New Video: The Louisiana Statutes Annotated, Part 1 - An Introduction

The Law Library's YouTube Channel has a new video:

The Louisiana Statutes Annotated, Part 1 - An Introduction

This is the first of a planned four-part overview of the Louisiana Statutes Annotated. Stay tuned for further episodes as they become available!

New Faculty Publications on SSRN

The final 2012 issue of the College of Law’s SSRN Research Paper Series came out this week and contains seven recent articles by the law faculty. These and other faculty publications are available through the College of Law’s SSRN page.

This week’s issue of our RPS is currently available through SSRN and is archived below:

Sweating the Small Stuff - LINK

A new blog post from our Prof. Verchick we wanted to share with all of our readers: Sweating the Small Stuff: Indian Villages Plan for Climate Change.

Videos .. Oh My

Did you know we had a YouTube channel?

Well have is relative as we are still trying to get it off the ground but please check our first instructional video How to Use the Law Library Catalog

STUDY BREAK - quick NPR legal story

Apparently the feds are stepping in to deal with Ernest Hemingway's cat "issue" in the Keys - Link

If you are unfamiliar with Hemingway's cats in addition to being known as his "or their offspring" they are well known for having six toes or being polydactyl.

A Conversation about the Public Trust in India - LINK

A new blog post from our Prof. Verchick we wanted to share with all of our readers: A Conversation about the Public Trust in India: Public Participation, Climate Adaptation, and India's 2G Network.

New to the Collection: Law School Exams, A Guide to Better Grades

This 2012 title from Alex Schimel is a short read that seems quite timely for our students right now. Law School Exams: A Guide to Better Grades, Amazon Link & Catalog Link, is written by a 2009 graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and has a nice range of topics concerning exams including how to understand law exam questions/fact patterns and suggestions for ways to structure your response that is effective at scoring better grades. Below is a condensed version of the table of contents. The book can be found at the call number - KF 283. S335 2012

Chapter 1 - Your Law School Experience is About to Change
Chapter 2 - Preparation for Exam Writing
Chapter 3 - Taking the Actual Exam
Chapter 4 - The Finishing Touches
Chapter 5 - Working Throughout the Semester
Chapter 6 - Six Critical Steps
Chapter 7 - The Big Mistakes
Chapter 8 - Final Thoughts

Holiday Parties and You - LINK

I ran across this short article from Above the Law today and thought it would be a timely share for those law students who work at firms or our young alumni who have not had to attend law firm parties before.

http://abovethelaw.com/2012/11/holiday-parties-and-you-all-the-basics-you-need-to-know/

Public Interest Employment Article - LINK

A quick link to an article by David C. Yamada, law prof @ Suffolk, entitled "Packaging Yourself for Public Interest Employment: Career Planning Guidance for Aspiring Public Interest Lawyers". SSRN Link

This article covers various topics including many for those in law school such as course selection as the student prepares for this type of career.

HT to Out of the Jungle

Thanksgiving Hours

The law library will be open regular hours this Thanksgiving Week EXCEPT that we will be closed on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.

For additional details regarding the upcoming finals hours and other operational times please see the library website.

Prince's Bieber Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations - Collection Highlight

Todays collection highlight is treatise on a subject or a reporter full of cases but a finding tool name "Prince's Beiber Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations". Amazon Link / Lawcat Link

Biebers, as most people call it, is the go to resource when you are having difficulty determining what an abbreviation means that you have found in a case or a law review OR what the abbreviation should be if you are trying to properly shorten something in a product you are creating. This second scenario obviously also implicates the Bluebook or ALWD manual but Biebers can also help.

Basically the way the main function of Biebers works is through what is what they term a forward dictionary and a reverse dictionary. The forward dictionary allows the user to look up an abbreviation, e.g. "Benn." The notation with "Benn." is Bennett's Reports (1 California), Bennett's Reports (1 Dakota), Bennett's Reports (16-21 Missouri). Biebers is clarifying for you that "Benn." stands for Bennetts and and is providing a few examples to show this.

The reverse dictionary portion can also be very useful, e.g. if you do not know the proper abbreviation for "Alexander's Texas Digest" you simply look it up in the reverse dictionary and it provides "Alex. Dig." is the proper abbreviation.

The most recent copy of Prince's Bieber Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations can be found at the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor of the Law Library. Also, a quick note about the quirky name is that Mary Miles Prince is the editor that puts together what was previously just referred to as Biebers Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations.

Delhi Blues - LINK

A new blog post from our Prof. Verchick we wanted to share with all of our readers: Delhi Blues

Upcoming Event in New Orleans

The Appellate Judges Education Institute 2012 Summit is coming to New Orleans on November 15-18, 2012.

To borrow from the press release: "The annual AJEI Summit provides a timely, lively, and highly informative continuing legal education program designed by and for appellate judges, appellate lawyers, and appellate staff attorneys.

This year’s Summit will include a reception at the Louisiana Supreme Court on Thursday, November 15^th, remarks by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Friday, November 16^th, followed by a reception with the Justice."

Election Day Initiatives

For those students who are registered to vote remember there is more than just a presidential election this year. Louisiana has 9 ballot initiatives as well - linked is the PAR* analysis of these issues.




* PAR is the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana and is an independent, non-partisan group

Gotham Gets It: Mayor Bloomberg Calls for Government Action on Climate Change - LINK

A new blog post from our Prof. Verchick we wanted to share with all of our readers: Gotham Gets It: Mayor Bloomberg Calls for Government Action on Climate Change

Hours Update for the Fall Semester

We wanted to make sure and share our "special" fall hours with our blog readers.

November 1 – November 21 (Regular Hours)

Monday – Thursday: 7:30 a.m. – Midnight

Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

November 22, Thanksgiving Day: CLOSED

November 23 – November 29 (Regular Hours)

Monday – Thursday: 7:30 a.m. – Midnight

Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

November 30 – Friday: 7:30 a.m. – Midnight

December 1 – Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – Midnight

December 2 – Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – Midnight

December 3 – December 12

Monday – Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.

Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.

Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.

December 13 – Thursday: 7:30 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.

December 14 – December 21

Monday – Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

The Supreme Court and Amicus Curiae Briefs

Today the Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases dealing with important questions under the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure. At issue are questions such as whether the use of drug detection dogs in traffic stops or merely walking up to the front porch of a house constitute a search under the Fourth Amendment, and, if the dog detects the presence of drugs, does that constitute probable cause sufficient for a search warrant. The cases are Florida v. Jardines, No. 11-564 and Florida v. Harris, No. 11-817.

New Faculty Publications on SSRN

The latest issue of the College of Law’s SSRN Research Paper Series came out today. All our faculty publications on SSRN are available through our SSRN page, and the link at the top of the page lets you subscribe to the College of Law’s RPS. But today issue is also available below, as a PDF copy of the today’s RPS issue:

Loyola University New Orleans College of Law Research Paper Series 2012-04

Law Library Catalog Video

For 1Ls working on RE3, and for anyone else interested in how to efficiently and accurately use the library catalog, the law library has produced this brief, six-and-a-half minute video:

Explaining Improbable Cases of Judicial Independence: The Example of Uganda

A new blog post from our Prof. Johanna Kalb we wanted to share with all of our readers: Explaining Improbable Cases of Judicial Independence: The Example of Uganda

New Chief Judge of the U.S. Fifth Circuit is Loyola Alumni

As many news sources noted last week, the new Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is the first African-American to hold that position. Particularly notable to us here at the College of Law is the fact that Judge Carl E. Stewart is an alumni of ours, from 1974.

As the official press release [PDF] from the Court states, Judge Stewart served with the Army Judge Advocate General Corps for several years after graduating from Loyola, then worked in both the US Attorney’s and the Louisiana Attorney General’s offices, and was a city attorney and in private practice for several years. He also served as a state judge at both the district and appellate court levels before being appointed to the Fifth Circuit by President Clinton in 1994.

In 1997, he was the inaugural speaker in our Louis Westerfield Legal Society Lecture series and spoke “Contemporary Challenges to Judicial Independence”. His speech was published at 43 Loy. L. Rev. 293 (1997), and you can read it through Hein Online.

Fifth Circuit's Reversal on Katrina Litigation Leaves Flood Victims Gasping for Air - LINK

A new blog post from our Prof. Verchick we wanted to share with all of our readers:  
Fifth Circuit's Reversal on Katrina Litigation Leaves Flood Victims Gasping for Air

New to the Collection: The Zen of Law School Success

The Zen of Law School Success by Chad Noreuil is new to our collection and I wanted to highlight it as it is unique compared to our normal selections. This book focuses on the mental aspect of law school instead of on actual subject matter and specifically on how, in their opinion, to succeed and has First Year students as its primary intended audience. This title includes ideas on preparation for written exams, multiple choice exams, and how to handle negativity and obstacles through law school and especially during exam time. Below is a condensed version of the table of contents. The book can be found at the call number – KF 283. N67 2011.

Chapter 1 – Preparing for the Journey

Chapter 2 – Knowing Your Universe

Chapter 3 – The Tao of the Law School Mind

Chapter 4 – Knowing Your True Self

Chapter 5 – Writing Final Exam Essays

Chapter 6 – Noreuil’s Top Ten Tips for Essay Writing

Chapter 7 – Multiple Choice Questions

Chapter 8 – Noreuil’s Top Ten Tips for Multiple Choice Questions

Chapter 9 – Handling Negativity and Obstacles

Chapter 10 – Knowing Your Universe, Part II – Final Exams

Chapter 11 – After the Journey

Ross Guberman to speak this Friday

This upcoming Friday, Sept. 21, at 2 p.m.in Room 308 Ross Guberman will be speaking to the law school community about lessons learned from the "Obamacare" briefs filed in the United States Supreme Court. For more information please see here.

What Does The Indian Public Think About Climate Change? - LINK

A new blog post from our Prof. Verchick we wanted to share with all of our readers:

What Does the Indian Public Think About Climate Change What Does The Indian Public Think About Climate Change?

Law School Event Tomorrow

Professor Hiroko Kusuda is scheduled to present "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" for the DREAMers (A discussion of President Obama's new immigration policy.)

Tuesday, September 18

12:30-1:30 p.m. Room 111

A light lunch will be served.

New to the Collection: Build Your Practice the Logical Way

Build Your Practice the Logical Way by Carol Schiro Greenwald and Steven Skyles-Mulligan is a fairly short (<250 pages) book that can be an excellent resource for attorneys beginning their own practice or 3L's who are looking ahead to their near future and preparing for that eventuality. Below is a condensed version of the table of contents. This book can be found at call number KF 311. B83 2012.

Ch. 1 - Focus on Clients to Build Your Firm
Ch. 2 - Use Value to Create a Foundation of Loyalty
Ch. 3 - Master Communication Techniques to Build a Client-Centric Practice
Ch. 4 - Research to Understand Your Current Practice
Ch. 5 - Research to Ynderstand Your Foundation Clients' Worlds
Ch. 6 - Build a Client-Centric Firm
Ch. 7 - Replicate Your Foundation Clients
Ch. 8 - Pick the Low Hanging Fruit

Orientation Handouts in PDF

Did you know we had those snazzy Orientation handouts available online? We most certainly do, download and enjoy.

Westlaw Journals Access Update

If you happen to use journals in Westlaw as of August 1, 2012 the following Oxford University Press journals are no longer in Westlaw (however, they are on LexisNexis, accessible via Oxford’s own platform, and via HeinOnline and Ebsco (though not current issues because of embargo)):

British Journal of Criminology

Human Rights Law Review

International Journal of Constitutional Law

International Journal of Law and Information Technology

International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family

International Journal of Refugee Law

Journal of Competition Law & Economics

Journal of Conflict and Security Law

Journal of Environmental Law

Journal of International Criminal Justice

Journal of International Dispute Settlement

Journal of International Economic Law

Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization

Journal of Refugee Studies

Law, Probability and Risk

Medical Law Review

Oxford Journal of Legal Studies

Statute Law Review 

The Loyola Law Library does maintain access to each of these alternative access points which can be found on our Online Resources page.

Monsoon Madness Link

We at the library wanted to make sure and link a new blog post by Professor Robert Verchick entitled Monsoon Madness. An interesting take on monsoons in India which is also where Prof. Verchick is researching this semester.

An interesting comparison for those students and blog readers from Louisiana and their dealing with hurricanes.

Labor Day Holiday Hours

Just as a clarification for our users. We will be open regular hours over the Labor Day Weekend.

We have had a few patrons ask if the schedule had just not been posted yet but there is no change from our regular hours of:

Monday - Thursday: 7:30 am - midnight
Friday: 7:30 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sunday: 10: am - 11:00 pm

As always our hours can be found on our website - http://law.loyno.edu/library

Speaker Series' Begin for the 2012-13 year

On Thursday, August 23, 2012, the College of Law will co-host, along with the Louisiana Supreme Court Historical Society, a lecture by Catherine MacMillan, Reader in Legal History at Queen Mary, University of London, and a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Legal Studies, London.  Dr.

MacMillan's lecture is entitled "Judah P. Benjamin: The Early English Career of an American Political Exile." 

Dr. MacMillan is a highly regarded legal historian and the author of the recently published Mistakes in Contract Law (Hart Publishing), a history of doctrine of contractual mistake in English law in which Benjamin's contributions to this development are examined. She is currently at work on a legal biography of Benjamin.

The lecture will take place in Room 344, from 12:30 to 2:00 pm.  Lunch will be provided.

Please join us for what should be a stimulating lecture. We will be joined by some members of the Louisiana Supreme Court Historical Society, including Donna D. Fraiche, one of our most loyal alumna, who serves as President of the society.

** While this is not a library specific lecture we thought our followers would be interested in this opportunity.

Summer Break Schedule

The Law Library is now on it's "break schedule" as we are in between the Summer and Fall semesters and past the Louisiana Bar Exam. We are open Monday - Thursday 8:30 am - 6 pm; Friday 8:30 am - 5 pm; Saturday 10 am - 6 pm; and Closed on Sunday. This will be in effect until August 8th.

Temporary closure of the 2nd floor of the law library

The 2nd floor of the law library will be partially closed starting on Wednesday, June 6th due to some electrical updates that will be taking place. Please excuse any inconvenience

A Very Good Read

from the founder of Fastcase:

The Pursuit of Happiness – Ed Walters’s Commencement Address at the University of Illinois College of Law, May 12, 2012

New Faculty Publications on SSRN

The latest issue of the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law Faculty Legal Studies Research Paper Series, distributed by the Social Science Research Network, was recently distributed to all our subscribers. The RPS list highlights recent publications by the law school faculty, and is available for anyone to subscribe to through our page on SSRN.

Back that Data Up!!!

Over the weekend, a student asked me for help with her laptop. But the Blue Screen of Death indicated that Windows 7 couldn’t find her hard drive, couldn’t load Windows, and thus couldn’t get to the class notes and outlines that she needed to study for exams.

Her computer was only two years old, but she wasn’t sure if she had her purchasing and warranty information. Its possible to retrieve data on a bad hard drive, but in more situations that is not going to be cheap or quick. And, worst of all, this student had not backed up her notes and other law school documents. All I could offer her was my sympathy, and the suggestion to find some local tech support help: the law school, like most institutions, just doesn’t have the time or resources to perform data recovery services for students.

Latest Newsletter Release

The latest Loyola New Orleans Law Library Newsletter is out and directly linked at:

http://law.loyno.edu/sites/law.loyno.edu/files/Newsletter-April%202012.pdf

Law Library Hours

With extended hours for exams, the ending of one semester, and beginning of the summer semester hopefully this post can clear up any Law Library hours questions you may have.

Current – Regular Hours (Spring Semester)

- Monday – Thursday 7:30 – Midnight

- Friday 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

- Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

- Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Finals Hours – Begin April 23^rd to May 4^th (Spring Finals)

- All days – 7:30 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.

Regular Hours May 5^th to May 10^th (Make-up Exam Period)

- Monday – Thursday 7:30 a.m. – Midnight

- Friday 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

- Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

- Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Special Hours

- Friday - May 11 – 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Break Hours - May 12^th to May 28^th (Interim)

- Monday – Thursday 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

- Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

- Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

- Sunday CLOSED

Regular Hours - May 29^th (Summer School)

- Monday – Thursday 7:30 a.m. – Midnight

- Friday 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

- Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

- Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

How Many Laws Has the Supreme Court Declared Unconstitutional?

The Supreme Court’s role in judging the constitutionality of Acts of Congress has been in the news this week, so an obvious question is: Just how many laws has the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional? Google that and you’ll get some good answers, including the top hit, from WikiAnswers:



But these answers don’t provide the full citation to a source you can cite, just a vague reference to where the answers came from, the Congressional Research Service.

Lexis Nexis Summer Student Access

I want to pass along a note the librarians received this past weekend about access to Lexis Nexis for students during this upcoming summer:

Summer Access Program: Students will have full access to Lexis Advance all summer for educational purposes. Students simply need to have a registered Lexis Advance ID as there is no longer a summer access registration requirement. Educational use includes:

      Summer course preparation and assignments

      Research associated with Moot Court, Law Review, or Law Journal

      Research associated with pursuing a grant or scholarship

      Services as a research assistant to a professor, whether paid or unpaid

      An internship, externship, or clinic position for school credit or graduation requirement

      Study for the bar exam

      Research skill improvement for educational purposes

Note: Student Lexis.com IDs will be restricted to a limited menu of Career resources from June 1^st to August 1^st.  However, if you have students that need access to specific content available only on Lexis.com (i.e. international materials), simply contact your Lexis Account Executive to obtain access for those individuals.

Mardi Gras Hours Announcement

The Loyola New Orleans Law Library will be CLOSED next Monday and Tuesday (February 20 & 21) for Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras. Regular hours return 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning the 22nd.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

The Legal History of Mardi Gras in Louisiana

As the Carnival Season is gearing up to full speed, and with Fat Tuesday two weeks from today, the law library has a new exhibit, “The Legal History of Mardi Gras in Louisiana.” It features some historic items from our collection, a summary of the Mardi Gras Krewe de-segretation legal battle of 1991-1992, and some humorous examples of how lawyers and the law are often the subject of parody and satire during Mardi Gras.

For those who can’t stop by and see it (and the exhibit comes down promptly on Ash Wednesday!) here is a slide show of the exhibit and some of the specific items in it.



(You'll need to advance the slides manually.) You can also view a full size version of the slide show.

Happy Mardi Gras!!!

Interested in some non law school reading?

If you are interested in some non law school reading perhaps you can check out Goodreads.com . Goodreads has been called "a book oriented social network" but maybe a better description is a digital bookclub. Goodreads combines ratings, reviews, recommendations, discussions, and a host of other neat options for those reading the same or similar books as the user. I will admit that I am a new user myself to Goodreads but from what I have seen so far I like it for helping determine that next possible reading selection.

Library Hours for Spring 2012

Just a quick note that regular library hours return to the Law Library on Sunday, January 8th.

Regular Hours consist of

Sunday: 10 am - 11 pm
Monday - Thursday: 7:30 am - midnight
Friday: 7:30 am - 9 pm
Saturday: 9 am - 10 pm