Listen and Learn: Audio Study Aids

If you’re looking for a new way to study for class and exams, there are a couple of resources available through the law library that will enable you to listen—rather than read—to prepare LexisNexis Courtroom Cast features AudioCaseFiles, which are “edited judicial opinions of the most commonly assigned cases for first and second year law students.” Moritz has an institutional account that you can activate by registering on the site’s sign-up page. Just select our school and input your name and OSU e-mail address, and you will have access. Scroll to the bottom of the main page to browse audio files by casebook and then by case. Because who doesn’t want to listen to Pennoyer v. Neff or International Shoe? You can also read the opinion and take notes on it with just a click.

Also, our West Academic Online Study Aid Subscription provides you with a couple of audio series to enhance your studying. To access these study aids, create an account, then choose either the Law School Legends Audio Series or Sum and Substance Audio.

Keeping Up with Database Changes

Remember when Westlaw looked like this?:

And Lexis looked like this?:

These images are what Westlaw and Lexis used to look like. Each database has changed in a number of ways over the last decade, and more change is coming—ready or not. Lexis Classic (as it’s now known) became Lexis Advance and featured a “carousel” designed to help you navigate your “workspace.” The carousel was not well-loved, and after a few more changes, Lexis launched the Lexis Advance platform you’re familiar with today. Westlaw Classic became WestlawNext, which became Thomson Reuters Westlaw, and next semester you’ll see another change: Westlaw Edge. 

Do you know the differences between all these permutations? Have you simply gone along for the ride sticking with your same old searches for case law (or avoiding Westlaw all together because you “like Lexis more” (and they give you free printing and rewards for prizes))? Are you aware practicing attorneys have a duty to be technologically competent, and that duty might include having a meaningful understanding of how these databases work, the scope of content you’re searching, and how the database returns results to you?

If this is all news to you, consider registering for a 1-credit Advanced Legal Research course taught by one of the Moritz College of Law’s reference librarians. Each ALR course is focused on a specialized practice area or jurisdiction, but all will help you to further develop the legal research skills you were introduced to in your LAWI & II courses. The following courses will be taught in the spring semester:

• Business and Tax Legal Research (taught by Matt Cooper) provides an introduction to business and tax related materials as well as training and advanced research strategies for finding and effectively using these materials for legal research. Topics covered include business forms, company filings and SEC research, and foreign and international business research. In-class work will include working through research problems to resolve legal questions.

• Advanced Legal Research: Litigation and ADR (taught by Stephanie Ziegler) focuses on finding and using materials related to litigation or ADR practice, covering formbooks, court rules, trial technique, arbitration rules and decisions, as well as research strategies and resource evaluation.

More Career Resources at Moritz Law Library - Including Search Strategies

The Moritz Law Library has partnered with Career Services to curate a collection of resources and materials designed to help you develop your professional network, identify meaningful work, and find and secure employment opportunities. Recently, we participated in Career Services’ brownbag series on networking by helping students identify Moritzers practicing in particular areas of law in particular cities. (There are two more brown bags in this series for 2Ls and 3Ls, so stop by the Public Service Law Center Oct. 22 and 29 for more info!)

The Moritz Law Library’s Career Resources Guide will direct you to websites, journals, and books that can aid in the job search and interview process, as well as databases that can help you research potential employers and interviewers. The guide has recently been updated to include some strategies for identifying people to connect with on LinkedIn, Martindale.com, West’s Legal Directory on Westlaw, and other online directories. The Job Resources shelves in the Law Library’s Reserve Room display our most recent books about job searching, interviewing, and practice areas. Other books on legal careers can be found throughout the Law Library by searching the library catalog.

Of course, do not forget to check out the Career Services Office website and the Career Services Handbook for invaluable information and guidance on how to find the best law job for you.

Please ask at the reference desk if you have questions about the Law Library’s career resources and how we can help you develop your network.

Election Display Outside the Law Library

In advance of the November 6, 2018, General Election, the large display outside the library has been updated to provide information on a variety of election-related topics. We’ve included panels explaining ballot initiatives and referendum processes, the Ohio Ballot Board (which includes a Moritz grad among its panelists), the 2018 Ohio Neighborhood Safety, Drug Treatment, and Rehabilitation Amendment (a statewide ballot initiative explored in a series sponsored by Moritz’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center), how to register to vote, Election Law at Moritz (including the ALI project Election Administration: Non-Precinct Voting and Resolution of Ballot-Counting Disputes), and a look at Moritz grads successfully elected to office over the years.

The Start of the U.S. Supreme Court Term

Since 1917, the first Monday in October has marked the beginning of United States Supreme Court term. This year, the term starts on October 1, with two oral arguments scheduled. The first, Weyerhaeuser Company v. Fish and Wildlife Service, involves the Endangered Species Act, and the second, Mount Lemmon Fire District v. Guido, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Learn more about upcoming Supreme Court cases with Georgetown’s Supreme Court Institute preview. Curious about the parties’ arguments? You can find filings in these cases and the others on the Court’s docket at SCOTUSBlog, including lower court opinions and briefs from both parties and amicus curiae. Need to review what happened at oral argument? After each oral argument, you can find transcripts and audio at the Supreme Court’s website. Finally, the Supreme Court Mapping Project gives you a way to analyze and predict developments in Supreme Court doctrine with simple visual charts that cover 1st, 4th, 5th, 8th and 14th Amendment doctrine as well as the commerce power, patents, civil procedure, and more.

Request a Research Consultation with a Moritz Law Librarian

If you are writing a research paper for a seminar or a note for a law review or journal this semester, now might be a good time to schedule an in-office research consultation with a Moritz Law Library reference librarian. These individual meetings are scheduled in advance to give the librarians time to prepare useful research strategies and sources to help you get started researching your particular issue or topic. Stop by now to get a head start on those long papers or really complex research topics.

To request a research consultation, go to https://moritzlaw.osu.edu/lib/services/request-a-research-consultation/ and fill out the online form with a description of your research project and the times you are available to meet. Reference librarians are available to meet from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, typically within 2-3 business days after your request is submitted. If you need research assistance sooner, please stop by the Reference Desk. Reference Desk hours and contact info can be found on the Ask a Librarian page.