Suffolk Law Library Blog

Skype and Evidence

2012-01-26T09:10:00.001-05:00

See this news story from BBC, which discusses how more and more crimes are being witnessed live on Skype but investigators have trouble because the events are not recorded.

Law and the Middle Ages

2011-12-16T11:24:00.003-05:00

For those legal history buffs out there, check out a new book in our collection: Law and Power in the Middle Ages. This collection of great articles covers such as law and sin, legal administration, the rise of professional lawyers in medieval England, and many other topics.

Library Closed August 28th

2011-08-27T22:51:00.001-04:00

Due to the weather, the library will be closed on Sunday, August 28th.

CALI - New Exercise on Massachusetts Law Primary Sources

2011-06-02T19:53:00.002-04:00

There is a new exercise posted to CALI on doing research in Massachusetts primary law sources. This exercise was written by two of the law librarians from Suffolk. If you are a law student and haven't registered yet for CALI stop by the reference desk for the access code or email us at lawref@suffolk.edu from your Suffolk email account. The exercise is under Legal Research by State.

First Openly Gay Judge Named to SJC

2011-05-05T20:35:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Judge Barbara Lenk was confirmed to the SJC, becoming the states first openly gay judge named to the state's highest court. See news coverage at the Boston Globe and her biography still on the Massachusetts Appeals Court Website.

Workshops: Get Ready for Practice

2011-04-07T19:57:00.002-04:00

LEGAL RESEARCH WORKSHOPS Tips for Summer Jobs & Beyond Come to a 30 minute research workshop! These short workshops are designed to sharpen your research skills and give you an edge when you’re asked to do research at your summer jobs and beyond. The law library will be holding the following 5 workshops:

Massachusetts Research 101: Must-Know Resources

Research in the Real World: Practical Tips for Law Firm Survival

Suffolk Research Databases: Quality Research Without Westlaw & Lexis

Free Online Resources: Great Go-To Resources When Cost & Availability Are on Your Mind

Advanced Legal Research: Resources & Techniques used by Research Pros

Workshops will be held April 12th - 14th. For planning purposes, please sign up here.

Refreshments will be served

Free MCLE Class - Pathways to Practice

2011-03-10T20:12:00.002-05:00

MCLE is offering its 2nd annual Pathways to Practice Program. This program is FREE and includes a "panel of expert practitioners to offer practical advice and concrete suggestions for new lawyers just starting out." For more information and to register visit the MCLE page on Pathways to Practice.

ECJ rules gender cannot be factor in insurance.

2011-03-01T10:04:00.002-05:00

"The ruling, by the European court of justice, means insurers will no longer be able to use sex as a factor to determine whether someone represents a bigger risk in insurance terms, even though historical evidence shows that being male o[r] female has a bearing on frequency and size of claims."

Scott Akehurst-Moore

HeinOnline Webinar

2011-02-17T17:09:00.003-05:00

HeinOnline is offering a free webinar on searching on Thursday, February 24th. HeinOnline is a great source for older law review articles, federal documents, treatises and much more. For details on this webinar & to register see the HeinOnline Blog.

Call for student papers

2011-01-26T14:34:00.003-05:00

The Legal Scholarship Blog has announced the American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law and College of Labor and Employment Lawyers Annual Law Student Writing Competition 2011.

Also, the American Association of Law Librarians LexisNexis Call for Papers has a student division that law students can submit to. See more details here.

Westlaw Next Training - Sign Up Now!

2011-01-25T09:55:00.001-05:00

Hello Students,

Thomson West has introduced a new research platform called Westlaw Next. The law library will be offering the following short training sessions on this new platform.

Thursday, Jan. 27th, at 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 2nd, at 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 3rd, at 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 3rd, at 5:30 p.m.

These trainings will all be held in room 365 and will be about 20 minutes. You will learn about key features of Westlaw Next and differences between this new platform and the classic Westlaw with which you are currently familiar. To sign up for this training, please go to the library workshop page.

In the meantime, if you have any questions please feel free to contact us at 617-573-8516, by email at lawref@suffolk.edu, or stop and see us in the library.

Sincerely,
The Moakley Law Library Reference Department

FDsys

2011-01-13T19:51:00.002-05:00

Welcome back. Hope you all had a nice break.

We wanted to make you aware of the new Government Printing Office website, FDsys. FDsys will be replacing gpoaccess.gov in a few short months. In fact as of December 20, 2010, FDsys became the official Web site of government information. To learn more about FDsys, including how to search this database visit About FDsys.

Closed on Monday, December 27th

2010-12-26T19:44:00.001-05:00

Due to the weather, the library will be closed on Monday, December 27th.

Holiday Break Hours

2010-12-23T09:03:00.001-05:00

Library Hours during the winter break:

Wednesday, December 22nd: 8am to 11pm
Thursday, December 23rd: 8am to 8pm
Friday, December 24th: 8am to 3pm
Saturday and Sunday, December 25th and 26th: CLOSED
Monday, December 27th, through Thursday, December 30th: 8am to 8pm
Friday, December 31st: 8am to 3pm
Saturday and Sunday, January 1st and 2nd: CLOSED
Monday, January 3rd, through Friday, January 7th: 8am to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday, January 8th and 9th: 9am to 8pm
Monday, January 10th: Resume regular hours

Also, please note that the library Web site will be unavailable on Monday, December 27th from 9:00am until early afternoon for scheduled maintenance.

Happy Holidays and see you in the 2011!

iPad or Kindle?

2010-12-16T20:05:00.002-05:00

Do you prefer an iPad or Kindle for reading cases? Justise Elena Kagan prefers the Kindle while justice Antonin Scalia has an ipad. Read more about this court divide at the Young Lawyers Blog.

Exam Prep Resources

2010-12-10T10:29:00.003-05:00

Don't Panic the Moakley Law Library has lots of study aids that will help you ace your exams.

Past Exams
The Library has an online database of exams submitted by law school faculty. Working through these exams can be a good way to get ready. If you are working off-campus you will need a password to access these past exams. You can find this password in Campus Cruiser.

Treatises and Study Aids
We have treatises and study aids—like those in the Hornbook, Examples and Explanations, Nutshell, and Understanding series.

CALI Lessons
Register with CALI and access hundreds of online interactive lessons on numerous legal topics. There are more than 400 lessons in first-year subject areas. The Registration code can also be found in Campus Cruiser.

Audio CDs
Listening to a Sum & Substance CD can reinforce what you’ve covered in class. We have CDs on all first-year subjects.

Study Rooms
Use the online reservation system to sign up for a study room for your study group.

You can find links to all these resources on the library’s Exam Preparation page (http://www.law.suffolk.edu/library/services/examprep.cfm). And as always, please contact the reference desk at 617-573-8516, lawref@suffolk.edu, or in the library on the 6th floor, if you have any questions.

Harvard Conference: Driving Change, Shaping Lives: Gender in the Developing World

2010-12-03T15:32:00.001-05:00

This conference will bring leading experts from different fields, countries, and perspectives together at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study to explore the complex roles of gender in the developing world. Academic scholarship will be interwoven with practical experience as scholars, practitioners, organizers, and political leaders engage with one another in panel sessions on health, education, shifting populations, politics, and technology and media. Discussions will investigate intersections among these topics, crossing boundaries both conceptual and geographic.

The conference will be held Thursday, March 3, 2011–Friday, March 4, 2011 at Radcliffe Gymnasium, 10 Garden Street, Radcliffe Yard, at Harvard University. Registration is required and opens in the spring.

For more details, go here.

Creative Law: The 16th Annual Interdisciplinary Legal Studies Graduate Students' Conference & Call For Papers

2010-12-01T15:21:00.002-05:00

The theme for the 2011 conference is creativity and the law. It will be held at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, May 13th & 14th, 2011. Students are encouraged to think outside the box and show legal creativity. The organizers want to explore how creativity influences the law and how law can influence creativity. For more details about the conference, go here. If you're interested in submitting a paper proposal go here.

From Seed to Stomach: Food and Farming Law

2010-11-30T20:26:00.002-05:00

On Friday, January 21, 2011, Northeastern University Law Journal will host its annual symposium: "From Seed to Stomach: Food and Farming Law." The symposium will focus on recent legal developments in the areas of food and farming law, including intellectual property and genetically-modified foods, sustainable economic farming, and food labeling and consumption. For more details, go here.

Some Massachusetts Blogs

2010-11-12T15:23:00.003-05:00

You might be interested in the following list of blogs devoted to Massachusetts Legal Issues hosted at Justia Blawg Search: Massachusetts Blogs.

One handy feature is that you can subscribe to the RSS feeds of all 79 listed blogs.

Handy New Catalog Features!

2010-10-27T15:30:00.006-04:00

The library catalog has many new helpful features. For example, after signing in under the "your circulation record" conduct a search in the catalog. On the top right, you can then save your search. Go back to your record and click "saved searches." From this screen you can rerun the search or set up an e-mail alert when new book is added to the collection. You can also renew items!

Call for Papers: Women’s Bodily Freedom (Student Competition)

2010-07-22T11:25:00.002-04:00

The Modern American (TMA) announces an essay competition sponsored by the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia and American University Washington College of Law (WCL). Topic: the status and future of women’s bodily freedom in American policy-making and jurisprudence.

The competition is open to all full-time and part-time law students enrolled in and attending an accredited law school in the United States. The submission deadline is Oct. 1, 2010.

The winner of the competition will receive $1,000 and be published in TMA. For more details, go here.

Kagan Materials

2010-06-07T15:55:00.004-04:00

The Clinton Library has begun releasing materials related to Elena Kagan's work for the white house. For continuing coverage on the nomination, see the law.com page The Choice & the University of Michigan Law Library web page on the nominee.

Australia sues Japan over whaling

2010-05-28T17:36:00.003-04:00

Australia will lodge formal proceedings at the International Court of Justice against Japan. Australia is attempting to bring an end to Japan's so-called "scientific whaling," as allegedly allowed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Follow the ICJ and its cases here: http://www.icj-cij.org/homepage/index.php?lang=en

Bluebook - 19th Edition to be released

2010-05-27T12:30:00.001-04:00

The 19th edition of the Bluebook is set to be released June 1st. The law library should be receiving copies by the second week of June.

Cape Wind Wins Federal Approval

2010-04-29T20:21:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, the controversial Cape Wind project received federal approval. Although opponents vow to take the battle to court, specialists say this is a delaying tactic at best. Read more here.

Moakley Law Library Closed on March 17th

2010-03-16T16:37:00.003-04:00

The Moakley Law Library will be closed on Wednesday, March 17th.

In addition, the library's Web site and catalog will be down for maintenance from 5pm March 16th until 9am March 18th. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Massachusetts State Courts Facing another Budget Cut

2010-03-12T10:11:00.003-05:00

The Boston Bar Association is working to forestall a proposed $10 million budget cut for the state courts. This comes after a steep cut last year and voluntary cuts by the courts. Read more about the problems facing the Massachusetts courts and budget problems of other state courts at law.com.

Kathleen Sullivan Becomes first Named Partner at an Am Law 100 Firm

2010-03-12T09:52:00.002-05:00

Wow, when I read this I couldn't believe that this is the first time a woman has become a named partner in a top 100 law firm. Guess it takes a while to break into the upper-echelons. Read more at law.com.

International Law Students Association - Spring Conference

2010-03-09T19:41:00.004-05:00

The 2010 ILSA Spring Conference will be held March 25-26 at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. The Conference is entitled "International Law and the Individual." For more details, go here.

New Interlibrary Loan Request Form

2010-02-18T14:06:00.002-05:00

The library now has an online form for current students and faculty to request books and articles that aren't available in the library or through our subscription databases.

New Westlaw & LexisNexis Features

2010-02-12T12:01:00.002-05:00

Westlaw is introducing a new way to search called WestlawNext. There are some news stories and reviews at Information Today and Out of the Jungle.

LexisNexis will be rolling out a version of their system that's integrated into Microsoft Word. There's a preview at 3 Geeks and Law Blog.

New Mass. Law Extends Harassment Protections

2010-02-11T13:28:00.005-05:00

New Ch. 258E of the General Laws extends the legal protections available to stalking and sexual abuse victims by permitting them to receive protective orders against people who are neither domestic partners nor family members. Under Ch. 209A, the existing protective order statute, victims can receive such protective orders only if the abuser or stalker is a family member, someone living in their home, or someone with whom they have a “substantial dating relationship.” At this week’s signing session Governor Patrick noted that the new law “closes a glaring loophole” in the remedies available to victims. See this Boston Globe article for Patrick’s comments as well as a look at the law’s ten-year, emotional, history.

Jeanie Fallon
Legal Reference Librarian

Source: Massachusetts Law Updates

California Supreme Court says DNA Arrest Warrant OK

2010-02-10T09:59:00.006-05:00

The California Supreme Court ruled that an arrest warrant identifying a perpetrator solely by a DNA profile was valid under the state and federal constitution. The Fourth Amendment (and state equivalents) requires "particularity" when identifying someone. When an perpetrator's name is unknown, a fictitious name ("John Doe") can be used along with other physical characteristics. In this case, the Court ruled that a DNA profile by itself was legally sufficient. Additionally, it was valid under the Sixth Amendment's notice requirements. For the first time on this issue, a substantial dissent was filed, in which the dissent claimed the warrant was insufficient because it could not be effectuated - the police could not make an arrest with a DNA profile only. See 10 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1009. From Scott Akehurst-Moore.

Good News For Students Interested in Environmental Law

2010-02-05T09:05:00.005-05:00

This Law.com article predicts an uptick in the need for environmental lawyers particularly in the areas of climate change and sustainability. Sign-up to receive a law.com newsletter or an RSS feed to stay current with career trends and legal news.

The ABA's 2010 Levit Essay Contest For Law Students and Young Lawyers

2010-02-02T18:06:00.002-05:00

The contest encourages original and innovative research and writing in the area of legal malpractice law, professional liability insurance and loss prevention.The Prize is $5000.00 and a free trip to Washington, D.C. Submission deadline is February 19, 2010. For the hypothetical and all the details, go here.

SCOTUS wiki

2010-01-29T15:53:00.005-05:00

Some of you may be familiar with with SCOTUSblog as a great source for news about U.S. Supreme Court cases but you may not know they have a relatively new wiki.

The SCOTUSwiki has information for cases argued before the Supreme Court since the October 2009 siting. The types of information you can find are briefs and other filings, opinion recaps, oral & pre-argument recaps, and further information, such as media and blog coverage. Using the Watchlist feature, you can even track changes that are made to wiki pages about specific cases you are following.

NYT Article: The 3 Facebook Settings Every User Should Check Now

2010-01-27T13:55:00.002-05:00

Confused about the privacy changes Facebook made back in December? Check out this New York Times article that ran on January 20, 2010.

Supreme Court Overturns Corporate Campaign Spending Ban

2010-01-23T11:08:00.003-05:00

In a 5-4 decision the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on First Amendment grounds that Congress may not bar corporations and unions from using their own money to make expenditures to support or oppose candidates for office. Justice Stevens wrote a 90 page dissent: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-205.pdf

LexisNexis iPhone/iPod App

2010-01-22T15:50:00.003-05:00

As mentioned previously, there's a version of Westlaw optimized for use on small devices like smartphones. Not to be outdone, LexisNexis has a free app for using their system on an iPhone or iPod Touch. You can find the app by going to the iTunes store and searching for LexisNexis.

The app allows you to read or Shepardize a case on LexisNexis when you have a citation. The Shepard's feature is very limited, however, and doesn't include links to citing cases. So you can find out whether or not a case is likely to still be good, but you can't read or even get the citations to the cases that have reversed, questioned, criticized, or explained it.

See Legal Geekery for a detailed review of the app.

Governor Patrick Signs Education Bill

2010-01-16T10:42:00.005-05:00

Governor Deval Patrick will sign a education bill at a ceremony on Martin Luther King Day at the Children’s Museum. The bill will double the number of charter school seats in the state’s lowest-performing districts and would give superintendents power to overhaul failing schools
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/01/16/patrick_to_sign_education_bill_on_monday/

GC Compensation

2010-01-15T09:58:00.003-05:00

For those of you considering corporate law, see the latest law.com GC Annual Compensation Survey: http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202437895015&src=EMC-Email&et=editorial&bu=Law.com&pt=LAWCOM%20Newswire&cn=NW_20100113&kw=Great%20Responsibility%20Comes%20With%20Great%20Pay%2C%20GC%20Survey%20Shows&hbxlogin=1# (article with pertinent stats and links).

Senate Race - Information

2010-01-15T08:47:00.005-05:00

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday, Jan. 19th.

Scott Brown Website: http://brownforussenate.com/
Martha Coakley Website: http://www.marthacoakley.com/

Find your polling place: http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php

Find out how the candidates stand on important issues: http://ontheissues.org/default.htm and http://www.votesmart.org/ - both provide information about the candidates in the Mass senate race.

Accessing Westlaw on Mobile Devices

2010-01-13T20:15:00.005-05:00

Say you'd like to use Westlaw on your smartphone or a small wireless device like an iPod touch but don't like how cramped it looks on the small screen. Now there's a solution: Westlaw Wireless, a version of Westlaw optimized for the smaller screens on mobile devices.

To use Westlaw Wireless, just open your device's Web browser and go to wl-w.com or wireless.westlaw.com. When you log in you'll have to enter a Client ID, which you don't have to do when logging in to the law school version of Westlaw, but this can be anything you want. (The Client ID is used by researchers who need to keep track of who's going to be billed for Westlaw usage - something students don't have to worry about).

Although you'll get much of the functionality of full Westlaw, the wireless version seems best suited to finding and reading cases or statutes, or using KeyCite to check the status of a case or statute, when you have a citation.

16th Annual Rebellious Lawyering Conference at Yale

2010-01-12T14:58:00.002-05:00

The RebLaw Conference is an annual, student-run conference that brings together practitioners, law students, and community advocates from around the country to discuss innovative, progressive approaches to law and social change. It will be held at Yale Law School, February 19 - 21, 2010. For more details, go here.

Animal Law Conference at Harvard

2010-01-11T14:55:00.002-05:00

The Future of Animal Law will be held at Harvard Law School, April 9 – 11, 2010. The Conference is sponsored by the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Harvard Law School Student ALDF chapter. For more information about this event, go here.

Massachusetts Acts and Resolves

2009-01-22T12:30:00.001-05:00

The Massachusetts Acts and Resolves from 1876-2008 are now available online through the State Library. This makes doing historical research on Massachusetts Law much easier. A wonderful resource.

Source: Massachusetts Law Updates

President Obama Resources

2009-01-22T12:00:00.003-05:00

If you missed it the first time or just want to relive history, watch the inauguration here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/inaugural-address/.

Get news on Barack Obama's first days in the White House:
Huffington Post
Chicago Tribune

See the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents for executive orders of the President. For more information of what else is contained in this resource see: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/presdocs/about.html

Dianne Wilkerson Affidavit and News Coverage

2008-10-29T09:51:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Dianne Wilkerson, Massachusetts state senator, was arrested on charges of attempted extortion and wire fraud. The following are some links to the affidavit and news coverage.

Affidavit
Phoenix article (including photos)
Timeline of Sen. Wilkerson's Troubles (Boston Herald)

Senate Passes Emergency Economic Stabilization Act

2008-10-02T11:31:00.002-04:00

Yesterday the U.S. Senate passed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. You can find the full-text of the latest version of this bill on the website of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. This web page also contains a one page summary and a section by section analysis. For further commentary see: Senate passes bailout [CNN article]; Congress Struggles With Wall Street Bailout [NPR web page with several good articles]; and The Bailout: An Owner's Manual [Great Explanation from Forbes.com].

October 8: See the full-text of the law at gpoaccess.gov: H. R. 1424

Beyond LexisNexis and Westlaw

2008-08-22T09:04:00.000-04:00

Legal research doesn't begin and end with LexisNexis and Westlaw. Broaden your horizens by coming to a database training session for an overview of law library databases as well as research tips and strategies. Could be the most productive half hour of your semester!

Trainings will be held in room 725 in the library on the following dates:

Tuesday, August 26th at 2pm
Wednesday, August 27th at 5pm
Thursday, August 28th at 3pm

Questions? Stop by the law library reference desk on the 6th floor of the library, email lawref@suffolk.edu, or call us at 617-573-8516.

Welcome Back!

2008-08-18T09:53:00.004-04:00

It's the start of a new year, and the law library has some help as you ease (or jump) back in.

First, we'll be offering "roaming reference" services on the 4th floor near the cafeteria today (11-1 and 5-6), tomorrow (12-2 and 5-6), and this Thursday (11-2 and 5-6). Stop by and meet a reference librarian, ask questions, and learn about upcoming events. Pick up a law library pen/highlighter -- and some candy! Of course, the reference desk in the library will also be staffed for its regular 9-9 hours. Have questions or need research help? Drop by the reference desk, call us at 617-573-8516, or email lawref@suffolk.edu.

If you haven't listened to the legal refresher podcasts, now's a great time to do so. Go to Suffolk University Law School on iTunes U to find the legal refresher podcasts on researching case law and researching statutes. A pdf handout may also be downloaded and printed. A very quick and easy way to bring back some skills that may have slipped away over the summer. While you're at Suffolk Law on iTunes U, check out the legal writing tips provided by LPS. Highly recommended.

ORIENTATION

2008-08-12T18:24:00.000-04:00

Welcome! We'll be giving brief library tours to new law students between 7:00 and 9:00 PM on Tuesday, August 12. Please stop by the law library on the 6th floor for a tour.

And stop by the reference desk any time with questions, research help, or just to get pointed in the right direction!

MCAD: Men Eligible for Maternity Leave

2008-06-10T11:51:00.004-04:00

In what has been described as a "bombshell," MCAD Commissioner Martin B. Ebel recently stated that MCAD will in the future apply the Massachusetts Maternity Act in a gender-neutral fashion. This means that men, as well as women, may be eligible for maternity leave, despite the fact that the Act specifically applies to women. For more, see this article in the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and the discussion in Massachusetts Law Updates.

Sources: Massachusetts Law Updates, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

NOTE: I'll be taking a summer blog break, but will be back with new postings in early August.

Help With Your Summer Legal Writing

2008-06-10T11:07:00.001-04:00

Need to write a client letter or legal memo and not quite sure how to go about it? Check out the law library's recently posted legal writing list on our Topics A-Z site. It's a recommended list of books covering various types of legal writing. Most of them have sample documents (e.g., sample legal memos, professional correspondence, appellate briefs, and more). To make it even easier, we've noted the specific chapters to look at for each type of document.

Ease that summer job anxiety by coming into the library and looking at some annotated samples. And while you're here, stop by the reference desk with any questions.

Summer Reading

2008-05-30T11:21:00.005-04:00

Summer's a great time catch up on your reading. Some miscellaneous articles that seem worthwhile:

Breaking News! 2d [Circuit] Issues Major Student First Amendment Decision Involving Blogs

Childhoood Lead Exposure Linked to Adult Crime

UN Report: Soaring Food Prices: Facts, Perspectives, Impacts, and Actions Required

Under Pressure, White House Issues Global Change Report, plus the report itself,
Scientific Assessment of the Effects of Global Change on the United States

Sources: Adjunct Law Prof Blog, USA Today, Food Law Prof Blog, Washington Post

Oceans Act of 2008

2008-05-29T12:36:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Governor Patrick signed the nation's first comprehensive ocean planning law. The Oceans Act of 2008 requires Massachusetts to create a plan to manage development in its coastal waters, balancing natural resource preservation with traditional and new uses, including renewable energy. For a summary of the law, see the press release issued by the Governor's Office, and the article in today's Boston Globe. For a copy of the legislation and additional background about the Act, see the Mass Ocean Campaign web site.

Source: Boston Globe, Mass Ocean Campaign

PODCASTS!

2008-05-28T11:13:00.000-04:00

Check out the new Suffolk Law LPS podcast series Transitioning from One-L to Summer Legal Work. Nineteen podcasts delivered by legal writing professors from across the country cover "real world" practice tips on topics like creating a research file, editing your work, and effectively delivering legal information. And they're freely downloadable from iTunes. Whether you're a recent one-L or a recent graduate, there's something here for you.

More Summer Tips

2008-05-23T09:14:00.001-04:00

Check out the Law Library's new Summer Resources link on the Library's home page. For even more real-world, practical tips on landing a job, check out this list: Top Tips for Summer -- before you worry about resumes and cover letters. Also important to consider: 5 stages of working with support staff.

Source: Career and Professional Development Blog

Writing for law reviews

2008-05-16T12:46:00.003-04:00

Trying to write-on to a law review? Already on, and writing a note? In either case, check out Academic Legal Writing: law review articles, student notes, seminar papers, and getting on law review, by Eugene Volokh. A well-respected source that is well worth your time. It's on reserve in the law library. Go to the circulation desk and ask for call number KF250.V65 2007.

Also on reserve: Scholarly Writing for Law Students: seminar papers, law review notes, and law review competition papers, by Elizabeth Fajans. Call number KF250.F35 2005.

For some useful tips, see Betsy McKenzie's post on law review writing.

Need to find a hot topic? Stop by the reference desk on the 6th floor of the law library for a handout on finding circuit splits and other hot topics.

And don't forget the law library's Bluebook Guide!

Voter ID Upheld

2008-04-30T13:46:00.002-04:00

In Crawford v. Marion County Board, 553 US __ (2008), issued yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Indiana statute that requires voters to show government-issued identification at polling places. Proponents of such state requirements argue that they help reduce voter fraud; opponents argue that such requirements effectively end up disenfranchising otherwise eligible voters who do not possess government-issued ID -- such as some poor, elderly and disabled individuals. The effect of the Indiana statute will be quickly tested in next week's presidential primary. For more about the opinion, see articles in the New York Times and The Boston Globe.

Source: Massachusetts Law Updates Blog

You have a job offer -- now what?

2008-04-30T13:35:00.001-04:00

For a practical and productive list of things to consider, check out Responding to a Job Offer. Could be just the advice you need.

Source: Career & Professional Development Blog

Summer Help

2008-04-29T11:02:00.004-04:00

The reference librarians have prepared a one page handout covering Westlaw and Lexis summer access, other electronic resources you can use this summer, and tips on landing a job. Copies are at the reference desk. Stop by and pick one up.

For job tips you can also see this guide, or check out the display case outside the fifth floor reading room.

For free alternatives to Westlaw and Lexis, take a look at Legal Research on the Web.

And never hesitate to ask for help! In person at the reference desk, by email to lawref@suffolk.edu, and by phone at 617-573-8516. We're here all summer.

New Rule Requires Privilege Log

2008-04-29T10:44:00.000-04:00

Effective April 1, 2008, the Mass. Rules of Civil Procedure were amended to include a new section, Rule 26 (b) (5), governing claims of privilege or protection of materials during discovery. The amendment requires that the party withholding material prepare a privilege log, as further specified in the Rule.

Source: Mass. Trial Court Libraries

Online access to Early Mass. Reports

2008-04-18T10:45:00.000-04:00

A new resource for those looking to access the earliest Mass. Reports. The Google Books Project has scanned full text copies of Volumes 1-238 of Massachusetts Reports, which means they are now freely accessible on the web. And to make it simpler, the Mass. Trial Court Library has created an interface page, Early Mass. Reports. You can view, search, and/or download from the online volumes.

Source: Massachusetts Law Updates Blog

News + Museum = Newseum

2008-04-18T10:10:00.001-04:00

Recently opened in D.C. , the Newseum bills itself as the "interactive museum of news...where news comes to life." Sounds like a great place to visit the next time you're in D.C. But in the meantime, definitely check out its website. Every day it displays online copies of the front pages of over 600 daily newspapers from 58 countries. The archive carries front pages that chronicle recent events of historical significance--- for example, 9/11, and the tsunami. Want to relive the glorious day in 2004 when the Red Sox won the World Series? That's there too. Very cool. There are also links to the Freedom Forum, the Diversity Institute, and the First Amendment Center. A valuable and fun resource.

Source: First Amendment Law Prof Blog

Bankruptcy filings up--again

2008-04-18T09:50:00.000-04:00

More tough economic news. Total US bankruptcy filings increased by 6% for the first quarter of 2008, over the last quarter of 2007--and a whopping 24% over the same quarter in 2007. For the actual numbers, see Credit Slips.

Source: BankruptcyProf Blog

* Dream Jobs *

2008-04-16T09:33:00.001-04:00

Currently showing in the fifth floor display case: Tips for Landing the Job of Your Dreams . Playing to the end of the semester.

Reviewers say "A must see!" "An invaluable resource!"

Stop by and see it for yourself. It's loaded with concrete tips to help you in your job hunt.

Mass. Employment Law Update

2008-04-15T14:20:00.001-04:00

A new law mandating triple damages in the event an employer violates the Mass. weekly wage statute went into effect yesterday. For responses from both proponents and opponents of the new law, see the articles in today's Boston Globe and Boston Herald. For more about wages and the law in Massachusetts generally, see Massachusetts Law About Wages, prepared by the the Mass. Trial Court Law Library.

Source: Massachusetts Law Updates Blog

Public Interest Law: Pro Bono Opportunites

2008-04-08T17:23:00.002-04:00

Looking for experience? Have you seen The Pro Bono Opportunities Guide, published by the Mass. Bar Association? It's an online, comprehensive listing of statewide agencies that need pro bono assistance from attorneys, law students or paralegals. Definitely worth a look.

Source: Massachusetts Bar Association

One Less Worry

2008-04-04T15:02:00.001-04:00

It's Friday afternoon and time to relax. Would you be less worried if you won a $10,000 law school scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year? Check out the One Less Worry contest being run by student lender Access Group. Create a short video about what worries you in law school, upload it to YouTube, fill out the entry form, and you could be on your way. You must be enrolled as a law student as of August 1, 2008 to enter; entries are due June 15, 2008. Access Group will pick the ten best law student submissions based on “creativity, humor, quality, realism and overall appeal” and open up public voting on July 1. Get the most votes by July 31, and you win. More details, entry form, and a lot of legalese to read at the One Less Worry web site.

Source: Law Librarian Blog

Public Interest Law: Earthjustice

2008-04-04T11:55:00.001-04:00

Earthjustice is a non-profit law firm specializing in environmental work. Founded in 1971 as the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund but renamed in 1997 as Earthjustice, the firm employs 55 attorneys at nine offices nationwide and represents hundreds of clients without charge. Check out its website, which has extensive resources about environmental issues, laws and cases, and includes a link to employment opportunities at Earthjustice, including attorney positions and internships. And for more, see a recent article in the National Law Journal.

Source: National Law Journal

Suffolk Law Databases

2008-03-25T15:56:00.001-04:00

By now you’re all familiar with Westlaw and Lexis. But have you looked at the wealth of databases offered by the Law Library?

A very useful place to start is Law School Research Databases by Subject. Set up in question and answer format (If you’re researching X…, try using Y databases), this page quickly gets you to the most useful databases. For example, if you’re researching environmental law, try using the Environmental Law Reporter. If you’re researching antitrust and trade regulation try using CCH Business and Finance Research, or BNA’s Antitrust and Trade Regulation Report.

Even if you’ve looked at these databases previously, take another look. We’ve just significantly expanded our holdings.

And because these resources are just too valuable to miss, in coming weeks, we’ll be describing some of the databases in more detail.

Pro Bono in Boston

2008-03-24T08:34:00.001-04:00

Check out the interesting article in the March 17 Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly discussing pro bono work at large firms in Boston. A new trend is to have a full time pro bono manager, and even full time pro bono attorneys.

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

Public Interest Law

2008-03-24T08:31:00.002-04:00

On a related note, have you seen the new display case on the fifth floor of the Library? In keeping with its Public Interest Law theme, we’ll be highlighting some Public Interest Law web sites over the next few weeks.

Let Them Eat Clones -- Take Two

2008-03-20T10:41:00.006-04:00

A Freedom of Information Act request from the Center for Food Safety together with several other groups has turned up a report commissioned by the FDA descriptively titled “Focus Groups on the Public’s Perception on the Health Risk Associated with Products from Animal Clones”.

Not surprisingly, more than half of the participants stated that they would not want to eat food derived from cloned animals, and all of the parents surveyed said thay would not give such food to their children.

Perhaps surprisingly, the FDA commissioned the report well before it issued its risk assessment approving food from cloned animals and their offspring for human consumption. No labeling or tracking required.

For more about the FDA's decision, see our previous blog posting.

Source: Food Law Prof Blog; Center for Food Safety

Mexico and the Caribbean

2008-03-05T12:14:00.000-05:00

Does the upcoming spring break bring thoughts of Mexico or the Caribbean? Check out these two useful resource guides, recently posted on LLRX.com: Mexico & Its Legal System Research Guide and The Caribbean Court of Justice Research Guide.

Source: LLRX.com

BLUEBOOK now online!

2008-02-27T10:34:00.001-05:00

The Bluebook is now available online. It's not free, but the subscription-based service makes searching easy, allows you to make and share bookmarks, and includes "Blue Tips", described as "authoritative guidance to reasonable questions on subjects covered by The Bluebook." And Harvard Law Review says further value-add is coming in the future. A great alternative for those who prefer online resources.

Source: Law Librarian Blog

EEOC Discrimination Cases

2008-02-14T12:01:00.001-05:00

The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently instituted the
E-RACE Initiative, "designed to improve EEOC’s efforts to ensure workplaces are free of race and color discrimination. " As part of the E-RACE Initiative, the EEOC has compiled a list of significant EEOC race/color cases in both the private and federal sectors. The list contains brief sumaries of the EEOC's actions in about 100 cases from 2005 to the present, categorized by heading. For example, under the broad heading Employment Practices, cases are subdivided under subheadings such as Hiring, Compensation Disparity, and Retaliation; under the broad heading Types of Race/Color Discrimination, cases are subdivided under subheadings such as Color Discrimination, Same Race Discrimination, and Code Words. A very useful resource.

Source: Adjunct Law Prof Blog

Public Library of Law

2008-02-14T10:43:00.000-05:00

You may be familiar with Fastcase, a subscription legal database. Now Fastcase has released a free online version, The Public Library of Law, self-described as "the most comprehensive free resource for legal research online." The free library contains cases from the U.S. Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals, plus appellate cases from all 50 states from 1997 forward. In addition, it has statutes from all states, court rules from all states, constitutions from all states, regulations from selected states, the U.S. Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, federal court rules, the U.S. Constitution, and selected legal forms. While not equivalent in scope or search capabilities to the premium Fastcase, the Public Library of Law is a handy tool to have when you can't access Westlaw or Lexis but still want to access primary legal sources online.

Source: Robert Ambrogi's Lawsites

Notable Legal Websites: 2007

2008-01-23T12:41:00.000-05:00

Law.com has published its list of the five most notable legal sites of 2007, which it describes as "the sites that made news or should have made news -- not necessarily the best or the worst, but the ones that most altered the online legal landscape." The background and discussion about each site make this a must-read. The five notable sites:
http://www.avvo.com/
http://public.resource.org/
http://www.altlaw.org/
http://www.abajournal.com/
http://www.justia.com/

Sources: Law.com; Law Librarian Blog

Economic Stimulus Package

2008-01-22T12:43:00.000-05:00

In light of the current economic turmoil, it's worth looking at a collection of links discussing the pros and cons of tax rebates as part of a proposed economic stimulus package. Also check out the Joint Committee on Taxation's document titled Overview of Past Tax Legislation Providing Fiscal Stimulus and Issues in Designing and Delivering a Cash Rebate to Individuals (JCX-4-08).

Source: Tax Prof Blog

RetrieveLaw from home

2008-01-16T10:45:00.000-05:00

The Mass. Trial Court Law Libraries are offering a useful new service. RetrieveLaw allows Trial Court Law Library cardholders to remotely access Massachusetts and Federal primary law, including Mass. SJC and Appeals Court cases, Mass. General Laws, CMR, Mass. court rules, Federal court cases, US Code, CFR, and Federal court rules. If you don't have a Trial Court Law Library card, think about signing up for one--it will come in handy both now and in the future.

Source: Massachusetts Law Blog

FDA: Cloned animals safe for food

2008-01-15T12:41:00.000-05:00

The FDA has issued a controversial report concluding that foods from healthy cloned animals and their offspring are as safe as those from ordinary animals. Even more controversially, the FDA does not call for such meat to be labeled or tracked. As reported in the Washington Post, this removes the last U.S. regulatory barrier to the marketing of meat and milk from cloned cattle, pigs and goats. In response to the FDA report, the Center for Food Safety issued a statement blasting the FDA's "irresponsible determination," and urging passage of the 2007 Farm Bill, as amended, which would delay the FDA's release of cloned animals into the food supply pending further study.

Sources: beSpacific; Food Law Prof Blog; The Washington Post

Diverging Interest Rate Policies?

2008-01-15T11:21:00.000-05:00

For a look at the startling differences between the Fed's current policy of cutting interest rates and the European Central Bank's consideration of raising interest rates, see yesterday's article in Central Banker. A recent New York Times article also looked at the different approaches, discussing whether it is realistic or possible for Europe to "decouple" its economy from the United States.

Source: Banking Law Professor Blog

Mass Jury Duty Web Site

2007-12-18T10:51:00.000-05:00

The Commonwealth launched a new web site devoted to jury duty services - http://www.massjury.com/. On this site you can find general information about juror service in Massachusetts, information about serving jury duty if you are summoned, and forms for jurors.

Source: Metro

New Jersey Abolishes Death Penalty

2007-12-17T14:42:00.000-05:00

Today Governor Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey signed a bill abolishing the death penalty in New Jersey. Passed last week by the New Jersey Assembly and Senate, the bill is the first legislative abolition of the death penalty since the Supreme Court reauthorized the death penalty in 1976.
To read more about the history of the death penalty in New Jersey, see today's article in the Boston Globe. To read more about the death penalty generally, see the Death Penalty Information Center.

Source: Boston Globe

Ask.com Now Allows Erasing of Searches

2007-12-11T15:15:00.000-05:00

Ask.com unveiled AskEraser today. When it is enabled, "AskEraser will completely delete your search queries and data from Ask.com servers, including: your IP address, User ID and Session ID cookies, as well as the complete text of your search query--all within a matter of hours." -- ask.com
To enable, simply click on the AskEraser link on ask.com.

This is in stark contrast to the amount of time other search engines retain queries. The Globe reports that Google and Microsoft's search engines store personal information for 18 months and Yahoo and AOL retain this information for 13 months. Read more about this in the Globe article.

Gall v. US and Kimbrough v. US Resources (addressing federal sentencing)

2007-12-11T14:52:00.000-05:00

The following are some resources for Gall v. US [opinion] and Kimbrough v. US [opinion], both of which addressed issues in federal sentencing:

SCOTUSblog Posts: Commentary: Gall and Appellate Court Transparency, Commentary: A Justice-by-Justice Review of Gall and Kimbrough, Commentary: Winners and Losers in Gall and Kimbrough and Commentary: Gall Advances the Booker Revolution, But Also Leaves Fodder for the Court of Appeals Counter-Revolutionaries.

News Sources: Court Restores Sentencing Powers of Federal Judges [New York Times], Justices OK Latitude on Sentencing [LA Times], and Panel May Ease Crack Cocaine Sentences [AP].

Civil Procedure Changes

2007-12-06T12:20:00.000-05:00

Civil Procedure will never be the same.

First, the rewritten Federal Rules of Civil Procedure went into effect on December 1, 2007. Characterized as comprehensive "style-only" revisions, the changes make style and terminology consistent throughtout the Rules.

Second, amendments to the Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure become effective on March 1, 2008. Much less comprehensive than the changes to the Federal Rules, these amendments primarily apply to District Court practice.

Sources: U.S. Courts: Federal Rulemaking; Massachusetts Law Updates

HeinOnline Offers Help

2007-12-05T13:09:00.000-05:00

HeinOnline, one of the law schools legal databases, now offers live help through the "Help" button found in the upper right hand corner, on the welcome screen, and in the technical and training sections of the home page.

HeinOnline offers access to full text of hundreds of recent and older legal periodicals, English Reports, Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, U.S. Treaties, Statutes at Large, Congressional Record, U.S. Attorney General opinions, U.S. Supreme Court cases, and state session laws.

Law students and faculty can access Hein from on campus or off-campus using the proxy server (you will be prompted to enter your name and i.d. number). Access to Hein is available to Suffolk Law alumni at the law library. Another option to access Hein is through the Massachusetts Trial Court Libraries. You will need a Trial Court Law Libraries Card to access this database remotely.

Source: WisBlawg

Fakes and Counterfeits

2007-11-19T10:27:00.000-05:00

Check out stopfakes.gov, a useful government web site focused on protecting intellectual property . Practical and business-oriented, it provides webinars, an IP Quarterly Update, a link to the Top 10 Ways to Protect Yourself, and country-specific toolkits containing how-to’s on protecting intellectual property rights in Brazil, China, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Russia and Taiwan. The site also links to an FDA site containing resources about counterfeit drugs.

Source: Internet Legal Research Weekly

New Protections Against Identity Theft

2007-11-19T09:13:00.000-05:00

Also worth checking out-- the Final Rules relating to Identity Theft Red Flags, recently published in the Federal Register. Requiring financial instututions and creditors to set up identity theft protection programs, the rules were adopted under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA). And don’t miss IDTheft.gov—a one stop resource for government information about identity theft.

Source: Banking Law Prof Blog

House votes to prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation

2007-11-08T10:51:00.000-05:00

The U.S. House of Representatives just voted to pass H.R. 3685, a bill to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The bill now goes to the Senate for a vote.

Federal Circuit has a new Webpage

2007-10-22T14:35:00.000-04:00

The Federal Circuit is relocating its web page. The notice from the court reads: "The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is relocating its Internet Web page to its own in-house servers. As part of this process, the court's Web page address and domain name will be changed to www.cafc.uscourts.gov on October 1, 2007. The former Web page address and domain name, http://www.fedcir.gov/, will continue to be kept active through December 31, 2007, in order to redirect users to the new address. The new domain name brings the Federal Circuit into conformance with the Web site naming convention used by the other United States Courts of Appeals. Web site authors and others who have created links to pages inside the www.fedcir.gov Web page should change the URL of those links to the new URL on October 1, 2007. Please direct any questions to the CAFC Webmaster at webmaster@cafc.uscourts.gov. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience during this transition."

Source: Robert Ambrogi's Lawsites

Supreme Court Year End Round-Up

2007-07-13T15:23:00.000-04:00

Scotusblog is a great source of information on the Court all term long but at the end of the term, they post not-to-be-missed year end statistics. There are also some interesting posts about the Supreme Court decisions under the Commentary and Analysis tab.

Immigration Reform Bill Guide

2007-06-20T15:19:00.000-04:00

Georgetown Law Library has put together a very informative, up-to-date guide to the The Immigration Reform Bill of the 110th Congress. It contains links to congressional documents and news and commentary.

Source: Law Librarian Blog

New Guides on GlobaLex

2007-06-20T15:12:00.000-04:00

There are new research guides available on GlobaLex, including one updating The Croatian Legal System and Legal Research Guide and another updating Swedish Law on the Internet. GlobaLex is a great resource for authoritative research guides on international, comparative, and foreign law.

Tips for Law Review Notes

2007-06-12T15:24:00.000-04:00

See another great post by Betsy McKenzie focused on law review writing. Also, stop by the reference desk on the 6th floor of the law library for a handout on finding circuit splits.

Studying for the Bar this Summer?

2007-06-12T15:21:00.000-04:00

Betsy McKenzie, the director of the Suffolk Law Library, has some really helpful tips posted at her blog, Out of the Jungle