonly accepted view that we use only ten percent of our brain is actually false. Read about more such “neuromyths” here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Fall 2013 Library Hours

REGULAR HOURS - Monday, August 12   Tuesday, December 17

Monday   Thursday                                        8:00 A.M.  - 9:00 P.M.
Friday                                                          8:00 A.M.  - 6:00 P.M.
Saturday & Sunday                                       10:00 A.M.  - 6:00 P.M.

EXCEPTIONS:
Monday, August 12 - Tuesday, August 13     8:00 A.M. -   6:00 P.M.
Monday, September 2 (Labor Day)            10:00 A.M. -  6:00 P.M.
Wednesday, November 27                         8:00 A.M. -  6:00 P.M.**
Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving)      CLOSED**
Friday, November 29                                CLOSED**

                   **CLOSED-NO SWIPE CARD ACCESS
                 Wed., Nov. 27, 6:00 P.M.–Sat., Nov. 30, 10:00A.M.

      Exam Period Hours resume November 30, 10A.M.


EXAM PERIOD SCHEDULE- Monday, Nov. 18 – Tuesday, Dec. 17

Monday-Friday                                             8:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M.
Saturday & Sunday                                      10:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M.

EXCEPTIONS:
Tuesday, December 17                                 8:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.

   
INTERSESSION SCHEDULE -Wednesday, Dec. 18 - Monday, Dec. 23**

Wednesday - Friday                                     8:00 A.M -  5:00 P.M.
Saturday & Sunday                                     10:00 A.M.   6:00 P.M.
Monday                                                       8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.   


WINTER BREAK - Tuesday, Dec. 24 – Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014** 


THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014            INTERSESSION / SPRING HOURS


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Do You Know TED talks?

Have you listened to a good TED talk lately?  If you are new to TED talks, here is the thing about TED.  "TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading and provides a clearinghouse of videos that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers. ...Although it started out as a conference that brought together technology, entertainment, and design, a few thoughtful law-related presentations made their way into the world-class library of what has become known as TED Talks."

A good way to start out with TED talks is to listen to one of the 10 legal TED talks listed here.  For a wider range of TED talks on other topics, you can check out your Netflix account, find videos on YouTube or choose one on the TED talks website.

Get smarter with TED!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

ConSource: The Constitutional Sources Project

The Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) is revolutionizing the way people interact with history by democratizing access to source materials of the U.S. Constitution — letters, journals, newspapers, articles, speeches, and other first-hand records — so that any citizen can research and learn from the document’s rich intellectual history.
The countless letters, speeches, and journals of the Framers and later Amenders of the Constitution are housed in hundreds of libraries, archives, and private collections throughout the United States and Europe. These documents together embody the “best” history of our Constitution and its amendment over time. Yet many of these documents are virtually inaccessible to most of us, whether a fourth grader or a Supreme Court Justice. Even diligent researchers cannot gain access to all of them. As a result, far too many Americans lack an understanding of the ideas that influenced the Framers, many of which still lie at the root of current conversations and debates concerning our government and our laws.

There is much more, ConSource is a valuable resource for U.S. constitutional law and history.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Top Mobile Travel Apps for Lawyers

Law Technology News recently published their picks of the top mobile travel apps for lawyers.  The list was created based on the busy life of lawyers who are often traveling for business meetings, hearings, conferences, and other obligations.  The aim of the travel apps is to reduce the chaos by saving time, organizing costs and using productivity tools for practice .  Some of the apps recommended include Evernote, SkyScanner, Due and more.  Read more and learn about the top fifteen recommendations here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat