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Raising The Impact Factor Of The Library: Using The U.S. News & World Report’S Upcoming Academic Impact Law School Rankings To Boost The Academic Standing Of Law Librarians, Paul J. Mclaughlin

Library Faculty Publications

This article recommends that law libraries and their librarians use the upcoming U.S. News & World Report’s academic rankings for law schools as an opportunity to enhance academic law libraries’ standing in the legal profession and to elevate law librarians’ statures within law schools.

Bibliography Of Journal And Law Review Articles Discussing Virgil Hawkins And His Legal And Social Impact, Paul J. Mclaughlin

Documents

No abstract provided.

The Female Body In The Workplace: Judges And The Common Law, Maritza I. Reyes

Journal Publications

If the common law serves to liberate women, everybody, including judges, should understand the role they do play and should play in the development of the common law. As a career law clerk in the federal courts, I witnessed the decision-making process inside the chambers of federal judges and in the courtrooms. I came to the conclusion that judges, more than statutory law, influence what happens to female bodies in the workplace. Litigants initially drive the common law by filing complaints. However, judicial decisions affect not only the litigants in their individual cases, they also serve as precedent for future …

The Pink Ghetto Pipeline: Challenges & Opportunities For Women In Legal Education, Renee N. Allen, Alicia Jackson

Journal Publications

The demographics of law schools are changing and women make up the majority of law students. Yet, the demographics of many law faculties do not reflect these changing demographics with more men occupying faculty seats. In legal education, women predominately occupy skills positions, including legal writing, clinic, academic success, bar preparation, or library. According to a 2010 Association of American Law Schools survey, the percentage of female lecturers and instructors is so high that those positions are stereotypically female.

The term coined for positions typically held by women is "pink ghetto." According to the Department of Labor, pink-collar-worker describes jobs …

Big Law Dreams, Pam Jenoff

Florida A & M University Law Review

Upon graduation, law students continue to seek positions with large law firms in record numbers. Graduates are drawn to Big Law for the purported pluses of high compensation; interesting work; extensive training and resources; mobility and prestige. However, a closer examination of the present-day realities reveals that these beliefs may be outdated, overstated, or simply incorrect. Students who make their career choices based on such premises may find themselves trapped in ill-fitting and unsatisfying positions. Moreover, an unyielding focus on Big Law based on faulty assumptions may have costs and consequences for legal education and the provision of legal services. …

On The Basis Of Sex: Examining John Grisham's Legal Fiction Through Feminist Theory, Viviana I. Vasiu

Florida A & M University Law Review

John Grisham’s legal fiction takes readers to a thrilling land where attorneys are the new heroes, fighting against the dark forces of injustice, corruption, and greed. Alas, in these masterfully crafted thrillers lies a force darker than all: Grisham’s writing has negatively molded our perception of women in the law and beyond. “[F]ictional portrayals can have a powerful impact on perceptions of real-life professionals.” Applying feminist theory to a text can unearth such portrayals and the ideology that “Western culture is fundamentally patriarchal” in literature in order to effectuate change. Analyzing text through the lens of feminist theory requires asking …

Leveraging Academic Law Libraries To Expand Access To Justice, Paul Jerome Mclaughlin Jr.

Library Faculty Publications

Academic law libraries are in a unique position to help citizens gain access to the court system and legal information. By creating clinics that focus on helping pro se patrons find and complete legal forms, academic law libraries would not only benefit their schools but also the justice system.

Winning! 5 Key Strategies For An Effective Conference Presentation, Renee N. Allen, Alicia Jackson

Journal Publications

With all of the hard work and thoughtfulness devoted to planning for conference presentations, it is safe to say, everyone wants a winning presentation! The five key strategies for developing an effective presentation are (1) proper planning, (2) work backwards when designing your presentation, (3) diversify your delivery methods, (4) engage your audience, and (5) provide takeaways.

Mediation, Legal Clinic Program

Course Descriptions and Information

Students will learn and develop skills crucial to the role of mediators and legal professionals. By focusing and implementing mediation methodologies, students will learn skills of active listening and communications; conflict, issue and interests spotting, information gathering and negotiations techniques; problem-solving strategies and approaches; and effective mediation settlement agreement drafting.

Friends Of Justice: Does Social Media Impact The Public Perception Of The Justice System?, Nicola A. Boothe-Perry

Journal Publications

Lawyers have long been recognized as being necessary in the effective functioning of an ordered society in roles as both officers of the court and, more broadly, as officers of the system of justice. In 2014, the ABA Task Force on the Future of Legal Education report noted that "[s]ociety has a deep interest in the competence of lawyers, in their availability to serve society and clients, in the broad public role they can play, and in their professional values." Values such as those noted in the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (advisor, counselor, and advocate) are instrumental in the …

Perspectives: From The Chair Of The Aba Law Practice Management Section, January/February 2013, Joan R. Bullock

Journal Publications

In this era of the "new normal," lawyers and law firms are seeking ways to create efficiencies and realize new capabilities.

Perspectives: From The Chair Of The Aba Law Practice Management Section, March/April 2013, Joan R. Bullock

Journal Publications

Technology--friend or foe? Legal practice is continually evolving, with an increasing integration of technology in firm operations and in the daily activity of lawyers and staff. How do you use technology so that it enhances firm operations and is an integral component of an efficient and effective legal practice?

Next Phase Pedagogy Reform For The Twenty-First Century Legal Education: Delivering Competent Lawyers For A Consumer-Driven Market, Ann Marie Cavazos

Journal Publications

The underpinnings for law school training has or, I submit, soon will be, outstripped by real world requirements dictated by the demands of the legal profession marketplace. This Article is designed to add to the discourse relating to the question of what law schools supply and what law practice requires-a paradigm shift in the methodology of implementing legal education. The Article begins by reporting on the state of the law school process and how it has evolved from an apprenticeship, replete with on-the-job training, to an intellectual exercise that is somewhat removed from the requirements for becoming competent legal professionals. …

No Laughing Matter: The Intersection Of Legal Malpractice And Professionalism, Nicola A. Boothe-Perry

Journal Publications

In an effort to increase professionalism among lawyers, an analysis of the relationship between lawyers' professional behavior and legal malpractice claims is warranted. This Article will explore that relationship, and address the need to fuse the two components in an effort to enhance professionalism. The Article will specifically seek to address the questions: (1) Should professionalism be admissible, or even conclusive, evidence of the standard of care of the "reasonable attorney" in legal malpractice cases? and (2) Will a proper definition of the "reasonable attorney" in the context of legal malpractice cases encourage and ultimately enhance professionalism in legal society?

Standard Lawyer Behavior? Professionalism As An Essential Standard For Aba Accreditation, Nicola A. Boothe-Perry

Journal Publications

This article addresses the ABA as a source of pressure to encourage and foster professionalism education in law schools. The ABA holds a uniquely powerful position in the American legal community, and with it the ABA enjoys the attendant ability to influence professionalism training and awareness. The principal tool at the ABA's disposal considered in this article is the ABA's ability to promulgate standards for professionalism as a requirement for law school accreditation. This article argues that this is the proper time for the ABA to institute a specific standard in an effort to increase professionalism in the legal profession.

Enforcement Of Law Schools' Non-Academic Honor Codes: A Necessary Step Towards Professionalism?, Nicola A. Boothe-Perry

Journal Publications

As law schools strive to enforce their codes of student conduct, enforcement has called into question the legal standing of the schools, since enforcement affects the fundamental rights of students. Consequently, this Article will address the following question: to what extent can law schools fulfill their responsibility and opportunity to enforce behavioral codes-specifically codes governing non-academic conduct-with a goal of improving professionalism? Through analysis of law schools' enforcement capabilities, this Article will suggest a practical framework by which law schools can promulgate and enforce codes and rules affecting students' non-academic conduct.

The Pedagogy Of "Yes We Can": Teaching Reformative Legal Justice In The Age Of Obama, Leroy Pernell

Journal Publications

These brief comments, delivered as part of the 5th Annual Fred Gray Sr. Civil Rights Symposium, Faulkner University, Thomas Goode Jones School of Law October 21, 2009, do not challenge whether law schools and the profession sufficiently make the case for public service and commitment to societal good; admittedly most existing standards and curricula do. Rather, these comments address the opportunity for legal education to tap, and expand on, a heightened psychological and emotional commitment that might be engendered in law students following the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States.

The Anatomy Of A "Pantsuit": Performance, Proxy And Presence For Women Of Color In Legal Education, Deleso Alford Washington

Journal Publications

This essay is intended to begin a dialogue on how the presence of women of color standing at the intersection of gender, race and class can don a pantsuit or not and still experience under-discussed social realities that influence the attainment of 21st Century leadership roles in the legal academy.

Diversity Matters: Aba Lpm Section Addresses Firm Management's Role, Joan R. M. Bullock

Journal Publications

Law firms must address the individual perceptions of their attorneys with respect to diversity issues so that everyone's contributions to the firm's mission and bottom line are acknowledged and valued.

Nonlegal Careers For Lawyers, 5th Edition, William D. Henslee

Faculty Books and Book Contributions

Whether you are a law student who realizes that practicing law is not what you want to do or a practicing lawyer who no longer feels satisfied with your work, this newly revised guidebook will show you what you can do with your law degree, besides practice law, and will illustrate how to use your legal skills to rise above the competition. Learn in detail what opportunities exist in these fields:

-Business and Industry--jobs in corporations; accounting firms; media companies; health care and pharmaceutical companies; engineering firms; real estate sales; high-tech companies; and more. -Government and Public Service--positions in the …

Updating Resources

Research in Virgil Hawkins' World of Print--Historical Print Research Project No. 1: Abortion

To ensure the student was relying on good case law, they would use Shepard’s Florida Citations to determine whether Eggart v. State had received any negative treatment by subsequent courts. For example, the case would be reviewed to determine if it had been overruled, superseded, deemed unconstitutional or received any other treatment that would negate or lessen its precedential value. According to the Shepard’s entry, at the time, the case was discussed and followed several times and remained good law.

You can see a scan of the Shepard’s entry for Eggart v. State below. The citation for the Shepard’s volume …

Shepard's Florida Citations

Research in Virgil Hawkins' World of Print--Historical Print Research Project No. 1: Abortion

As a lawyer or law student, any time you cite a case in support of a legal argument, you must check whether its authority has changed as a result of more recent decisions. Before the advent of the Internet, this process was typically done using a print tool called a citator. The principle citator at the time of the original FAMU law school was Shepard’s Citations, an indexing resource developed by Frank Shepard during the 19th century. Citators allow you to determine if your case is still good law and it acts as a research tool to find other cases …

Roe V. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973)

Research in Virgil Hawkins' World of Print--Historical Print Research Project No. 1: Abortion

A pregnant single woman brought a class action suit challenging the constitutionality of the Texas criminal abortion laws, which proscribed procuring or attempting an abortion except on medical advice for the purpose of saving the mother's life. The Court held that a woman's right to an abortion fell within the right to privacy protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.

Consult Primary Authorities--Step Three In The Research Process

Research in Virgil Hawkins' World of Print--Historical Print Research Project No. 1: Abortion

The next likely step would have been to look up the statutes and the case that were listed in Florida Law and Practice to find additional information.To find both the statute and corresponding annotations, the student would have used the Florida Statutes Annotated. Since they found the citations for the statute in Florida Law and Practice, there is no need to use the index and the student would go directly to the volume of the set that contained the statute and annotations. At the time, F.S. § 782.10 held that intentionally causing a woman to miscarry would carry …

Conclusion And Fast Forward

Research in Virgil Hawkins' World of Print--Historical Print Research Project No. 1: Abortion

After analyzing statutes and case law information on abortion in Florida, the student could conclude and state that offering to help a woman obtain an abortion was illegal in the 1960’s and, if a miscarriage subsequently occurred due to aid provided, the person who helped obtain the abortion could be convicted of 3rd degree manslaughter.

In 1973, the Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade established that women had the right to seek an abortion and that states had to balance their ability to regulate health against a woman’s health care decision power and the potentiality of human life. 410 …

Research Strategy And Resources

Research in Virgil Hawkins' World of Print--Historical Print Research Project No. 1: Abortion

The first step in any research process is to create a research strategy and organize your plan. The first step in most legal research is the use of secondary sources in order to gain an overview of a legal issue and to find cases and statutes that discuss the topic. A possible source about the state of the law in Florida on the topic of abortion was Florida Law and Practice.

Historical Research Project On Abortion

Research in Virgil Hawkins' World of Print--Historical Print Research Project No. 1: Abortion

This document represents an historical research project, from start to finish, as it would have been accomplished during the time Virgil Hawkins was fighting to gain entry into the University of Florida law school. The student would have used print resources to resolve this legal question regarding abortion, a topic about which the law has changed significantly since the time this research would have been performed.

Secondary Sources--Step One In The Research Process

Research in Virgil Hawkins' World of Print--Historical Print Research Project No. 1: Abortion

The first step in most legal research is to start with secondary sources to gain an overview of a legal issue and to find cases and statutes that discuss the topic. Secondary sources are statements or texts written about the law. A source that was available in the FAMU law library and could have been used to find information about the state of the law in Florida on the topic of abortion was Florida Law and Practice. To find information in Florida Law and Practice, the student would have used the title’s index and looked up the search …

Updating Resources

Research in Virgil Hawkins' World of Print--Historical Print Research Project No. 1: Abortion

In order to be certain the law that forms the basis of a legal argument or theory is current, it is crucial to update your research. Different resources use different methods, but a common method for treatises is the pocket part, an insert at the back of a book that contains information from after the date the book was published. Consequently, after reading the relevant entries in the main text of the treatise, the student would have looked at the pocket part to determine if there were any new cases or statutory changes that applied.

Review Resources--Step Two In The Research Process

Research in Virgil Hawkins' World of Print--Historical Print Research Project No. 1: Abortion

After finding the entry for abortion in the index, the student would then have gone to the volume and page indicated by the index to read the information provided. Studying the information contained in the entries, the student would have taken notes about statutes and cases that would be used to craft a legal analysis. The statutes on point that are listed by the treatise's entry are Florida Statutes § 782.10 and Florida Statutes § 797.01. The entry also names Eggart v. State as a case that discusses when an individual could be charged with a crime for assisting a …