Ross-Blakley Law Library Blog

Court Rules, Forms and Dockets

Carrie — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:00:17 +0000

Looking for online court rules, forms and dockets? Check out this database from the Law Library Resource Xchange website, LLRX.com. It contains more than 1,400 links to federal and state court rules, forms and dockets for all 50 states, plus the U.S. territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Starting a research project

Beth DiFelice — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:52:23 +0000

It’s been my experience that most law students begin legal research projects by using Google or by searching a case law database on Westlaw or Lexis. That is NOT the best way to begin a legal research project. Your goal when you are doing legal research is to find the relevant law without wasting too much of your valuable time by doing research the wrong way. What is the best way to start a research project? Use secondary sources! The library has a number of research guides that will help you find a good secondary source for your project, such as “Legal Treatises” and “Secondary Legal Materials“.

If you want more information on this topic, please attend our workshop at noon on Wednesday, February 17 in the law library classroom.

Bar Exam Prep Materials

Serene — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:03:52 +0000

With the bar exam just weeks away, don’t foget about all the great bar prep materials the library has. Check out our Bar Exam Resource Guide for a complete list of bar exam information and study aids. Best of luck!

No Social Networking for Jurors

Leslie A. Pardo — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:09:03 +0000

The Judicial Conference of the United States is proposing that judges clearly inform jurors they must not electronically discuss cases they are hearing. To read about the model jury instructions released by the Judicial Conference in late January to the federal judiciary, please click here: Jurors: Stop Twittering from Wired

Attorney Advertising

Carrie — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:40:03 +0000

Phoenix Radio station KJZZ aired an interesting segment on Here and Now this past Friday. The discussion on Here and Now: Impact of Attorney Ads by Steve Goldstein centers around the 1977 U.S. Supreme Court case Bates vs. State Bar of Arizona, 433 U.S. 350, which challenged the State Bar’s rules restricting attorney advertising. The case was argued and won by then ASU College of Law professor William Canby. Listen to the discussion by clicking on the link above.

Legal Research Workshops

Beth DiFelice — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:04:25 +0000

Do you need to improve your legal research skills? If so, please attend the following workshops that we are offering for free for ASU law students. All workshops begin at noon in the law library classroom. There is no need to sign-up for the classes, just show-up.

Wednesday, Feb 17th - Getting Started with Your Research
Friday, February 26th - Researching Federal and State Statutes
Wednesday, March 3rd - Better Westlaw and Lexis Searching
Friday, March 5th - Researching Federal and State Regulations
Wednesday, March 10 - Cost-effective Research Strategies

Participatory Government Made Simple!

Leslie A. Pardo — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:52:21 +0000

There are two great new websites that allow citizens to easily comment on and track proposed regulations.

GOVPULSE is designed to electronically search the Federal Register and facilitate public participation in the public comment process.

Regulations.gov is an online source for U.S. government regulations from nearly 300 federal agencies.

New LexisNexis/Microsoft Partnership

Leslie A. Pardo — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:36:25 +0000

The ABA Journal Online recently reported that LexisNexis unveiled at LegalTech in New York this week its newest offering: a partnership with Microsoft. Lexis will now be integrated into Microsoft Office products, allowing users to do legal and general research directly while working in Microsoft Word, Outlook and SharePoint.

Read the full article here: Lexis Turns Up Heat on Legal Research Competition Today: Unveils Partnership with Microsoft

Early Draft of the Constitution Found in Philadelphia

Leslie A. Pardo — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:49:01 +0000

Researcher and lawyer Lorianne Updike Toler was intrigued by a centuries-old document at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. She found an ealrier draft of the Constitution among James Wilson’s papers at the Historical Society’s vault, rather than with other drafts of the Constitution. Read the full story here:

Early draft of the Constitution found in Phila. by Edward Colimore, Inquirer Staff Writer

Inside the New Westlaw, Lexis & Bloomberg Platforms

Leslie A. Pardo — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:32:37 +0000

You may find the following article recently posted on the ABA Journal’s website interesting. Among the articles topics are the retooling of Westlaw and LexisNexis’s platforms.

Inside the New Westlaw, Lexis & Bloomberg Platforms