HeinOnline Training Videos

HeinOnline is recently in the process of updating its training materials including videos.  A new video has been added on how to print PDFs using HeinOnline.  New videos will be added every month on a range of topics including using Fastcase, search strategies, library-specific content and much more.  If you are interested in certain help video topics, HeinOnline is seeking additional suggestions here.  Access the new videos and upcoming videos here.

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HeinOnline's United Nations Law Collection

Since yesterday was United Nations Day, this is a good time for a reminder about the United Nations Law Collection on HeinOnline. Finding international sources can be a challenge. This collection should not be overlooked when searching for treaties, international arbitration rules and awards, International Court of Justice judgments and case materials, and so much more.  Special finding features also make it easy to search for a treaty or agreement by citation, popular name, and other identifiers.

The United Nations Law Collection consists of nine sections: Treaty Publications; International Court of Justice (ICJ); United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL); International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS); United Nations Yearbooks; United Nations Serials; Codification and Progressive Development of International Law; and United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.  There is a wealth of material here for researching topics in international law, trade, and human rights, as well as for the source gathering of specific documents--all of it in PDF.

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Applying Native American Traditions to New York Disputes

The Peacemaking Program of the Court Innovation Project now has a branch in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn. According to a recent article,

“Peacemaking is used today in the [Native American] tribal court system as a restorative practice that focuses on mending relationships and healing the community after an offense has been committed. When a case is referred to peacemakers, a circle is formed that includes the victim and the offender, any family or community members who have been affected by the crime or dispute and some tribal elders. Bread is broken, prayers are said, and then the issue is talked out until a resolution is reached.

Despite concerns that such a culturally specific and spiritual practice would not work in a multicultural urban environment with no particular spiritual tradition, peacemaking is flourishing at the Red Hood Community Court, and plans for expansion are already underway. Since the program was launched, the peacemakers have handled over 50 court cases and a number of conflicts referred directly from the community.”

Read more here.

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Study Guides

Sometimes you just need a little help preparing for a law school exam.  The Study Guides LibGuide is a list of resources that you can find in the law library by subject and series.

Only the most recent edition of each study guide is listed.  Earlier editions may also be available.  Academic Support (Law School, rooms 219 & 220) also lends from its library of study guides, which includes series not held in the Law Library.  Flashcards and audio CD’s are  listed by series and subject.  Unless  you see “Reserve,” the location will be in the Classified Collection, i.e. the main stacks.

In each list by subject, BL = Black Letter; CI = Concepts & Insights; EE=Examples and Explanations.

Check out the different kinds of study guides now so you can discover which type is best for you.  

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Legal Forms Libguide

Are you researching for various subject specific forms and would like to have all the resources in one place?  Try the Legal Forms Guide, this guide provides lists of major sets (like Bender's, American Jurisprudence and more), subject specific forms, online free and fee forms.  This guide only reflects resources available in the Law Library in print and online.  Click here to access the guide.

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Current State Statutes now online

Most of us look online for state statutes anyway.  Now it is official - to get the current statutes for states*, you should look either on Lexis Advance, Westlaw Next, Bloomberg Law or the web.

On the web, you can find links to all of the states' statutes at http://statelaws.findlaw.com/state-codes.html .   For states that provide their authenticated official code, see the web site for the states that have adopted the Uniform Electronic Legal Materials Act.  

*The Library still has current state statutes in print for NY, NJ, FL, TX and CA . 

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Texas, A Major Presence in the Legal News

The State of Texas is much in the legal news these past couple of days, with mixed results for its legislature.

On the one hand, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reinstated Texas’s voter ID law. Read more here.

On the other hand, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a Texas law that would have forced several abortion clinics to close. Read more about that ruling here.

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Congress.gov Moves Out of Beta!

"Congress.gov has been moved out of its beta testing status two years after its debut as the federal government’s free legislative information site. With the move, several new features have been added to the site, including:

• Congress.gov Resources, a section with an expanded list of “most viewed” bills each day and an alphabetical listing of hundreds of links related to Congress.
• Live video streams of House Committee hearings and meetings, with an archive to January, 2012.
• Improved advanced search with 30 new fields including nominations, Congressional Record and name of member as well as the ability to browse a calendar of days in session, roll call votes and bills by sponsor and co-sponsors."

Hat tip GNCtech
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Chronicling America

Chronicling America:  Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

Easy to use you can limit by state and date.  Newspapers are a great source for understanding the issues of a particular time and peoples response.   Review these older sources and you might discover that many of the same issues are topical today.

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Online Sources: Kluwer Arbitration

If you are looking for an online resource for international commercial arbitration research, try Kluwer Arbitration. It includes case law, commentary, journals, conventions, awards, practice tools, news, blogs, legislation, rules and more. 

To access the Kluwer Arbitration:

• Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
• Click the "Alternative Dispute Resolution / Mediation" link
• Scroll down to "Kluwer Arbitration"

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