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.