Legal Writing and Research Commons^™

Making It Stick: Using The Science Of Successful Learning In The Legal Writing Classroom, Craig T. Smith

The Sixth Annual Capital Area Legal Writing Conference

No abstract provided.

A Conversation About Discipline Building, Ruth Anne Robbins, Ellie Margolis, Sherri Keene

The Sixth Annual Capital Area Legal Writing Conference

No abstract provided.

All The Law's A Stage: Using Vocal Techniques From Theatre To Improve Presentation Skills, Stephen Paskey

The Sixth Annual Capital Area Legal Writing Conference

No abstract provided.

Add-On Contract Drafting Workshops, Martha M. Ertman

The Sixth Annual Capital Area Legal Writing Conference

No abstract provided.

Custom's Method And Process: Lessons From Humanitarian Law, Monica Hakimi

Book Chapters

A central question in the literature on customary international law (CIL) goes to method: what is the proper method for "finding" CIL - that is, for determining that particular norms qualify as ClL? The traditional method is to identify a widespread state practice, plus evidence that states believe that the practice reflects the law (opinio juris). That method has long been criticized as incoherent, unworkable, and out of touch with modern sensibilities. Thus, much of the CIL literature addresses its perceived problems. The principal goals of this literature are to help resolve whether norms that are claimed to be CIL …

Hitting The Mark? Aall Legal Research Competencies: From Classroom To Practice, Gail A. Partin, Sally H. Wise

Faculty Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Court Opinions Move Online Only, Marcia L. Dority Baker, Richard Leiter

Marvin and Virginia Schmid Law Library: Faculty Publications

Change has come to the state of Nebraska in a digital way. Beginning January 1, 2016, the official opinions of the Nebraska Supreme Court and the Nebraska Court of Appeals are available online only, a change which improves users’ ability to search these opinions. Now users can search all Nebraska Supreme Court opinions from 1871 through the present day and all Nebraska Court of Appeals opinions since its creation in 1992. Prior to this change, opinions were made available in print and the current opinions were available on the Court’s website. Both the public and legal community can access court …

Advancing Executive Branch Immigration Policy Through The Attorney General's Review Authority, Alberto R. Gonzales, Patrick J. Glen

Law Faculty Scholarship

Prospects for comprehensive immigration reform look dim in light of past failures to enact legislation, such as the DREAM Act, and a continued period of divided government placing a skeptical Republican Congress in opposition to a sympathetic Democratic President. With legislative fixes for the United States’ immigration system unlikely in the near future, the Obama Administration will continue to press its immigration agenda via executive order and enforcement memorandum. Such initiatives do provide real short-term benefits, but they are by nature temporary and lack the ability to provide any permanent status to their beneficiaries. Importantly, however, they are not the …

Writing In Law Reviews, Bar Association Journals, And Blogs (Part Ii), Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

Lawyers commonly write as their clients' representatives, but many lawyers also do "extracurricular writing" in non-representational roles. A few years ago in Precedent (The Missouri Bar's former quarterly magazine), I wrote about lawyers who publish newspaper op-ed columns (essays appearing "opposite the editorial pages") and letters to the editor. The present two-part article explores three additional extracurricular writing opportunities open to lawyers. In the Journal's January-February issue, Part 1 discussed writing or co-writing in law reviews. Part 2 now concludes by discussing writing opportunities in bar association journals and on blogs.

The Structured Writing Group: A Different Writing Center?, Brian N. Larson, Christopher Soper

Faculty Scholarship

This article describes the objectives, development, and some preliminary results of a program the authors led at the University of Minnesota Law School in academic year 2014-15. They wanted the “Structured Writing Group” (SWG) project to achieve some outcomes traditionally associated with writing centers: first, improving the student writing process by facilitating collaboration with a writing expert; and second, exposing students to additional audiences for their writing. We added a third goal of improving the experience and performance of multilingual students in the legal writing program.

Law Library Blog (March 2016): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

A Golden Opportunity: Legal Research Simulation Courses, Leslie A. Street, Shawn G. Nevers

Library Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Crossing Borders: Adventures In International Legal Research, Anne Burnett

Presentations

An overview of the resources and processes for researching international law topics in classroom H.

Real Resources For Researching Ip Law, Anne Burnett

Presentations

A presentation on strategies for researching intellectual property law in classroom I.

Dual-Class Capital Structures: A Legal, Theoretical & Empirical Buy-Side Analysis, Christopher C. Mckinnon

Michigan Business & Entrepreneurial Law Review

“The advantage of a dual-class share structure is that it protects entrepreneurial management from the demands of ordinary shareholders. The disadvantage of a dual-class share structure is that it protects entrepreneurial management from the demands of shareholders.” Issuing dual classes of stock has become hotly debated since two major events transpired in 2014: (1) Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion and (2) Alibaba chose to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) instead of the Hong Kong Exchange. Because dual-class managers, like those at Facebook and Alibaba, retain a controlling voting block, their decisions are immune from …

Historical Headnotes: A Case Study Of A Research Problem, Amelia Landenberger

Law Faculty Popular Media

This article began as a case study of a legal research problem: how to properly attribute a note that was printed in the margins of a historical case reporter. The article guides the reader through various methods of investigating ambiguities in historical legal texts, including comparing the electronic and print versions of the text, contacting editors at Westlaw and Lexis, conducting research in contemporary newspapers, and researching the author of the document. The article also addresses the importance of early court reporters and court reporting generally. It concludes with a reminder to carefully consider sources of information and the reporters …

Law Library Blog (February 2016): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

A Is For Attorney: An Alphabet Of Websites For Lawyers, Wendy Moore

Continuing Legal Education Presentations

Contains an alphabetical list of 26 websites, each of which contains worthwhile information for legal research or professional development. Features topical legal blogs, Federal and state government websites, free legal information from both commercial and not-for-profit organizations, educational resources, and helpful non-legal research tools.

Standing In The Judge’S Shoes: Exploring Techniques To Help Legal Writers More Fully Address The Needs Of Their Audience, Sherri Keene

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

"No Country For Old Men": Junior Associates And The Real-World Practice Of Law, Ian Gallacher

College of Law - Faculty Scholarship

Law schools are designed to teach students about the doctrine of law and to help them prepare their skills to practice law. There are some practical aspects of law practice, though, that are rarely if ever discussed in law school. Perhaps this is because of an assumption that law firms will make these issues clear to the students they hire as associates, or perhaps it is because of a belief that such information has no place in the curriculum of an academic institution.

Whatever the reason, this is information law students should have as they begin to think about where …

Discovering The Knowledge Monopoly Of Law Librarianship Under The Dikw Pyramid, Alex Zhang

Scholarly Articles

This article uses the Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom (DIKW) pyramid to help identify the exclusive knowledge base and practical skills that law librarians must possess to solve practical problems. Paragraphs 4–24 trace the historical debates on whether law librarianship is a profession, which focus on autonomy as a key component of a profession. The consensus is that autonomy boils down to two major issues: identifying problems and providing solutions through exclusive methods that are restricted to a profession. Both require a solid and exclusive abstract knowledge base. Paragraphs 25–77 discuss the epistemological approaches employed thus far to identify a knowledge basis for library …

A Tale Of Two Resources: Foreign Law Guide V. Globalex, Alex Zhang

Scholarly Articles

Purpose – This article aims to examine two important foreign legal research resources, Foreign Law Guide and Globalex, under the Ellis’s information search process model.

Design/methodology/approach – This article proceeds in three sections. Part I establishes the evaluation framework based on Ellis’s information search process model, incorporating special demands arising out of foreign legal research. Part II evaluates the two reference resources under the framework established in Part I. Part III summarizes the major features and accessibility of both the databases.

Findings – Generally speaking, both Foreign Law Guide and Globalex are great reference resources for researching a foreign jurisdiction …

Public Defender Externship, Legal Clinic Program

Course Descriptions and Information

Students represent indigent clients through various Public Defender offices in Central Florida in all phases of the criminal justice system under the direct supervision of Assistant Public Defenders.

Judicial Externship Clinic, Legal Clinic Program

Clinical Programs Brochures

The Judicial Externship allows each student to observe, evaluate and participate in the practice of various areas of the law outside the classroom. The educational benefits derived from this experience include improving legal analytical, research and writing skills; learning how judicial decisions are made; and becoming familiar with various court procedures. Students gain a unique view of the court system by assisting a state or federal judge. Students observe and perform a range of lawyering tasks within the judicial system, including: research; writing; attending settlement conferences; observing trials; reviewing jury instructions; preparing bench briefs; and other assignments unique to judicial …

Unh School Of Law Ip Library: 20th Anniversary Reflection On The Only Academic Ip Library In The United States, Jon R. Cavicchi

Law Faculty Scholarship

[Excerpt] The UNH School of Law Intellectual Property Library celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year. It is a fortuitous time for this look back and for strategic considerations for the future. This anniversary comes at a time in the history of legal education when conditions over the past few years have intensified the analysis of mission and resources for law school libraries. This article is a retrospective review of the history and dynamics surrounding the founding and first twenty years of growth. It is also an analysis of the future growth and mission of the IP Library during times that …

Once Upon A Transaction: Narrative Techniques And Drafting, Karen J. Sneddon

Articles

A granddaughter joins the family business as a partner. An entrepreneur licenses his newest product. Two parties decide to settle a dispute. A charitable idea materializes as a private foundation. A parent's belief in the power of education is perpetuated by a trust agreement. Each of these events forms a narrative. A transaction is more than the scratch of pens across signature pages or the click of keys to email an executed document. A transaction is itself a story. These stories, made with provisions and clauses, result in the formation of contracts, agreements, and wills. Conceptualizing transactions as narratives benefits …

How Cosmopolitan Are International Law Professors?, Ryan Scoville, Milan Markovic

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Article offers an empirical answer to a question of interest among scholars of comparative international law: why do American views about international law appear at times to differ from those of other countries? We contend that part of the answer lies in legal education. Conducting a survey of the educational and professional backgrounds of nearly 150 legal academics, we reveal evidence that professors of international law in the United States often lack significant foreign legal experience, particularly outside of the West. Sociological research suggests that this tendency leads professors to teach international law from predominantly nationalistic and Western perspectives, …

Riding Circuit: Bringing The Law To Those Who Need It, Susan D. Zago

Florida A & M University Law Review

In this article, I will first look at how various state Access to Justice Commissions in the United States are addressing self-represented litigants' ability to access and navigate the civil court system. I review various projects that attempt to make legal forms and processes more understandable to the public. I also discuss the role of law librarians, and how they bring a working understanding of the problems and missteps that self-represented litigants face first-hand. I argue for better inclusion of these information professionals in state commissions and in various outreach programs to improve the quality of the legal information provided …

Aesthetic Nondiscrimination & Fair Use, Brian L. Frye

Belmont Law Review

While courts do not consider the aesthetic value of an element of a work in determining whether it is protected by copyright, they do consider the aesthetic value of the use of a copyrighted element of a work in determining whether that use is a fair use. This asymmetry improperly and inefficiently discriminates in favor of copyright protection and against fair use. Moreover, the fair use transformativeness inquiry discriminates against marginalized authors, because courts are less likely to appreciate the aesthetic value of their uses of copyrighted works. Courts should apply the aesthetic nondiscrimination principle to both copyright and fair …

The Inadvisability Of Nonuniformity In The Licensing Of Cover Songs, Yolanda M. King

Belmont Law Review

In February 2015, the U.S. Copyright Office released a report entitled Copyright and the Music Marketplace, which summarizes its study of the music industry and recommends significant revisions to copyright law in response to the rapidly changing demands of the industry. Among its recommendations, the Copyright Office proposes an amendment to section 115(a)(2) of the Copyright Act. Currently, section 115(a)(2), referred to as the compulsory licensing provision of copyright law, permits someone to record a new version of a previously recorded and publicly distributed song, regardless of the format of the newly recorded version. The revised section 115(a)(2) would require …