Take a break already!

Finals have started and tension levels are high. While the free coffee and cookies offered by the library are keeping you awake and buzzing with energy, we librarians want to help with your stress levels too!

Even though you can't check out a therapy dog like the students at some other law school libraries, you can check out these sites to help you relax and destress in minutes!

Soothe Yourself with Sound
Rainy Mood: The website provides sounds of heavy rain, thunder, and chirping birds.
Relaxing Nature: Listen to Birds & Forest, Water & Waves, Rain, and Night.
GetRelaxed: Reduce your stress levels with a combination of tranquil sounds with visually appealing images.

Loosen Up with Laughter
Huffington Post Comedy: Specializing in "can't miss" comedy videos from Conan, Jimmy Fallon, SNL, The Daily Show, and the Colbert Report.
The Daily What: A fantastic aggregator of the best of the web.
Know Your Meme: A site dedicated to cataloging hilarious Internet content gems.
Unshelved: For your inner library geek - you know you have one!

Calm Down with Cuteness
Too Cute: Videos of three adorable litters of puppies and kittens.
Cute Overload: Get your daily dose of delightful

Do Nothing Delight
Do Nothing for 2 Minutes: This website is the ultimate challenge. Don't do anything for two minutes - don't check your email, Facebook, or even move your mouse. Just enjoy the relaxing sounds of the ocean. It's harder than you might think.

Catharsis
Devastating Explosions: The title says it all.

Studying for finals is important, but keep your sanity and take some time for you!

Need an article? Use "Journals @ Hamline"

You want to find an article and you have the citation - where do you look first?  It's very tempting to start with Westlaw, or even Lexis, but there is a simpler solution.

The Law Library has included all of the journals from major legal databases like Westlaw, Lexis, and HeinOnline in the "Journals @ Hamline" tool.  There are also many journals that we have electronic access to, due to a print subscription, whose links are included as well.   Basically everything that you can access as a Hamline student is available through this powerful tool.

To get started, go to our library home page and click on Journals @ Hamline in the Research box.

Search for the journal name.   Consider this citation:

Dan L. Burk & Julie E. Cohen, Fair Use Infrastructure for Rights Management Systems, 15 Harv. J.L. & Tech. 41 (2001)

Sometimes it is difficult to ascertain the name of the journal.   In this case, you can use the option to search for all words in the title (but not necessarily the exact title).

After clicking search, you will see the possible journals and where to access them. In this case, a single journal was found with my access options:

Since our citation is from 2001, we have many options.  If I wanted a PDF version of the article, to see it as though it was from the printed journal, I would pick the HeinOnline link.   You may also wish to access the article in Westlaw, Lexis and a few other platforms.  

If you still need help finding your article, check with a Librarian or put in a request via Interlibrary Loan.

Law School Nightmare

The freight train’s whistle blasts out of the darkness, jerking you away from your mental recitation of IRAC for your upcoming Civ Pro exam. You quickly glance behind you to see the train bearing down on you, rapidly closing the space between you and it; the vibration of the tracks from the thundering engines turns your legs to rubber. You run. Your heart races. Can you get off the trestle in time? Will you be forced to jump into the dark raging river beneath? Can you swim with your backpack full of law books? Will the suit you bought for your moot court appearance be ruined? Did you assume the risk? As the train whistle blares and you feel the heat of the engines on your back you take a step off the trestle. The weight of your backpack sends you headlong into the water and you...wake up! A nightmare. Ah, final exam season!

Don’t worry, the law library can help you ease the stress and be well prepared for exams. Here’s what can help:

Exam archive: The library has an archive of old exams. Hard copy exams from 1978 – 2002 are found in the reference collection on the first floor of the library (KF 292 .H35A24). Exams since 2002 are online. You can access the electronic archive through the Hamline Law Library’s website at lawlibrary.hamline.edu/ or http://lawlibrary.hamline.edu/content.php?pid=60281&sid=447196

Study aids: On reserve you will find study aids for almost any law school subject. In addition to books we have Sum and Substance CDs of all the major subject areas. Check at the Circulation Desk, or look for a specific Sum and Substance in CLICnet.

Study rooms: Reserve a study room at the Circulation Desk. Study rooms have a two hour limit on them. Check with Selva if you have any questions.

Late hours: Starting December 7 and continuing through December 20, the law library will be open until 2 a.m.

Coffee Cart: The law library staff provides free coffee and treats from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from Noon – 5 on Sundays during the final exam period (Dec. 7 – 20).

General peace and quiet: During finals, you can find a quiet space to study without too much trouble. Remember, the second floor of the library is a designated Quiet Zone—no talking, no cell phone use, no noise. On the first floor of the library, we ask that you be thoughtful of your fellow students and keep your conversations quiet and your cell phones turned off.

Check out these new books

Come to the library and check out these and other new books that have been added to our collection:
Acting skills for lawyers / Laura Mathis. New Book Area KF8915 .M374 2011
“For the lawyer, research and written communications are only half the battle. In this innovative book you’ll learn how to develop and use stage presence, use an actor’s voice and gestures, develop different characters for different audiences, deliver effective speeches, adopt the role of talk-show host for depositions, improvise in unprepared situations, incorporate the skills of great storytellers, be the acting coach for your witness, use monologue skills in your closing arguments, and even take the perfect professional photo!” – publishers description
Job quest for lawyers : the essential guide to finding and landing the job you want / Sheila Nielsen. New Book Area KF297 .N54 2011
“Job Quest for Lawyers provides step-by-step guidance that finally makes networking inspiring instead of a chore. The "quest" motif applies to each stage of the job search, and is used to help readers understand how to create a positive and effective networking experience. The book demystifies networking by including illustrations from the author's own experiences and from the stories of her clients that provide examples of the real world do's and don'ts of how to conduct a productive job search. Unlike so many other career books, Job Quest for Lawyers is a process-focused book that is eminently applicable to attorneys at all phases of their careers, from new graduates to senior lawyers. Lawyers at all stages of practice will benefit from reading this book.” – publishers description
The lawyer-judge bias in the American legal system / Benjamin H. Barton. New Book Area KF8776 .B37 2011
“Virtually all American judges are former lawyers. This book argues that these lawyer-judges instinctively favor the legal profession in their decisions and that this bias has far-reaching and deleterious effects on American law. There are many reasons for this bias, some obvious and some subtle. Fundamentally, it occurs because - regardless of political affiliation, race, or gender - every American judge shares a single characteristic: a career as a lawyer. This shared background results in the lawyer-judge bias. The book begins with a theoretical explanation of why judges naturally favor the interests of the legal profession and follows with case law examples from diverse areas, including legal ethics, criminal procedure, constitutional law, torts, evidence, and the business of law. The book closes with a case study of the Enron fiasco, an argument that the lawyer-judge bias has contributed to the overweening complexity of American law, and suggests some possible solutions.” – publishers description
Should you really be a lawyer? : the guide to smart career choices before, during & after law school / Deborah Schneider and Gary Belsky KF297 .S36 2010 Available at Circulation Desk
“Schneider and Belsky's book is the first to help you decide whether to become a lawyer ... or whether to remain one ... and how to find the right career for you.” – publishers description
Writing shorter legal documents : strategies for faster and better editing / Sandra J. Oster New Book Area KF250 .O848 2011
“In a legal document, in accordance with federal, state, and local court rules, every letter and space is important. Writing Shorter Legal Documents is a concise, practical handbook that explains how to quickly, efficiently reduce the length of your legal documents. It's a collection of advice written to keep you within grammatical and court rules, for both length and construction, while preserving and even clarifying your argument.
The author, a lawyer with a Ph.D in linguistics, has divided 35 precise strategies into five chapters:
--An Approach to Shorten Legal Documents
--Revising Terminology
--Revising Lists, Phrases, and Sentences
--Changing the Appearance of Text on the Page
--Cutting Content
When you're on a deadline with the court and are over the maximum word count in your document, this book provides the fast, easy editing tricks you'll need.” – publishers description

Google’s Getting Fresh with You

On November 3, Google announced an algorithm update that will force more recent (“fresher”) content toward the top of search result lists. According to Google, this change will alter 6 to 10 percent of searches to the extent that an average use will notice the difference. For trending topics, content you see “might only be minutes old.” For recurring events, such as annual conferences, the results for the current or upcoming occurrence of the event should appear at the top of search results. When comparison shopping using Google, you should see results for the latest product models at the top of the list. Possible drawbacks include pushing highly valuable but less frequently updated content downward in the search results list. For example, government, educational and nonprofit websites updated weekly might lose real estate to commercial websites updated much more frequently. However, Google maintains, "This change better determines the level of freshness needed for each query and promotes fresher results accordingly." For more discussion, check the Google Blog or Government Computer News.

Moot Court or Mock Trial?

Check out these new arrivals in the library:

Korzen, John. Make Your Argument: Succeeding in Moot Court and Mock Trial. New York: Kaplan Pub, 2010.
A law school Appellate Advocacy Clinic director gives advice on almost every angle of the moot court or mock trial experience.

Mathis, Laura. Acting Skills for Lawyers. Chicago, Ill: American Bar Association, 2011.
This easy read holds special appeal for potential courtroom advocates. A working actor and legal consultant coaches you on career-enhancing skills such as stage presence, vocal variety, storytelling, and witness preparation.

New Career-Related ABA Books

Now available in your law library ...

Nielsen, Sheila. Job Quest for Lawyers: The Essential Guide to Finding and Landing the Job You Want. Chicago: American Bar Association, Law Practice Management Section and Young Lawyers Division, 2011.
A 20-year legal job coach offers suggestions and strategy for finding employment in the current challenging conditions. Learn about knights, wizards, and creative networking in this upbeat if not lighthearted offering.

Greenwald, Bart L. Rantings of a Partner: And Pushback from the Associate. Chicago: American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, 2011.
This highly readable and relevant book offers eye-opening and humorous contributions from law firm attorneys across the United States. Partners share their views on associate behavior, and associates return the favor. Some topics include research, writing, client development, marketing, and mentoring.

Mathis, Laura. Acting Skills for Lawyers. Chicago, Ill: American Bar Association, 2011.
This easy read holds special appeal for potential courtroom advocates. A working actor and legal consultant coaches you on career-enhancing skills such as stage presence, vocal variety, storytelling, and witness preparation.

Fletman, Abbe F., and Evelyn R. Storch. The Woman Advocate. Chicago, Ill: Section of Litigation, American Bar Association, 2010.
A group of seasoned female attorneys from diverse career paths share experiences and strategies in areas ranging from client development to supervision to work-life balance. Emphasis is on litigation-related careers. Perspectives from women of color are included.

Lockwood, Karen M. The Road to Independence: 101 Women's Journeys to Starting Their Own Law Firms. Chicago: American Bar Association, Commission on Women in the Profession, 2011.
Women of various ages and life circumstances narrate how they successfully launched and maintained their law firms. Contributions take the form of letters written from the attorneys to aspiring law firm owners.

Does your argument pass the Giggle Test?

The what???
This is, according to a recent ABA Journal article, "a rule of advocacy." Litigators are warned to "[N]ever make any argument unless you can say it with a straight face." So just because such an argument is permissible within the rules of evidence doesn't mean you should say it out loud in court.

Thinking About Taking the Legal Research Skills Series?

Many students are participating in the Law Library's Legal Research Skills Series. Students can mix and match the research modules to fit their projected track of practice, refresh their research skills, or use the modules to learn new research skills. LRSS is a win-win for students and their prospective employers: students can feel confident about their research skills and prospective employers will note that applicants from Hamline University School of Law have prepared themselves to successfully complete the research projects that will be assigned to them. Legal research skills are not always taught by law firms (or if they are, they are not always comprehensive) This is especially true when someone is hired by a small-medium sized firm. Read the National Law Journal article written by a former law firm associate, adjunct professor and current vendor of legal research skills for new lawyers. We think you will conclude that the Law Library's Legal Research Skills Series is valuable and a good value!

First Monday in October

The United States Supreme Court is now in session! Arguments are being made. If you want a daily dose of information from the highest court in our land see this great blog, Scotus. Scotusblog has the biographies of the justices, the meaning of legal terms, transcripts of arguments, interesting statistics and much more. Check this out.

Spinelli's

Check out a fun new database available on the library home page called Spinelli's Law Librarian's Reference Shelf, a resource consisting of more than 100 legal dictionaries, legal bibliographies, serials and more. Search for information by author, title, serials, most cited, legal dictionaries, scholarly articles, or just scroll through the options alphabetically by title. In spite of its title, the site can be useful for students, faculty, staff, and library birds – defined as “one who spends most of his time loafing in a library” in Criminal slang: the vernacular of the underworld lingo, as found on Spinelli’s.
Some of the available references include:
• Dictionary of Intellectual Property , 1954
• Dictionary of Law, consisting of Judicial Definitions and Explanations of Words, Phrases, and Maxims, and an Exposition of the Principles of Law, 1996
• Dictionary of Legal Quotations; or, Selected Dicta of English Chancellors and Judges from the Earliest Periods to the Present Time, 1904
• English Dictionary: Explaining the Difficult Terms That Are Used in Divinity, Husbandry, Physick, Phylosophy, Law, Navigation, Mathematicks, and Other Arts and Sciences, 1676
• Guide to Minnesota State Documents and Selected Law-Related Materials, 1986
• Judicial Dictionary of Words and Phrases Judicially Interpreted , 1890
• Landmark Indian Law Cases , 2002
• Law in Shakespeare, 1883
• Law-Dictionary and Glossary, Interpreting Such Difficult and Obsure Words and Terms, as Are Found Either in Our Common or Statute, Ancient or Modern, Laws (3d ed.) , 1717
• Quote It II: A Dictionary of Memorable Legal Quotations , 1989
• Vocabulum; or, the Rogue's Lexicon, 1859

…and many more. Either access the database from home, or, come into the “Knowledge box: a school” (from Criminal Slang) and take a look. From the library’s homepage http://lawlibrary.hamline.edu/ click on A to Z list of databases, click on the letter L and then click on “Spinelli’s” Law Librarians Reference shelf to access the sites.

Something for Your Resume: LRSS now underway!

LRSS (Legal Research Skills Series) is a free optional program of supplementary instruction in research skills for Hamline law students who have completed their second semester of Legal Research and Writing or enrolled in the LLM program. The program is one way for students to provide evidence of enhanced research proficiency to potential employers.

Emphasizing student choice, the customizable training is organized into a set of brief, self-contained modules. So far in the Fall 2011 term, we have offered modules on administrative law research and health law research. The next module covers federal legislative history.

If you pass a total of nine modules, you receive a document indicating that you have completed the program and are recognized as having practice-ready skills in the area of legal research. The nine modules must include at least four general modules, at least one jurisdictional module, and at least one specialized module. The only required module is Commercial Databases: Beyond Lexis and Westlaw, Part I.

Even if you do not intend to complete assignments toward the research credential, you are welcome to attend the lectures or demonstrations that interest you, as space permits. So check it out!

Writing a research paper or article?

Are you coming to grips with your law journal article or scholarly research paper? In addition to stopping by the reference desk for assistance, you may wish to check out the general guidance in The 13 Steps of Successful Academic Legal Research. From the abstract:

The content of this essay is the result of more than ten years of trial and error. It was envisioned as a tool for personal guidance when drafting papers. If the recommendations included in this essay are correctly implemented, they will help law students and researchers write a law paper of publishable quality. This essay will walk you through a complete research project. The essay follows a four part division: Teamwork, Basics, 13 Steps, and Submission. That division provides clarity, solves problems, and guarantees success in the endeavors. The content focuses on research pursued in U.S. law schools or research units, although it may be applied to other jurisdictions.

Parise, Agustín (2010) "The 13 Steps of Successful Academic Legal Research," International Journal of Legal Information: Vol. 38: Iss.1, Article 4. Free full text here.

Thank you Professor Morrison!

Professor Morrison recently donated a very nice assortment of books, legal and non-legal, to the law library. The students, faculty and staff will soon benefit by seeing many of the non-legal books in the library's "Popular Reading Collection" located on the shelves just behind the stairway to the third floor. Thank you Professor Morrison for your generosity!

Lights! Camera! Action!

Did you know that the Hamline Law Library has a great collection of legally themed movies available to check out?

See the collection at http://lawlibrary.hamline.edu/movies

But what if after a hard day of class and studying you need an escape from the law? Hamline has you covered!

The Hamline Bush Library has an extensive collection of movies and television series.

The Bush Library collection is located on the main floor next to the circulation desk.

Who needs Netflix when you have an evening's worth of entertainment just a check out away?

Exploring electronic legal research: HeinOnline

The law library has subscriptions to many online databases beyond Westlaw and Lexis. To support your research, be sure to visit the Databases A-Z list on our web site. We have all electronic content listed here alphabetically and by subject category.

One of our main providers is HeinOnline. You can search our entire HeinOnline as a collection, including digitized documents ranging from the Federal Register, more than 1500 law and law-related periodicals, world trials, US Code, and much much more, or you can look directly at a subset of that information. Here's a list of our main Hein databases:

• American Law Institute Library (HeinOnline)
• Bar Journals (HeinOnline)
• Code of Federal Regulations (HeinOnline)
• English Reports, Full Reprint (1220-1867) (HeinOnline)
• European Center for Minority Issues (HeinOnline)
• Federal Register Library (HeinOnline)
• Law Journal Library (HeinOnline)
• Legal Classics (HeinOnline)
• Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (HeinOnline)
• National Moot Court Competition (HeinOnline)
• Phillip C. Jessup Library (HeinOnline)
• Session Laws Library (HeinOnline)
• Treaties and Agreements Library (HeinOnline)
• U.S. Attorney General Opinions (HeinOnline)
• U.S. Congressional Documents (HeinOnline)
• U.S. Federal Legislative History Library (HeinOnline)
• U.S. Presidential Library (HeinOnline)
• U.S. Statutes at Large (HeinOnline)
• U.S. Supreme Court Library (HeinOnline)
• United States Code (HeinOnline)
• World Constitutions Illustrated (HeinOnline)
• World Trials Library (HeinOnline)

Something for Fun

Yes, despite all you've heard, law can be humorous. Just remember that when you are studying for exams! One place to find legal humor is Lowering the Bar. Just to keep this post educational, do you think the person in this real-life story could be charged with second-degree assault under Minnesota law? Is a tree branch considered a dangerous weapon in Minnesota?

Welcome

Welcome to all of our new 1L Hamline Law students! Congratulations also to our returning law students who have completed a year (or two or three). As you begin this academic year please bookmark or select as one of your favorites our Hamline Law Library page and our Hamline Law Library News.

Our Law Library page gives you so much information about your library's hours and services. In addition to the many databases and digital information you can access as a member of Hamline University we have specific guides, currently 53 in number, which give you tips about research: health law, water law, human rights law and how to pick a topic for your research paper are just some of the available guides.

We have a specific guide for 1L Orientation Resources not to be missed.

Stop by my office at Room 240H to say hello.

Law school studying is different - WE CAN HELP!

Studying for law school classes is very different than studying for undergraduate classes. As Amy Jarmon, Texas Tech's Asst. Dean for Academic Success Programs, says in her blog posting law professors require you to read and analyze the cases prior to class. The average undergraduate student studied 10-20 hours per week at law school 50-55 hours is not unexpected.

Your Law Library is here to HELP You.

Your Hamline Law Library has study aids (Black Letter Series, Examples & Explanations, Nutshell and the Understanding series) for 1L and many upper-level courses. The most current editions are kept On Reserve in our Reserve Room, at the Circulation Desk. Older editions are within our collection. Please check our Library catalog, CLICNET, for information on a topic or a specific title.

David M. Cobin Slavery Collection

We in the library are still reeling from the sudden passing of Professor David Cobin. He was a wonderful friend, teacher, and supporter of the library. David had a passion for books, and his family graciously donated many of them to our library. We are grateful to have them! The majority of the donated books are on the subject of slavery since David taught a slavery seminar here at the Law School. Professor Marie Failinger said it best when she said David has had an abiding commitment to justice for oppressed people, which he has shared with students in courses such as his slavery seminar.
Before putting the books on our shelves for all to have access to, a bookplate that was specially designed by Grace Mills, the Director of our Library, was affixed to the front of each book to identify them as having been donated by the Cobin family in David’s memory.
Please feel free to access these books. They are on the shelves and available to be checked out. To locate the book titles go to our web page http://lawlibrary.hamline.edu and do a keyword search for David M. Cobin slavery collection.
If you have trouble locating any of the items please find one of our reference librarians for help!

Thirty Books Every (Aspiring) Attorney Should Read

The ABA Journal recently asked 30 successful lawyers to pick 30 books that merit every lawyer's close attention. Check out the Top 30 Gallery to discover the 30 book titles and find out why the attorney who recommended a particular book felt it deserved a place of honor. Recommending the legal memoir My Life in Court, attorney Roy Black writes, "[Louis Nizer's] true stories make the Grisham and Turow legal thrillers pale and bloodless by comparison." Can you find your pick in Our Library Catalog CLICnet or World Catalog? Do you prefer to read your books in bound form or on an e-reader?

BNA Benefits Practice Center enhancements

On July 13th, our subscription to the BNA Benefits Practice Center will be enhanced with a new look and feel, including new features.

As a reminder, this web service includes employee benefit and executive compensation cases and primary source documents, exclusive portfolios and reference guides—BNA's Compensation Planning and Corporate Practice Portfolios and three instructional manuals, including the Benefits Practitioners' Strategy Guide,content from Pension & Benefits Daily and BNA Pension & Benefits Reporter and BNA's proprietary suite of benefits practitioner-created practice tools such as compliance and due diligence checklists, voluntary compliance summaries and sample client letters.

Improvements include topic tabs for easy browsing, enhanced search capabilities, allowing you to search across Pension & Benefits news, analysis, and reference, expanded BNA Pension and Benefits Books collection, including the Employee Benefits Law treatise and the popular Section 409A Handbook and access to complimentary content.*

If you need assistance using our BNA web subscriptions, please meet with a Librarian.

*Excerpted from bnainfo.bna.com/bprc/preview.htm

Copyright and fashion

Is a 2010 Vera Wang design* just 'a strapless dress with a ruffled skirt' or does it deserve copyright protection? What about Narciso Rodriguez's 1996 wedding dress*? (These * were wedding dresses for Chelsea Clinton and Caroline Bessette Kennedy.) Both designers sold less than 100 of these original dresses yet several international labels have made millions off these designs. An ABA Journal July 2011 article discusses copyright and the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act (IDPPPA), which is being supported in the U.S. Congress to prevent others from making money from designers' intellectual property.

Is it art or is it a craft? Something to think about the next time you admire that piece of apparrel.

"Real World" Legal Research

While less than two pages long (single-spaced), BYU law librarian Shawn G. Nevers' Observations for Summer Research Success [SSRN] should be handed out to every summer clerk and new first year associate by law librarians who is now working with them. Nevers' Legal Research column for Student Lawyers (Vol. 39, No. 8, pp. 22-23, April 2011) hits the proverbial nail on its head, starting with the following two tips:

Tools. An important part of preparing yourself for research on the job is to understand the research tools available to you. Your employer simply can’t provide you with the wealth of legal resources offered by your law school library. Because of that, your research tools this summer will be limited in some way. Many law students get a bit squeamish when that becomes a reality.

Asking the right questions before you start your job can help you avoid some of that research-related indigestion. Does your employer use LexisNexis? Westlaw? WestlawNext? Something else? What content is covered in their Westlaw/Lexis subscription? Does your employer pay a flat fee for Westlaw/Lexis or will your research be charged by the search or by the minute? How are clients billed for research? What print sources are available? Knowing the answers to these and similar questions can help you prepare for the research tools you’ll be using this summer.

Research interview. Although you’re not really researching yet, a critical part of the research process occurs when you meet with a lawyer to receive a research project. I like to think of these meetings as a research interview of sorts. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and clarify the research task. There’s nothing worse than spending a lot of time researching the wrong issue. Getting things ironed out initially can spare you an additional trip to the lawyer’s office just for clarification.

Depending on the situation, you may also want to ask the lawyer to recommend a good place to start your research. She may be able to refer you right away to a treatise or another lawyer in the office that could save you valuable time.

Hat tip to Deborah Hackerson's Legal Skills Prof Blog post. Her post also offers sound advice for law students heading out to perform legal research in the "real world:"

I would add a plug for checking your law school library website and any research guides that may help point you to free resources you can incorporate into your research strategy. Research guides prepared by your law librarians can also help you refresh your memory on how to research a particular topic.

Hackerson notes that "[s]ometimes I’ll even ask a 2L to come back and talk to my next group of 1Ls about his/her summer clerkship experience and how it relates to legal research." Great idea! [JH]

This is a re-posting of a great entry from Law Librarian Blog on June 29, 2011. Hat tip to them!

Of copyright and comics

Do you know who was Jack Kirby? Known as the "King of Comics," he was the artist who inked legends that included X-Men, Iron Man, SpiderMan and Thor. His descendants have sued Marvel stating that they have a claim for a share of the copyrights for works that he created while at Marvel. Marvel counters that his works were "work for hire". We're not talking a few dollars - when Disney bought Marvel in 2099 they paid $4 Billion.

Law in Popular Culture

Summer may afford you time to relax and read some legal fiction...thoroughly enjoyable and no finals when you've finished. You can just return items to the library and enjoy more if you'd like. Stop by the library and peruse the Law in Popular Culture collection of books. Some of the offerings include books by John Grisham, Stuart Woods, James Grippando, Scott Turow, Lisa Scottoline and more!
If you'd rather veg in front of the television, then check out the selection of DVDs available at the Circulation desk. Some available title include Legally blond, Chicago, A few good men, My cousin Vinny, Adam's rib...and many more. Enjoy the summer!

Summer Reading, Anyone?

If you like to spend spare hours with an e-book reader or print volume in hand, you already may have perused the latest New York Times Book Review: Summer Reading Edition. You can find more ideas for summer reading material in 100+ Books About Law, where topics range from trial lawyering to drama and fiction. The Legal Skills Prof Blog provides a much shorter reading list, with an emphasis on law school success. If more eclectic offerings off the beaten path strike your fancy, consider Library Book Lists for lists of reading material on sometimes whimsical topics ranging from cats to “golf in crime fiction” to “unusual and unlikely murder weapons.”

Legal Language IS Important!

If you haven't listened to your professors, your librarians or your LRW instructors perhaps you will listen to members of our profession! The devotion you pay to your legal researching, writing and advocacy is important.

Thanks to Bryan Garner and Law Prose you can get valuable insights from US Supreme Court justices, sitting during the 2006-2007 term, regarding the need to pay attention to your legal research and writing ability. What makes these interviews so interesting is the willingness of these justices to discuss their craft. Great listening. Enjoy.

See also the video excerpt of Honorable James M. Rosenbaum of Minnesota regarding a well written brief.

Windows 7 is coming this summer/fall

ITS will be installing Windows 7 on all the lab computers in the law library later this summer. The reimaging of all the computers should be completed in a day. More information will be posted closer to the actual date of installation. Additional information is available here.

Opportunities for a Career Attorney

Interested in working as a law firm attorney but not interested in seeking partnership? Several US law firms are offering attorneys employment as 'career attorneys.' A recent New York Times article examined this model used by several prestigious large US law firms. These people are attorney employees at their firm: they just are not on the partnership track and they are paid less than their prospective partner attorney peers. On the plus side they do not have to worry about 'billable hours' nor substantial, and frequent, long hours. This model is also seen as a means not to outsource attorney work overseas.

Good News/Bad News about Law School Construction

Work began on Monday to replace the leaking portions of the law school roof and is anticipated to be completed in early July.

The good news is that this will hopefully mean the end to bookcases covered in plastic due to leaks.

The bad news is that it's been smelly (tar) and can be loud on the 3rd floor. For the most part, the project will be external only, but there have already been occasions when work has been done internally in the 3rd floor ceilings. Please be careful when accessing materials on the 3rd floor, since you might encounter scaffolding or displaced furniture.

Thank you for your patience while we all live through the disruption.

Federal Court Opinions to be Available on FDsys

Some federal court opinions will be available for free on FDsys as part of a yearlong pilot program between the U.S. GPO and the federal judiciary.

Federal court opinions are already available on PACER, but an account is required. The pilot project will allow users to access them without a login in FDsys.

Twelve federal courts will participate in the pilot phase: the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 2nd and 8th Circuits; the U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Minnesota, Rhode Island, Maryland, Idaho, and Kansas; the Northern District of New York; the Northern District of Alabama; and the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for the District of Maine, the Southern District of Florida, and the Southern District of New York.

Thanks to Law Technology News and WisBlawg

Copyright law comic book style

Want an interesting discussion of copyright law? What is fair use? What rights does an author retain under copyright law? And most importantly, does that TV playing South Park in the background of my film mean that I need to pay for the rights to use it?

Keith Aoki (a law professor and a great illustrator -see here and here) with Jennifer Jenkins and James Boyle published a great overview, Bound by Law (starring Akiko, a documentary filmaker), which is humorous and informative. Check it out. The link is to Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain. There you can read the book via html and download some interesting extras.

A final note on Final Exams

Congratulations! You've made it through to the end of this semester. Just a few things more thing about Final Exams.

The Law Library has extended hours, until 2 PM Wednesday May 4th through Wednesday May 18th. What would be exam time without treats? The Law Library staff is providing treats and coffee from 9 AM until 5 PM during these extended hours. Please enjoy a treat and thank a Law Library staff member during this time.

If you are interested in using one of the Law Library study rooms you must reserve a room in the sign-up book at the Circulation Desk. The rules are in the book and you are expected to follow them. We know that this is a very stressful time so please be courteous to your fellow students.

OK, you know about the food and drink and where to study -- here are some study aids that can help you during this time!

We have many study aids on Reserve. Ask for them at the Circulation Desk. You can find Sum and Substance CDs, flash cards and the popular Understanding series. There are also valuable study aids for first-year courses! And there is more! Look at these web sites: On-line and hard copy exams - you can look at becoming familiar with Hamline Law school exams:
Books about successful exam-taking:

Want still more advice for studying and writing law school exams? Look at these web sites for Law School Exam-Taking Tips, Closed Book Law School Exam Preparation Tips and Preparing for Exams.

And don't forget the valuable resources available from CALI.There are many exam-taking tips and podcasts. Sign into CALI using the password you created. If you haven't yet created a password, you may do so by clicking the link that says "Create new account." The Hamline law access code is available for any librarian or at the Circulation Desk.

I know your time is valuable -- if you want to stop and chat my door is open! Good luck!

Brief history of law libraries

Today Hamline's law school library is rich in print and electronic resources that takes up two floors of the law school building, but it actually started in the trunk of Professor Biernat's car. The collection then spent some time on shelves in the basement of Drew in the then law library, until it found its way to its new home,the current law library,in the early 1980's.
The first Library of Congress included legal materials along with everything else. It wasn't until January 20, 1832 that New York senator William L. Marcy introduced a bill to "increase and improve the Law Department of the Library of Congress." The bill was passed and signed by President Andrew Jackson on July 14, 1832. A sum of $5,000 for the "present year" was given to purchase law materials, with an additional $1,000 annually for the next five years. The titles to be purchased were selected by the Chief Justice. Over 2,000 law books were transferred from the general collection of the Library of Congress and were the beginning of a collection in the Law Library of Congress that now exceeds two million volumes.
The Minnesota State Law Library was created by an act Congress on March 3, 1849. They were also given an initial sum of $5,000 to start their collection. In the 1870's the Supreme Court took responsibility for selecting titles to be purchased for the library, which emphasized books on law and the theory of law.
Law libraries have endured through the centuries with the support of people like Thomas Jefferson, Congress, Presidents, and the American Bar Association. They are here to help you make the best of your education!

Nervous about “Real World” Legal Research?

Whether they are part-time, temporary, or permanent gigs, you need to shine in your initial legal employment experiences before and after graduation. To assist in this endeavor, the library has prepared several practice-related research guides. They include Practice Materials, Practice Forms, Legal Research Bootcamp, and Verdicts, Awards and Settlements. So don’t hesitate to consult these resources for a research refresher, and feel free to continue contacting us with your questions even after you leave campus this spring.

A Career in Climate Change and Sustainability?

Legal observers view climate change as an emerging practice area in its own right or at least the “next big thing” in environmental law. Some large firms advertise entire practice groups focused on climate change and related matters. To get an idea of the legal issues underlying this growing practice area, stop at the library circulation desk for a look at Climate Change and Sustainable Development Law in a Nutshell (2011). To find other readily available books on climate change, do a subject search on the phrase climatic change. To find suggestions for career-related library materials, see our post on job searches and career quests.

Printing Tips.....

April 22nd is Earth Day! Lets protect our environment and save paper.

Did you know you can print on both sides from the printers in the law library?

All you have to do is select a printer before printing a document and click on properties. Select duplex and print. More detailed instruction is here. You can also staple and punch holes to your document using these printers.

Minnesota Online CLE Library

Did you know that Hamline students and faculty members can access the Minnesota CLE Online Library for free?

The Online Library is the electronic version of CLE course materials offered by the Minnesota Bar Association. Use the online library to find full-text outlines, chapters on the most recent developments in Minnesota Law, forms, checklists and other practice help.

This is a great tool that supplements Hamline Law Library's hardbound CLE collection. Stop by the library to pick up your code to access the Online Library today!

FDsys: America's Authentic Government Information

Did you know that everyone has free online access to the Federal Register, CFR, Congressional Hearings, and many more government publications? For more than 15 years, GPO Access was our source for Government information online. The next generation of Government information is now online with GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys).

You can browse by collection, for instance the Congressional Record Index, or by committee. There is also an advanced search option for searching by full text or you can retrieve a document by citation.

Eventually all of the publications on GPO Access will be available on this new, more robust, site. When you are in need of a government publication, remember that FDsys is available to you.

Follow us on Twitter!

We are now on Twitter! Follow us to get the latest Blog and Library updates. Our Twitter handle is HamlineLawLib or find us with our email address at reference_law@hamline.edu!

Getting to Know the Law Library's Research Guides

Did you know that Hamline Law Library has 56 (an counting!) Research Guides? Our Research Guides can give you a refresher tutorial in how to do basic legal research, help you find things on the Law Library web site, and tell you about in-depth, specific tools to use for seminar research. On the Law Library home page, look near the center-top to find the Research Guides.

Cake vs. Pie

What is this you say? It's the Law Library version of NCAA "March Madness" without the anxiety or gambling. There is enough anxiety in law schools so we offer a sweet solution. The contestants have been selected now all you have to do is vote for your favorite at each stage. The successful dessert will be announced in April and YOU will be able to savor the sweet success - the winning dessert will be served in the Library on April 6th.

Vote often for your choices!

They are Here!

Anti trust? Bankruptcy? Torts? These are some of the courses you may take in law school and sometimes you need assistance understanding the fine points of the law. Well your Law Library has the entire Understanding series by LexisNexis. Look for a volume on the library catalog and stop by the Circulation Desk to get your text.

A Good Read, A Good Movie

DID YOU KNOW? The law library has a small popular reading collection available to law students, faculty and staff. Feel free to browse the shelves. Books can be checked out at the circulation desk.
We also have a collection of DVDs about the law. Some are funny, some are serious, but all will take your mind off studying for a while. Enjoy with a bowl of popcorn and your beverage of choice!

Do you want to be a Supreme Court Justice?

Would you like to participate in U.S. Supreme Court decisions? You don't have to wait until you've practiced for years. You can do it now.

Check out this site to play in the legal fantasy league. Designed by The Harlan Institute to engage students in a "stylized law school experience", you can make predictions on the outcome of actual cases.

Health Care Reform Lawsuits -- An Opinion

The New York Review of Books has a very interesting opinion piece by David Cole about the lawsuits currently surrounding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The article's title is "Is Health Care Reform Unconstitutional?" You can read this article here.

Casemaker Database Free to Students & Staff

Law students, make yourself more marketable to employers by referencing Casemaker skills in your resume or interview. Casemaker is a legal research database available at no extra cost to members of organizations such as the Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming bar associations. As economic conditions force legal employers to contain Westlaw and Lexis charges, alternatives such as Casemaker become more important. Watch for future Casemaker training from the law library. Meanwhile, look over the training videos and user guide, and practice using Casemaker for free. Use your Hamline e-mail address to create a free personal account instantly. You will be using the same Casemaker database that thousands of cost-conscious attorneys use in their practices.

US Code into this 21st Century

Have you heard? Title 51 has been added to the US Code! There have been 50 titles since 1926 - the creation of the official title format. This new title concerns National and Commercial Space Programs.

So what! you say? There's the fact that for 85 years the Congress has not changed this format and newer legislation has been shoe-horned to fit the existing 50 Title structure. Now Congress has effectively enacted a change. Following President Obama's lead on looking towards the future Congress has created this new title. The Office of the Law Revision Counsel plans to make some more changes. So look for new titles in the future!

How will this change your legal research?

Job Searches and Career Quests

In addition to the Career Services Office’s resources, HUSL students have access to many career-related books in the law library. A few general guides include the following:

Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams (2008)

The Legal Job Interview: Winning the Law-Related Job in Today’s Market (2008)

Resumes for Law Careers (2008)

How to Start & Build a Law Practice (2004)

Flying Solo: A Survival Guide for the Solo and Small Firm Lawyer (2005)

Managing Your Legal Career: Best Practices for Creating the Career You Want (2010)

Fifty Unique Legal Paths: How to Find the Right Job (2008)

The Legal Career Guide: From Law Student to Lawyer (2008)

The Official Guide to Legal Specialties: An Insider’s Guide to Every Major Practice Area (2000)

Should You Really Be a Lawyer? The Guide to Smart Career Choices Before, During & After Law School (2005) (The new 2010 edition is on its way to the library.)

Nonlegal Careers for Lawyers (2006)

Our books on particular legal careers are too numerous to list and often may be checked out for longer use by students. Here are just a few examples:

Careers in Criminal Law (2010)

How to Build and Manage a Family Law Practice (2006)

Careers in Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice (2010)

Need inspiration to find a direction or just keep going? Some (auto)biographical material from lawyers who eventually found their way may spark your imagination. Here’s a sampling of what you can select from our shelves.

Angel of Death Row: My Life as a Death Penalty Defense Lawyer (2010)

Fearless: The Richard A. Sprague story (2008)

Melvin Belli: King of the Courtroom (2007)

A Song of Faith and Hope: The Life of Frankie Muse Freeman (2003)

The Gift of Insecurity: A Lawyer's Life (2003)

Advocate and Activist: Memoirs of an American Communist Lawyer (1993).

Attorney for the Situation (1975)