2Ls: Consider Advanced Legal Research

As the the time draws near to begin selecting courses for the Spring 2012 semester.

2Ls may want to consider two things:
1. Legal Research is in the top 10 skills needed to succeed in the legal field

2. Advanced Legal Research will be taught in the Spring

Do you know the difference between a statute and a regulation?

Do you know how to find administrative law materials?

Can you find out the lawmakers’ intent with respect to a particular statute?

Do you know the difference between court rules and local rules?

Do you know how to find a brief that has been filed in a federal or state case?

How will you conduct research if your firm does not have access to Westlaw or Lexis?

What is a Case Digest?

How do you make sure the law you have found is the most recent version of the law?

Do you know how to Shepardize all the citations in a document at once?

You can learn all this and more in Advanced Legal Research. Sign-up and find out what all the fuss is about.

The video below was made by law students to showcase the kinds of legal research tips that can make your research experience more successful.

Research As Conducted in Law Firms

The popular show The Law Librarian, which plays on Internet radio station blogtalkradio, recently conducted an interview with several law firms on research techniques and sources commonly used on the job. Both small and larger firms were represented in the show. Firm representatives discuss the use of secondary sources, indexes, statutes and case law, as well as the benefits and deficiencies of various formats and sources. Conclusions drawn reflect recent published research on law firm research requirements, and correspond to my observations as well. If you want to hear how you’re expected to research in the law firm setting, I suggest listening to the show, titled What’s Real in the Real World, at:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thelawlibrarian/blog/2009/09.

Coffee Break Webinar Series

From the folks at LexisNexis:

Supercharge your legal research by attending LexisNexis® Coffee Break Webinars. They’re fast, effective and best of all-they’re on the house! Choose from a menu of quick 20-minute sessions and discover powerful tools and proven techniques to help make your research more efficient and cost-effective.

Want to go back for a refresher on a session you attended? Now you can view any previously held Coffee Break whenever it’s convenient for you!*

Play, pause, rewind, stop, resume-you set the pace and the schedule. Simply choose a Webinar from the menu below, grab a cup of joe and click the “Listen Now” button. You’re on your way to discovering proven techniques to help make your research more efficient and cost-effective.

Coffee Break schedules are updated monthly. Check them out here and Register Today.