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Legal Research

Moritz Legal Information Blog

Legal information and research resources brought to you by the Michael E. Moritz Law Library at The Ohio State University

Post Frequency: 4.9/day

Last Entry: May 17, 2013 at 09:20:00

Legality vs. Morality - Trademark Edition

Posted on May 17, 2013
Pixar is working on a film with the theme or subject Dia de los Muertos, the Mexian holiday honoring the deceased. As film companies typically do, Disney, Pixar's parent company, applied for trademarks using the anticipated name of the film in relation to a variety of merchandise...

Naked TSA Protester Fights Fine

Posted on May 16, 2013
We have talked in the past about TSA lawsuits, but suing is not the only way travellers have expressed their displeasure at the TSA. Last April, John Brennan took off all his clothes at the TSA checkpoint in Portland, as a protest against additional screening procedures...

Police Manhunts and Ensuing Litigation

Posted on May 15, 2013
For better or worse, we live in a wildly litigious society. On one hand, the U.S. tendency seems to be to seek redress in court rather than through personal vendetta. On the other hand, folks seem to sue for everything under the sun. How Stuff Works has an article about the ten biggest manhunts of all time...

Developing Research Skills this Summer

Posted on May 10, 2013
The law library is offering training sessions for faculty research assistants, and you may be scheduled to come in for one of those. But perhaps you are not or you're not a research assistant this summer. You can still learn a thing or two if you have any questions...

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To Kill a Mockingbird - Lawsuit

Posted on May 08, 2013
To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee is suing her literary agent in a copyright dispute. For many lawyers and law students, Atticus Finch, the adult protagonist in the book, is the inspiration for their legal careers. If you'd like to revisit the work as inspiration during exams, we have a number of options: E-Book Print Movie

What You Can't Find on the Internet

Posted on May 06, 2013
Some of the reason old fogies like myself cringe when people say "I Googled it and couldn't find anything" is because some stuff just isn't available online. Or, you have to know where to look if you want to find it. In other words, the Internet is good for some stuff, but not everything...

Twelve Angry Men...er, Six or Nine?

Posted on May 03, 2013
A Slate.com article reminded me of something I never knew before law school: juries come in all sizes. What?s the Best Jury Size? takes a mathmatical look at the number of jurors assigned to a matter and assesses whether there is a "right" number of jury members to achieve un unbiased verdict...

Online Privacy - New Tech Developments - Part II

Posted on May 01, 2013
Following up on Monday's blog post, here's the second�news story�raising new legal issues regarding online privacy. Companies are utilizing algorithms�to track down potential employees who do not fit the typical mold. If you have your Facebook privacy settings on lockdown, you just may miss the opportunity of a lifetime as this data-gathering method measures how well you interact on social media

Celebrate Law Day!

Posted on May 01, 2013
You may know�May Day is International Workers Day, attended by marches and�demonstrations around the world.� But it is also Law Day, a day to celebrate the rule of law.��The ABA�designated the theme of�gender equality, and�encourages us�to consider�"the movement for civil and human rights in America and the work that remains to be accomplished...

Ohio Supreme Court: Doctor's Words of Sympathy Not Admissible

Posted on April 30, 2013
When patient Jeanette Johnson was transferred to a new facility following complications with her gall bladder surgery, Dr. Randall Smith took her hand and said, "I take full responsibility for this.� Everything will be okay." During the subsequent medical malpractice trial, the statement was not admitted, due to Ohio's "apology statute," R...

Online Privacy - New Tech Developments - Part I

Posted on April 29, 2013
Two recent news stories raise new legal issues regarding online privacy. If you're an attorney (or soon-to-be) looking for work, mining the news to discover these developments can put you ahead of the curve. First, Reddit, a website that bills itself as "the front page of the internet," crowd-sources news stories, sometimes with wildly inaccurate results...

Miranda Warnings

Posted on April 26, 2013
The question of when to read the Boston bombing suspect the Miranda warnings raises an interesting issue for attorneys: in order to build a case, they're left with the work of police officers and other investigators who acted before attorneys were brought in...

Judge Holds Self in Contempt

Posted on April 25, 2013
When his new phone began speaking during a trial, Chief Ionia (MI) Judge Raymond Voet held himself in contempt (and to the same standards as everyone else in his courtroom).� In violation of his own rule against cellphones, Judge Voet filled out a contempt of court form, fined himself the usual $25, and went downstairs to pay it...

Pet Law

Posted on April 24, 2013
When I moved to Columbus almost a year ago, one of the things I looked into was whether the city or Ohio had breed-specific legislation in place. My pooch came from the Humane Society, and who knows what breed she is, though she could be perceived as a "pitt bull...

DLA Piper Settles

Posted on April 22, 2013
A few weeks ago in the e-Record, we wrote about DLA Piper's $675,000 fee dispute in which a client was suing the firm for excessive billing. The parties have�settled the case. For more coverage of the suit, check out the ABA Journal.

Criminal Homicide, Negligence Research

Posted on April 19, 2013
Two very different deadly explosions this week, one in Texas and one in Massachusetts, have probably left many people with the desire to seek retribution. Prosecutors in both states will have to decide whether criminal charges can and should be brought in both instances, and plaintiffs' counsel will need to research the law to determine what, if any, claims can be brought by their clients...

A Lesson on Local Laws

Posted on April 18, 2013
In law school, you?ve probably focused mainly on federal and state law.� Municipal laws can be very important in practice as well.� Today?s Columbus Dispatch illustrates with this article: Watterson?s firing of gay teacher may violate city law The facts:� Carla Hale was fired by a school after her mother?s obituary identified Hale?s partner, also a woman...

Exam Stress

Posted on April 17, 2013
With exams right around the corner, anxiety and depression seem inevitable. It's a lot of pressure to be under, and sometimes it seems like there's no one to talk to for perspective. Friends and family not in law school don't really get it, and your law school colleagues are, for all intents and purposes, competition...

What Else to Do With a Law Degree

Posted on April 15, 2013
A new survey indicates�almost half of those seeking a law degree plan to use their degree to advance a career other than the practice of law. If you fall in this category, stop by the library to check out the following books: The New�What Can You Do with a Law Degree America's Greatest Places to Work with a Law Degree JD Preferred : 400+ Things You Can Do with a Law Degree (Other than Practice

Google Estate Planning

Posted on April 12, 2013
Facebook has terms of service and mechanisms to allow users to determine what happens with their accounts when they pass away; now Google is joining in. As Slate.com puts it, "in an age where some of our most personal assets live online?our emails, our photos, our social-media identities?few of us stop to think about who will have control over this information...

Good News for the IRS: Some Americans Actually Like Doing Taxes

Posted on April 11, 2013
Not all of us dread tax day.� A new Pew Report announces 30% of Americans like doing their taxes?5% even love it!� Reasons vary from a lofty�sense of duty to the more practical refund anticipation.� Here are a few more recent Pew reports lawyers might find insightful: Supreme Court?s Favorable Rating Still at Historic Low Yes, More Americans Favor Legalizing Gay Marriage, But Just

What to Say

Posted on April 10, 2013
Words' meanings�matter, and even though carelessness with grammar and spelling hardly seems significant, it can be a big deal to be accurate and precise when you are an attorney. This is especially true if you draft legislation, but it also matters in contract drafting and in writing briefs to the court or judicial opinions...

Doctor-Lawyer Collaboration

Posted on April 08, 2013
Some professionals seek to treat the whole person to help them solve their problems. For example, in collaborative divorce, attorneys work with mental health professionals, child psychologists, financial planners, and other experts to help transition a couple from being married to being divorced...

What Do Lawyers Really Need to Know?

Posted on April 05, 2013
The answer might surprise you. Over lunch with a law librarian who has worked in a firm, I learned that many of the research requests she received from attorneys concerned nonlegal materials. Trial attorneys needed data and stats on sports, various commercial industries, and psychology in order to paint a picture for a jury...

Grassbaugh Veterans Project

Posted on April 05, 2013
The Economist published one of many reports calling attention to the increasing number of Veterans Affairs claims and the long waits to receive benefits.� Today, the Moritz College of Law announces the creation of the Captain Jonathan D. Grassbaugh Veterans Project, which project aims to provide help to veterans facing a range of legal issues, from those drawn out VA disaibility claims to

Ohio Speed Limit Raised

Posted on April 02, 2013
It may have happened on April 1, but it is not an April Fool's joke: the speed limit on certain rural Ohio highways will increase from 65 mph to 70 mph.� Gov. Kasich signed the legislation on Monday, but don't hit the accelerator just yet--the new limit takes effect on July 1...

The IRS Enterprise

Posted on April 01, 2013
As tax day nears, you undoubtedly yearn for IRS documents!� The IRS recently released its statistics from last year.� And of course this year?s forms and publications can be found on the IRS website. The IRS produces much more than forms and numbers, however...

Terms of Use

Posted on March 29, 2013
If everyone in the world thinks terms of use aren't enforceable, why are they? Terms of Use (TOUs) are the contractual terms website visitors agree to when they go to a website. They're not quite the click-wrap licenses (e.g., the contracts where you click a box that states you agree when making purchases online) that require affirmative consent from the offeree, which are generally considered

Ohio Adoption Legislation

Posted on March 28, 2013
A bill proposed last month would allow Ohioans adopted between 1964 and 1996 to access their adoption files and original birth certificates through the Ohio Department of Health, rather than having to file a petition in probate court.� House Bill 61 Bill analysis of H...

Amanda Knox Redux

Posted on March 27, 2013
Amanda Knox, the American college student studying abroad in Italy and tried for murder, must face a new trial following her 2011 aquittal. In the United States, the legal principle of double jeopardy would preclude a retrial. How can you find out where Italy stands on this issue? Here are a few good starting points: Law Library of Congress Legal Research Guide: Italy Globalex: Guide to Italian

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