Moritz Legal Information Blog

We’ve blogged before about Ohio State’s fabulous marching band.   Now, the band really has made the big leagues – a citation in the Congressional Record .   If you search the Congressional Record in congress.gov, you will find Representative Pat Tiberi’s remarks honoring the band, in part for “use of cutting-edge technology.”   Read The Lantern  to discover how the band used iPads this year. And that’s not the only reference to Ohio State in the Congressional Record of late.   This list of search results includes congratulations to Gordon Gee on his retirement, a recognition of Woody Hayes’ 100 the birthday, and a recognition of the law school’s recently established Grassbaugh Veteran’s Project .

I recently came across an article pairing rap lyrics with more formal poetry. Here are a couple of samples: FOUNDING FATHERS/EARL SWEATSHIRT We hold these truths to be self-evident Say hi to the Ritalin regiment ("Declaration of Independence" and "Pigions") ROBERT FROST/2PAC Whose woods these are I think I know Creep with me through that immortal flow ("Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and "Thug Passion") On a more serious note, there is a growing body of law surrounding the use of rap lyrics as confessions or other evidence in criminal trials. In the past two years, rap lyrics have formed the basis of convictions in more than three dozen cases. For more on this subject, check out Confessions in the Courtroom ; Silence , Confessions, and Improperly Obtained Evidence ; The U.S. Court of Appeals and the Law of Confessions ; and Confessions, Truth, and the Law .

Don't forget that networking includes being involved in your local bar associations. The Ohio State Bar Association makes it easy for you with its Law Student Hub . The Columbus Bar Association runs Columbus Bar Inc. , "a program intended to accelerate the successful development of new lawyers in an environment that provides an array of business support resources."

Four years ago, we wrote on this very blog about the case research tools bar associations make available to members: State Bar Association - Members Legal Research Tools . Here's a quote: "For example, Ohio State Bar Association members have access to Casemaker. Members of the Illinois and Iowa bar associations have Fastcase." Great news: Now you can access both  CasemakerX and Fastcase (via HeinOnline) , so you can practice with these tools before you become an attorney. Sure, you know Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg, but those tools aren't available at every law firm. Taking time now to build your skill set with Fastcase or Casemaker will make you a more efficient (and consequently more valuable) researcher when you work this summer. Need another reason to practice with these tools? Take a look at this helpful map showing which state bars provide access to which services: Duke Law Blog . (Incidentally, the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar also provides access to Fastca

Straight from SXSW, meet the printer that can produce a copy of the U.S. Constitution in six seconds on a strip of paper only slightly bigger than a receipt from a spending spree at the Jeffersonville Outlets on Black Friday. h/t 1L David Walsh

"[Y]ou are legitimately famous, the M.I.T. team has decided, if a Wikipedia page under your name exists in more than 25 languages."  " Pantheon , a new project from the Macro Connections group in M.I.T.’s Media Lab...has collected and analyzed data on cultural production from 4,000 B.C. to 2010. With a few clicks on its website, which just went live, you can swing through time and geography...." Alas! Only one attorney made it into the top ten most famous people from the U.S. since 4000 B.C. Actually, there is only one in the top twenty! Itching to know which attorney is more famous than Britney Spears and Jimi Hendrix? Take a look at Pantheon, search by Rankings, and limit the search to "United States" for "Place of Birth."

Find the answer here . You may think to yourself, "Who cares? It's not a crime for which I will be arrested!" While that may be true, consider whether it's the wisest response for a person pursing a legal career. Consider, for example, whether this kind of thinking evidences [t]he ability to exercise good judgment in conducting one's professional business [and] the ability to conduct oneself with a high degree of honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness in all professional relationships and with respect to all legal obligations. (From the Ohio State Eligibility Requirements for the Practice of Law. ) I hate to be a downer , but with great power comes great responsibility . Keep that in mind next time you speed, download music or movies via suspect channels, or otherwise undermine the legal system. As if losing actual money on that NCAA bracket wasn't enough!

The Big Data conference is right around the corner, and we've prepared a guide to resources that will help you understand this phenomenon and its consequent legal issues. For the most up-to-date take on how companies use (and will use) Big Data in the future, read this article from Inside Counsel . (Because who knew whether your Facebook friends write on your wall in all caps could affect your credit score or your insurance rates?)

What do math and basketball have in common? Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft . What do math, basketball, and the law have in common? Courtroom Use and Misuse of Mathematics, Physics and Finance: Cases, Lessons and Materials Legal Issues in Professional Basketball

This in from Slate.com : "What do the following phrases or sayings have in common? first-year experience fast-track MBA be the difference cure violence student life students with diabetes one course at a time touched by a nurse we're conquering cancer working toward a world without cancer imagination beyond measure tomorrow starts here                           The surprising answer (as revealed in an article by Jacob H. Rooksby in The Chronicle of Higher Education ) is that using any of them just might get you sued by a university or college."   Which got me thinking, what trademarks does The Ohio State University own? A quick field search of the USPTO's trademark search engine reveals 70 trademark registrations , only a handful of which are no longer live marks. Alas, two of my favorites fall into this dead mark category: FEAR THE NUT for t-shirts and GOLDPANTS for Computerized online ordering featuring general merchandise and general con

While it might be fun to know what type of candy bar you are, whether you're a Peeta or a Gale, or if you're living in the right state and accurately reflecting the piece of art you are most like, did you ever stop to think what BuzzFeed might be doing with all of that quiz data? NPR recently aired a story on the subject. (The transcript can be found here .) Here's the scoop: SIMON: [W]hen we take these quizzes now, we're being...fattened up for the advertising kill? KAYE: Yeah, I think there's something to that. I think the quizzes are written a certain way because they do want to end up collecting that data and using it. Representing BuzzFeed or worried about privacy or advertising? Check out Advertising Law and Public Relations from the Moritz Law Library collection.

Thinking about including a cover charge for your kegger over Spring Break? Consider the latest judicial decision from California, and do some research to learn the state of the law in Ohio: California high court rules cover charge at parties creates liability : The family of a man killed by an underage drinker who'd consumed alcohol at a house party in 2007 sued the host's family. The court says a cover charge amounts to a sale. Any books we have in the law library related to Ohio law can be found shelved with the prefix KFO. (KF is the prefix for American Law; O is the part that refers you to laws of Ohio, Oregon, and Oklahoma.) Stop by the Reserve room or the State and Federal Collection under the mezzanine for more.

By now you're probably sick of the admonitions to clean up your online life before applying for jobs. The thing is, the stories of poor judgment online just keep coming, and so, the admonitions continue. Here are two tales of legal woe from the halls of Facebook: Father’s “Lifestyle” as Portrayed on Internet Causes Dramatic Increase in Child Support Obligations A dad reported just $21,000 in taxable income in an attempt to modify his child support obligations. Facebook told a different tale as the mother of the child submitted Facebook evidence: The Facebook photographs depicted defendant throwing $100 bills, his speed boat, a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro (plaintiff also maintained defendant owned a Lincoln Navigator), his elaborate tropical wedding, and accompanying diamond engagement and wedding bands. Daughter’s Facebook boast costs former Gulliver Prep headmaster $80,000 discrimination settlement Following litigation concerning her father's dispute over his departure fro

Legal writing is a recursive process, as are many story-telling endeavors, documentary making included. Remember The Armstrong Lie ?  That documentary started as a film about Lance Armstrong's comeback and quickly morphed into an epic exposé. In another filmmaking twist, a documentary about the daily touring lives of the heavy metal band Lamb of God became the saga of the frontman's trial for manslaughter. If you're looking for a study break and something compelling to get you through a bleak winter, stop by the Reserve Room in the library to peruse our documentary collection .