Legal Research

UN Data - new search tool for statistics

Posted on February 21, 2008
The United Nations now has a unified statistical database search engine. The search interface supports keyword searching across multiple databases. UNdata

Analysis of yesterday's Danforth v. Minnesota decision

Posted on February 21, 2008
From ScotusBlog's Lyle Denniston, thoughts on one of the Supreme Court's most recent decisions: Analysis: 'Creating' or 'declaring' rights.

Today's Supreme Court Decisions

Posted on February 20, 2008
Ben Winograd of ScotusBlog has provided links to five new Supreme Court opinions.  The link to the ScotusWiki discussion of Danforth v. Minnesota is incorrect (correct link here), but the link to the opinion is right.

Debating the Ups and Downs of Law Reviews

Posted on February 20, 2008
What is the value and status of Law Reviews? Prof. Jarvis is quoted in this lively piece at the Wall Street Journal Law Blog. WSJ

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Researching Florida Initiatives

Posted on February 19, 2008
The Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, maintains a listing of current Florida Initiatives, Amendments, and Constitutional Revisions. The database is searchable and initiatives are archived back to 1978. DOS

Video of the Week: Don't Stop Believin'

Posted on February 15, 2008
In honor of Valentine's Day yesterday, a law school romance today.  The music of Journey can do some strange things to you.  Just ask Tony Soprano.  This week's video, from the University of Queensland Law Revue, demonstrates its power over two law students destined to be together...

And now for some sleep tips...

Posted on February 14, 2008
Last week we covered how to productively stay up all night.  This week, some tips from Reader's Digest for getting a good night's sleep.  A few examples from the list of 24: Figure out your body cycle. Ever find that you get really sleepy at 10 p...

New resources for free Federal caselaw

Posted on February 14, 2008
If you need to do Federal caselaw research cheaply, your options just expanded with two great new resources. Justia.com is now offering free Courts of Appeals opinions from F 2d and F 3d back to 1950.  You can browse by series, year, or circuit...

Advice on Oral Arguments - ABA

Posted on February 12, 2008
The ABA litigation podcast contains a great list of DOs & DO NOTs in the latest addition to the audio series. Great for all students preparing for oral arguments in Moot Court and Beyond. ABA

Fort Lauderdale Lawyer Prosecuted for Handshake

Posted on February 11, 2008
A handshake between two attorneys went very wrong in Fort Lauderdale.... Story from the Legal Reader

Florida Law Online Directory

Posted on February 09, 2008
Washlaw created an easy to access portal to Florida Law. Everything from government information to Practitioner Resources are included. Other states are also linked from the page. Very usable.

Video of the Week: Bill It!

Posted on February 08, 2008
This week's video looks at the pressure at the pressure to bill placed on associates, with a little vintage Michael Jackson flair.  From NYU's Law Revue:

Islamic Law In Our Times

Posted on February 05, 2008
Blog Recommendation: Islamic Law In Our Times. Haider Ala Hamoudi, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Pittsburgh School of Law writes a very interesting blog on Islamic Law. 

If you MUST pull an all-nighter...

Posted on February 05, 2008
All-night study/writing sessions should generally be avoided, but if you must stay up till dawn, Lifehacker links to some tips for getting the most out of a sleepless night. Here's one from the Cranking Widgets blog on how to work effectively for 24 consecutive hours:Map Out Objectives Before Starting Work - a very GTD-ish notion, but worth pointing out...

New Florida Government Electronic Rulemaking System

Posted on February 05, 2008
For Florida Administrative rulemaking and the Florida Administrative Code, the Florida Department of State created a capable new website. Why not Search the Code, comment on proposed rules, browse the Florida Administrative Weekly, or just find Florida Agencies? F...

Mid-week Video: 50+ years of voting for change

Posted on February 05, 2008
Change has been a perennial theme of political campaigns.  In this Slate video, David Schwartz of the Museum of the Moving Image shows us just how pervasive it is with a look at campaign videos dating back to Eisenhower's 1952 campaign. Happy Super Tuesday!

A Few African American History Month Resources

Posted on February 04, 2008
The Federal Department of Education offers over 65 interesting resources on law topics and other subjects such as Jim Crow, Slave Narratives, Civil Rights, and the Scottsboro Incident.  The Simthsonian includes related coverage of the Amistad Case, Slavery Laws, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott...

Florida Lawyers Blog Watch

Posted on January 28, 2008
If you want to keep up with what Florida lawyers are blogging about, check out the new site Florida Lawyers Blog Watch.  Created by law librarian Steve Matthews and Florida criminal attorney Ron Chapman, the site will aggregate "the 50 most recent postings by blogging Attorneys who reside in the State of Florida...

Quirkiest Law School Elective

Posted on January 26, 2008
The WSJ law blog asks: what is the quirkiest law-school elective? Our favorite: ?Harry Potter and the Separation of Powers."

Law Firms more 'Cuddly?'

Posted on January 26, 2008
The NYT reports that Biglaw firms are becoming better places to work recently due to employment policy changes. Article

Video of the Week: Beavis and Butthead meet Palsgraf v. LIRR

Posted on January 25, 2008
In this week's video, an animated short from the 2007 Cardozo Law Revue, Beavis and Butthead take part in a slightly altered version of the landmark torts case, Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad. Pop culture savvy readers may recall that Beavis and Butthead were themselves the subjects of a 1993 law suit that led MTV to remove their obsession with fire from the show.

Ethics of Googling Jurors & Lawyers

Posted on January 24, 2008
Google & other search engines are challenging legal ethics. For example, may lawyers ethically Google jurors to obtain information? A recent ABA litigation podcast considers this question: ABA . On the other hand, jurors may Google Trial Lawyers and Judges - may web pages be modified to communicate with the jury panel? See New Jersey Law Journal Article discussing this question...

New Supreme Court wiki

Posted on January 23, 2008
From the authors of SCOTUS Blog comes another tool for keeping up with the Supreme Court, SCOTUS Wiki. To learn more about the goals of the project and why the creators of the site chose the wiki format, read the About SCOTUS Wiki page. Thanks to the University of Baltimore Law Library Blog for the tip.

Snacking for productivity

Posted on January 23, 2008
What foods will help boost your brain power and productivity while studying? Lifehack.org lists 20 suggested snacks including avocados, walnuts, olives, and dark chocolate. Yum! Snacks on the list that are permitted in the law library: water and green tea! Thanks to Lifehacker for the tip.

Pro Se Handbook

Posted on January 22, 2008
The Florida Bar puts out this nice volume for Pro Se litigants in Appeals. It is very useful because it is offered as a free PDF and is easier than many of the self-representation titles in our Law Library. Pro Se Handbook

AAUP Article: The Supreme Court, Affirmative Action, and Higher Education

Posted on January 22, 2008
A recent American Association of University Professors article focuses on law school admissions and affirmative action through the analysis of two recent Supreme Court Decisions. Article

YouTube gangster arrested

Posted on January 17, 2008
Miami police have arrested a local gang leader who taunted police in a YouTube video.  According to the Miami Herald: In the clip -- filmed by Villanueva's girlfriend at Logan's apartment in December -- the two point rifles and handguns at the camera in a message apparently directed at the Miami-Dade police street gang unit...

Google is ?white bread for the mind?

Posted on January 17, 2008
According to a recent article, Google is filling but not nutritious when it comes to research. Times

Can successful people really do without sleep?

Posted on January 17, 2008
Many world leaders, including Margaret Thatcher and Bill Clinton, have bragged about how little sleep they need.  But can you really be successful on 5 hours of sleep a night? This NPR story (text, though you can listen too) tries to sort out myth and reality...

Charitable giving in Florida

Posted on January 17, 2008
State Agency Database Highlights features a website useful for Floridians making charitable donations: Gift Givers' Guide: A Guide to Charitable Giving in Florida, from the Florida Division of Consumer Services.  It provides data including the charity's license number, revenue, and what portion of funds goes toward program services, and what portion goes toward administrative and fundraising costs...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.