Law Commons^™

From Law In Blackletter To Blackletter Law, Kasia Solon Cristobal

AALL/LexisNexis Call for Papers

What is the etymology of the phrase blackletter law? Chasing down its origins uncovers not only a surprising turnabout from blackletter law’s original meaning, but also prompts examination of a previously overlooked subject, the history of the law’s changing appearance on the page. This history ultimately proves a cautionary tale of how appearances have hindered access to the law.

Understanding The "Other" International Agreements, Ryan Harrington

AALL/LexisNexis Call for Papers

The President routinely enters into international agreements with foreign states that circumvent the requirements in the Treaty Clause, leaving many researchers with a cloudy

understanding of the international agreement-making process in the United States. In many instances, Congress has preauthorized the President to negotiate and conclude an international commitment. In others, the majority of both houses of Congress, rather than two-thirds of the Senate, approve of an international agreement. Even more troublingly, in the last half century, the United States has come to rely on yet another form of international agreements, called “political commitments,” that create nonlegally binding expectations and …

The Invention Of Legal Research, Joseph L. Gerken

AALL/LexisNexis Call for Papers

No abstract provided.

Forensic Bibliography: Reconstructing The Library Of George Wythe, Linda K. Tesar

AALL/LexisNexis Call for Papers

The Wolf Law Library at the College of William and Mary initiated a project to recreate the library of George Wythe, the founding father of American legal education. A relatively small number of Wythe’s books are still extant today; for some volumes, there is strong documentary evidence to prove conclusively he owned specific editions of particular titles. Additionally, four bibliographies with varying levels of substantiating information provide insight into the contents of Wythe’s library. Examination of these sources launched an excursion into bibliographic history and rare book collecting that illuminates the difficulties in attempting to establish the exact editions contained …

Discovering William Cook: Ten Resources For Reconstructing The Life Of A Lawyer, Margaret A. Leary

AALL/LexisNexis Call for Papers

Ms. Leary uses a case study to describe ten categories of resources for reconstructing a Manhattan lawyer’s life. These resources answer questions about his law practice, scholarship, personal life, personality, values, and philanthropy. The case study uses today’s resources to look far back into the details of the life of William W. Cook, who gave his fortune to the University of Michigan Law School.

Does Form Follow Function?: Academic Law Libraries' Ogranizational Structures For Collection Development, Connie Lenz, Helen Wohl

AALL/LexisNexis Call for Papers

While academic law libraries devote a large portion of their budgets to creating and maintaining their collections, little has been written about the organizational structures for the full range of collection development functions in these libraries. To explore this issue, the ALL-SIS Collection Development Committee surveyed nineteen academic law libraries, asking detailed questions about the libraries’ collection development practices and organizational structures, with the aim of defining what organizational forms best support collection development functions. This article begins by defining collection development functions, and reviewing law library literature examining organizational structures for collection development. The article then presents the findings …