Legal Research

GAO Critical on NARA Digitization Efforts

Posted on February 04, 2011
Whenever the GAO focuses on the National Archives and its efforts to digitize government records, it's always bad news. Today's news doesn't change that track record. The Washington Post is reporting that the GAO will release another report some time...

The Saga of the AALL Price Index Continues: Task Force appointed to investigate if the Price Index is needed and is a value to AALL members

Posted on February 03, 2011
You remember AALL's Price Index, right? Well, perhaps only some old-timers do. Once upon a time it provided a useful measure of annual print supplement costs across the vendor spectrum. Then Thomson Reuters proved it really, really wanted to be...

Opening: Electronic Services Librarian, UC Davis Mabie Law Library

Posted on February 03, 2011
Responsibilities: Reporting to the Associate Director, the Electronic Services Librarian position has the following responsibilities: Manages the library?s electronic information resources, improving access to electronic resources, and providing technical support, including assistance with authentication, license agreements and payments...

Backed Into a Corner

Posted on February 03, 2011
Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution provides for Congress to "promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securiting for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries...

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Indoctrination in the New Normal of WEXIS Legal Professional Services Business Model Must Start with Law School Students: The Case of LMO Marketing in the Legal Academy

Posted on February 03, 2011
When I first heard about Lexis for Microsoft Office (LMO), my initial reaction was OMG, what a waste of product development time. But my Lexis rep slapped some sense into me so I took a closer look (Thanks Wendy). I...

Apple Wants Cash For Sales Made Through iOS Mobile Apps

Posted on February 03, 2011
Apple's latest move ought to shake up the online retailing world. It rejected a Sony e-reader app for the iPhone because it did not allow for in-app sales of content, which would would have to go through Apple giving it...

Q. What is RECOP? A. Proof of Concept. Consequence: Time for the ABA, AALS and AALL to take the next step

Posted on February 02, 2011
RECOP (Report of Current Opinions) is the first concerted private sector-nonprofit collaborative step that can lead to competition in the legal online research marketplace based on who builds the smartest tools, not who has the most comprehensive eLegal primary resources...

"Barred in Any US Jurisdication," Thomson Reuters Still Wants to Hire You But is LPO Regulation on the Horizon

Posted on February 02, 2011
TR Legal learned its "lesson" when it outsourced digesting unofficial court opinions to India some time ago. (Frankly, that was fine with me.) But in furtherance of its new LPO business since the acquisition of India-based Pangea3, the Company is...

New IntelliConnect Enhancements: What Do You Think?

Posted on February 01, 2011
Since I wasn't a "buyer" of IntelliConnect ver. 1.0 and have no clue who my CCH Wolters Kluwer Law & Business account rep is anymore (read WK is more tightly integrating its brands so my sole contract with the Company...

Social Media as a "Fundamental Right" (for Egyptians): So Says US State Department

Posted on February 01, 2011
State Department Spokesperson P.J. Crowley, speaking to Al Jezeera about the situation in Eqypt, described "social media" as a "fundamental right." The video clip is available at this Constitutional Law Prof Blog post by Ruthann Robson, Professor of Law &...

Thinking Strategically: AALL Nominations Committee Seeks Candidates for Office

Posted on February 01, 2011
While being criticized as a notorious AALL-basher (no problem, have thick skin), I do like our association's emphasis on calling for nominating law librarians who have demonstrated the ability to think strategically. There's plenty of well-qualified members who meet that...

MS Uses Google To Generate Bing Results

Posted on February 01, 2011
So, Microsoft is using the Bing Search Toolbar to monitor the search and browsing habits of computer users. No surprise there. Most all companies that provide toolbars have some degree of monitoring built in. Microsoft gets customer approval for the....

Professional Ethics Trumps AALL Acceptance of Vendor Cash Until the Status Quo is Changed

Posted on January 31, 2011
In a very rare instance, meaning the first time in recent memory, an official AALL publication has allowed publication of criticism of AALL policy by someone who has been practicing our profession long enough to have a well-informed perspective of...

Government Wants ISPs to Retain User Information To Aid Law Enforcement

Posted on January 31, 2011
Last week Congress heard from the Justice Department and other law enforcement officials on the proposal to require ISPs to keep detailed records on its customers' activities on the Internet for about two years. This comes up from time to...

Entire Health-Care Reform Act Ruled Unconstitutional

Posted on January 31, 2011
In Florida v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, No. 3:10-cv-91-RV/EMT(N.D. Fla., Jan. 31, 2011) Judge Roger Vinson ruled the the entire Health-Care Reform Act was unconstitutional because the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's "individual mandate" requiring most...

Round-Up of Personal Injury Practitioner Blogs

Posted on January 30, 2011
California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog http://www.californiapersonalinjurylawyersblog.com http://www.californiapersonalinjurylawyersblog.com/index.xml Analyzes injury law reports, cases and news in California. Published by The Law Offices of Gary K. Walch...

Round-Up of Criminal Law Practitioner Blogs

Posted on January 29, 2011
Tennessee Federal Criminal Lawyer Blog http://www.tennesseefederalcriminallawyerblog.com http://www.tennesseefederalcriminallawyerblog.com/index.xml Provides opinion on federal crime cases, reports and news in Tennessee. Published by The McKellar Law Firm, PLLC...

Friday Fun: Law School is like High School!

Posted on January 28, 2011
Welcome back for another round of law school. [JH]

ABA Explores Impact of the Underfunding of the Judiciary

Posted on January 28, 2011
The ABA Task Force on Preservation of the Justice System is charged with exploring the extent and impact of the underfunding of the judiciary on access to justice for all. It has launched a survey which will allow the Task...

Round-Up of Blogs Published by Self-Help Legal Publisher, Nolo

Posted on January 28, 2011
Nolo's Lawyer Blog http://www.nololawyers.com http://www.nololawyers.com/index.xml Provides information about web marketing, social networking and technology in the legal field. Published by Nolo. Small Business Legal Blog http://www.smallbusinesslegalblog...

Rahm Opinion a Bit Uncivil?

Posted on January 28, 2011
Rahm Emmanuel's court victory in his quest to become Mayor of Chicago yesterday made national news because of who he is. The Illinois Supreme Court's opinion is more interesting for how it reads rather than the result it reaches. The...

Gov. 2.0 Initiatives to Watch in 2011

Posted on January 27, 2011
"What lies ahead for Gov 2.0 in 2011 is worth watching, whether it's international, federal or in states. Given the growth of citizen engagement platforms in 2010, expect more of the same in 2011," writes Alex Howard on O'Reilly Radar....

ALA's Librarian's Guide to Social Media

Posted on January 27, 2011
From the blurb for Laura Soloman's Doing Social Media So It Matters: A Librarian's Guide (ALA Editions, 2010): This practical resource brings together current information on the topic in a concise format that?s easy to digest. Laura Solomon is a...

Some Thoughts On Net Neutrality

Posted on January 27, 2011
Net neutrality is a hot topic since the FCC passed rules in December that gave some force to the principle. The political reaction has been swift, if somewhat predictable. The meme on the left is that the Commission didn't go...

Teaching Alternatives to WEXIS in the Legal Academy

Posted on January 26, 2011
In what could be characterized as a culture shock when a law firm librarian transitions into the legal academy, Laura Justiss, Collection Development Librarian, SMU Dedman School of Law writes, I was naively surprised to learn that most law students....

Updated Research Guides from GlobaLex

Posted on January 26, 2011
And they are: European Union Legal Materials: An Infrequent User's Guide by Duncan E. Alford Comparative Civil Procedure: A Guide to Primary and Secondary Sources by Radu D. Popa & Mirela Roznovschi Burkina Faso Legal Information and Research by Kounkinè...

Technology That Can Help Teach Legal Skills Better: The Case for CaseMap

Posted on January 25, 2011
In New Skills, New Learning: Legal Education and the Promise of Technology(2007), Gene Koo observed that "[l]egal educators seriously under-utilize new technologies, even in those settings, such as clinical legal education, that are the most practice-oriented...

Contributions for National Legal Research Teach-In Kit Due Feb. 11

Posted on January 25, 2011
Each year the RIPS Teach-In Committee solicits contributions from the law library community to create a compilation of materials for use in developing and advertising educational programs and events for our institutions. These materials are distributed several weeks prior to...

LSAT Applications Down

Posted on January 25, 2011
Perhaps all that noise in the press about angry law graduates struggling for jobs and ways to pay off their debts is making some impression on potential applicants. Applications for the LSAT are actually down, according to the December 2010...

Thomson Reuters Expands Its Conquest of Latin American Legal Publishers

Posted on January 24, 2011
Watching Thomson Reuter's acquisitions of foreign legal publishers is like watching the war strategy game of Risk play out. Of late, TR Legal has taken its tried and true strategy of acquiring legal publishers to Latin America because there aren't...

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