Summer & Post-Grad Access to Major Legal Databases

Bloomberg Law

Continuing students have full access to Bloomberg Law for personal and professional use during the summer. If you have not done so already, you can register for Bloomberg Law at http://bloomberglaw.com/activate using your law school email address (name.#@osu.edu). Disregard the blue box asking for an activation code; you do NOT need a code to register.

Graduating students have full access to Bloomberg Law for six months after graduation. No additional registration is required.

Lexis Advance

Continuing students have access to Lexis Advance's full content for any paid or unpaid purpose throughout the summer. No additional registration is necessary, and there is no usage cap. Lexis also continues to provide free printing in the law library's computer lab.

Graduating students will have access to Lexis Advance until December 31, 2020. Graduates will also have access to the Lexis Graduate Home Page beginning August 2020, which provides career and job search information. No additional registration is required.

Westlaw Edge

Continuing students have full access to Westlaw Edge over the summer. No additional registration is necessary. Please note, however, that summer access is limited to educational purposes. Permissible uses include:

· Summer coursework
· Research assistant assignments
· Law Journal research
· Moot Court research
· Non-Profit work
· Clinical work
· Externship work

Graduating students can extend access while studying for the Bar by registering for Westlaw's Grad Elite Program. To register, go to http://lawschool.westlaw.com/authentication/gradelite. Registered graduates have access to Westlaw for six months after graduation, restricted to 60 hours of non-commercial use per month.

Moritz Library Presentation on Free and Low-Cost Legal Research Options

Interested in exploring legal research systems beyond Westlaw Edge, Lexis Advance, and Bloomberg Law? By April 17, Moritz reference librarians Susan Azyndar and Chris Galanos will post a recorded presentation on various free or low-cost research alternatives on the library’s Legal Research and Writing Success guide. Some of the resources which will be discussed include:

• Casemaker (cases and statutes) Free to law students and faculty who register; also accessible to members of statewide bar associations like the Ohio State Bar Association
• Fastcase. (cases and statutes) Accessible through the Moritz Law Library and to members of local bar associations such as the Columbus Bar Association
• Congress.gov and other publicly available governmental websites (legislative history)
• Justia, LII, SSRN, and more (secondary sources)

While the presentation will be pre-recorded, you are welcome to reach out to Susan, Chris, or any of Moritz’s reference librarians, with any questions you have after viewing the recording.

Law Library Tip: COVID-19 and the Law

States are approaching the COVID-19 pandemic in varying ways, in part because the disease is spreading differently in each state. The virus is also raising a host of legal issues, from election postponement to refunds for students moving out of dorms unexpectedly. There are a number of ways to learn about and keep up to date on these issues and approaches.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) provides many resources comparing state bills and laws. For example, the environmental health state bill database includes topics from body art tattoo to swimming pools. The NCSL has put together a page of coronavirus resources, tracking both state and federal actions on a wide range of issues. Keep the NCSL in mind for future research comparing state law, particularly regarding issues of current interest.

Subscription legal databases often present similar collections of resources, ranging beyond recent state actions. For example, Bloomberg Law’s health law practice center now includes a section entitled “In Focus: Coronavirus.” This material incorporates not only statutory material, but also coronavirus litigation, SEC disclosures related to the pandemic, tax implications and more. In a similar vein, Lexis Practice Advisor offers a Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Kit, and Westlaw’s Practical Law a Global Coronavirus Toolkit.

And finally, law library research guides can be useful starting points for research at any time. UCLA’s law library has compiled a list of legal responses to COVID-19.

Textbooks and Other Course Materials

The Moritz College of Law reference librarians created an online chart for the availability of all required textbooks. You can access the Moritz Textbook Electronic Availability Chart by visiting the library’s COVID-19 Update page. The chart is located under the  "Accessing Textbooks Remotely" section and shows electronic access options for textbooks listed on the Moritz first day assignment page for Spring semester.

Moritz Law Library Resources Remain Accessible

Even though the library's physical space is closed, numerous Moritz Law Library resources and services remain accessible from afar. While reference librarians are not available in person to provide research guidance, you can reach them by email, chat, or telephone. See the library’s Ask a Librarian page for more details. Librarians also offer in-depth, virtual research consultations, conducting preliminary research prior to the consultation. If you need items from the library’s print collection, please reach out to the reference librarians, as they may be able to provide what you are looking for in an alternative format. For instance, many ebooks are available through the OSU Libraries catalog. Further, in addition to Lexis and Westlaw, the Moritz Law Library and the main OSU library provide access to a large number of research databases. See the Moritz Law Library’s databases page and the OSU Libraries list. See also the library's guide to remotely accessing databases, casebooks, and other resources.

And don’t forget online study aids like the West Academic and Wolters Kluwer series, as well as the hundreds of lessons available at CALI.org. For details, see the library’s research guide on law school academic success. If you have any difficulty accessing online library resources, please contact a reference librarian. The Moritz Law Library is committed to making sure its patrons have what they need for the remainder of the semester and beyond.

Law Library Tips for People-Finding

Want to search for Moritz alums who practice in Cleveland?  Local lawyers who specialize in health law?  Prepare for networking and interviews by brushing up on your people searching skills.  The library’s Career Resources guide includes some resources and strategies for finding out about people.  Since many of our students practice in Ohio, we’d like to highlight a few local bar associations with online directories:  the Columbus Bar Association, the Cincinnati Bar Association, and the Toledo Bar Association.  These freely available tools offer limited search options, so for a more nuanced search, you’ll need to use other tools.

For example, this link illustrates a search for Moritz or “Ohio State” J.D. alums who practice health law in Cleveland, as listed by Westlaw’s Profiler.  The result list provides brief bios as well as links to the Litigation Analytics profile for each attorney.  You can also search for attorneys and judges in Lexis’s Litigation Profile Suite.  The Lexis profiles include a number of charts, as in this example for Chelsey Vascura, a Moritz alum and federal magistrate judge.  Note that in Litigation Profile Suite, you can search for attorneys by name or by location, but not by keyword or area of law.

Keep in mind that often the best way to learn about people is through networking itself.  The library’s Career Resources guide includes some strategies for identifying people to connect with on LinkedIn, Martindale.com, West’s Legal Directory on Westlaw, and other online directories.  Find out about other networking opportunities by joining a bar association, many of which offer student memberships.  The Columbus Bar Association, for example, offers membership for free to law students.  If you are planning to practice in another city, many metropolitan bar associations offer special memberships for young lawyers and law students, including Chicago and New York.  And be sure to visit the Moritz Career Services office for networking tips!

MPRE Study Materials Available Through the Moritz Law Library

If you are taking the upcoming MPRE on Thursday, March 12, 2020 or Friday, March 13, 2020, don’t forget that the Moritz Law Library has materials to help you finish studying strong. Swing by the Reserve Room to check out our collection or log in to your Westlaw Academic and Wolters Kluwer accounts to access even more professional responsibility study aids.

Online and Print Study Aids at the Moritz Law Library

The Moritz Law Library provides access to supplements and study aids in print and online. Current print study aids can be found in the Reserve Room on the second floor. 

• Wolters Kluwer online study aids include Examples and Explanations, Glannon Guides, and Emanuel CrunchTime and Law Outlines. To use these study aids, students must set up their own account at https://ebooks.aspenlaw.com/librarycard/login. Additional information on account set-up can be found on the Moritz intranet. 
• Once registered, students can access Wolters Kluwer study aids in both ePub and PDF format and can download titles for use offline.
• In addition to ebooks, Wolters Kluwer has recently added over 200 short video/audio lectures on fundamental concepts of law.
• West Academic's online Study Aids collection contains over 500 titles, including Nutshells, Gilbert Law Summaries, Legalines, and Black Letter Outlines.

Please check in with the law library circulation or reference desks if you have any difficulties accessing either of these online resources.

Moritz Law Library Resources on Impeachment Proceedings

Impeachment is rare, and presidential impeachments are even more rare. According to HeinOnline: “Since 1789, the House of Representatives has initiated impeachment proceedings only 62 times, and just 19 of these have led to full impeachments. Eight federal judges have been convicted and removed from office by the Senate, but thus far no president has met the same ignominious fate."

Students who want to learn more about the impeachment process should take advantage of the following resources, made available through the Moritz Law Library:

• ProQuest Congressional, which contains transcripts, witness statements, and other materials from impeachment hearings as well as nonpartisan reports from the Congressional Research Service
• CQ Press Library, a collection of resources on American government, politics, history, public policy, and current affairs, with analysis of the three most recent presidential impeachments
• HeinOnline’s U.S. Presidential Impeachment Library, a curated and searchable collection of legal, Congressional, and scholarly resources about the “four affected Presidents.” 
• Moritz Law Library Catalog, with over forty impeachment-related resources, including books and e-books, Congressional documents, and other resources published as recently as 2019
• GovTrack.us Impeachment Guide, which contains both a chronology of events and a summary of how impeachment works

Foreign and Comparative Law Resources at the Moritz Law Library

Need to research how U.S. law compares to the law of a foreign jurisdiction? The Moritz Law Library provides access to various foreign and comparative law databases. See the select group of resources below for some possibilities.

• The International Encyclopaedia of Laws, located under “Manuals” in the Kluwer Law Online platform, offers English explanations of foreign law on various topics including constitutional law, contracts, corporations, criminal law, cyber law, energy law, environmental law and more. This resource can be a good starting point for locating relevant primary law in a foreign jurisdiction.
• JustisOne is a platform for searching the law of the United Kingdom. Also included is primary law from other English-speaking nations such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and a number of Caribbean nations.
• Kluwer Arbitration and Kluwer IP Law include jurisdiction-specific content such as case summaries, commentaries, recent developments, and legislation, in addition to international materials like treaties and reference works.
• vLex offers a variety of both primary and secondary sources on the law of foreign jurisdictions, with a particular emphasis on Spanish language material.
• Westlaw China contains a large volume of Chinese laws, ministerial regulations, administrative regulations, local regulations, and more in English translation.

Consult a Moritz reference librarian for additional relevant resources including print material accessible in the Ohio State Libraries catalog.

Ideas for Decompressing at the Moritz Law Library and Nearby

It’s abundantly clear that exams are around the corner. You likely know about law library tools available to you such as study aids (online and in print) and CALI. If you need to unwind or escape exam chatter, consider the options below at the library or nearby.

·         The Interfaith Prayer and Reflection Room is open across the street at the Ohio Union.

·         Take a short walk to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum and browse its current exhibits, including one on portraits and satiric drawings of Presidents.

·         Spend some time with therapy animals at nearby locations on campus.

·         Check out a chess set (courtesy of Prof. Spindelman), playing cards, or a coloring book at the Moritz Law Library circulation desk.

·         Browse law-related popular DVDs or fiction in the Moritz Law Library reserve room.

·         Interested in mindfulness? Consider borrowing the books, Mindfulness and Professional Responsibility or Mindfulness for Law Students. The Moritz Law Library also have a number of other books on law student wellness you might consider.

·         Finally, note the variety of health and wellness resources on the Moritz website on such topics as mental health, mindfulness, and relaxation, as well as related resources on the ABA for Law Students site.

Legal Research Beyond Westlaw and Lexis

Interested in exploring legal research systems beyond Westlaw Edge, Lexis Advance, and Bloomberg Law? There are other options available through the Moritz Law Library and free legal websites. While these options have limitations, such as a much more limited set of secondary sources and the lack of citator tools as effective as KeyCite and Shepard’s, they are alternatives used by many attorneys practicing in the solo and small firm environment. See some of the possibilities below.

• Fastcase. Accessible through the Moritz Law Library and to members of local bar associations such as the Columbus Bar Association

•  Casemaker. Free to law students and faculty who register; also accessible to members of statewide bar associations like the Ohio State Bar Association

• Casetext. Free to law students and faculty who register

If you have questions about additional resources, ask a Moritz reference librarian. These alternatives are typically incorporated into Advanced Legal Research courses, so consider taking one in your second or third year. Also, stay tuned for information about a library session on low-cost and free legal research alternatives in the spring semester.

Try Interactive CALI Lessons for Studying and Class Prep

The Moritz Law Library offers law students access to web-based legal tutorials and other resources provided by the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI), a non-profit consortium of law schools, law libraries, and related organizations. CALI provides law students at member schools access to over 1,000 computer-based, interactive “lessons” that cover over 40 subject areas, including first-year courses like civil procedure, criminal law, and contracts. These lessons, which are created by law professors, are useful as a supplemental learning tool. CALI also features a growing eBook collection, which includes casebooks, federal rules of procedure and evidence, law-related literature, and even law-related coloring books.

To access CALI lessons, new users must click the “Register” link in the upper right corner of the webpage, at: http://cali.org. You will be asked for an authorization code and an email address. Enter your Moritz student code and use your OSU email address. Please contact a Moritz reference librarian if you need assistance or if you have questions about additional study aids in print or online.

Request a Research Consultation with a Moritz Librarian

If you are writing a research paper for a seminar or a note for a law review or journal this semester, or if you are a research assistant and are working on a difficult project, 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 during business hours, 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.

Additional Tips for Scholarly Writing Resources

The Moritz Law Library has created a list of resources relevant to writing a scholarly paper, including books on academic legal writing, scholarly research tools, and more. (Don’t forget to check out our other library guides on numerous topics!)

Here are a few research tips for academic legal writing:

• Sign up for a research consultation with a reference librarian at any stage, from topic selection to developing background research.
• Explore the world beyond Google. The Moritz Law Library and OSU Libraries offer a wide range of databases, books, journals, and news sources that will allow you to be more comprehensive, current, and precise in your research.
• Keep track of your research process so that you don’t repeat steps and so that you can cite sources properly.
• Synthesize sources. Academic legal writing draws on many supporting sources rather than only a few.
• As you read law review articles, take note of the range and frequency of citations as a model for your own work.

Lincoln L. Davies Bibliography

The Ohio State University recently announced the new dean of the Moritz College of Law, Lincoln L. Davies. In Davies, the college gains an expert in energy law. Learn more about Davies’ work with this bibliography compiled by the Moritz Law Library. Where possible links are to open access sources. 

Articles: 

Eulogizing Renewable Energy Policy, 33 J. Land Use & Envtl. Law 309 (2018). 

Climate Regulation of the Electricity Industry: A Comparative View from Australia, Great Britain, South Korea, and the United States, 13 S.C. J. Int’l L. & Bus. 109 (2017). (with Penelope Crossley, Peter Connor, Siwon Park & Shelby Shaw-Hughes) 

Making Sense of the Rapidly Evolving Legal Landscape of Solar Energy Support Regimes, 6 KLRI J.L. & Legis. 81 (2016). 

Emerging Shadows in National Solar Policy? Nevada’s Net Metering Transition in Context, 30 Electricity J. 33 (2017) (with Sanya Carley). 

The Role of Natural Gas in the Clean Power Plan, 49 J. Marshall L. Rev. 325 (2016) (with Victoria Luman). 

Incomplete Integration: Water, Drought, and Electricity Planning in the West, 31 J. Envtl. L. & Litig. 167 (2016) (with Victoria Luman). 

Energy, Consumption, and the Amorality of Energy Law, 109 AJIL Unbound 147 (2015). 

Fukushima’s Shadow, 48 Vand. J. Transnat’l L. 1083 (2015) (with Alexis Jones). 

U.S. Renewable Energy Policy in Context, 15 Envtl. L. & Pol’y 33 (2015). 

Evaluating RPS Policy Design: Metrics, Gaps, Best Practices, and Paths to Innovation, 4 KLRI J.L. & Legis. 3 (2014). 

Feed-In Tariffs in Turmoil, 116 W. Va. L. Rev. 937 (2014) (with Kristen Allen). 

Understanding Barriers to Commercial-Scale Carbon Capture and Sequestration in the United States: An Empirical Assessment, 59 Energy Pol’y 745 (2013) (with Kirsten Uchitel & John Ruple). 

Tracing U.S. Renewable Energy Policy, 43 Envtl. L. Rep. 10320 (2013). 

Beyond Fukushima: Disasters, Nuclear Energy, and Energy Law, 2011 BYU L. Rev. 1937 (2011). 

Reconciling Renewable Portfolio Standards and Feed-In Tariffs, 32 Utah Envtl. L. Rev. 311 (2012). 

State Renewable Portfolio Standards: Is There a “Race” and Is It “To the Top”?, 3 San Diego J. Climate & Energy L. 3 (2011). 

Incentivizing Renewable Energy Deployment: Renewable Portfolio Standards and Feed-In Tariffs, 1 KLRI J.L. & Legis. 39 (2011). 

Power Forward: The Argument for a National RPS, 42 Conn. L. Rev. 1339 (2010). 

Standing, On Appeal, 2010 U. Ill. L. Rev. 957 (2010) (with Amy J. Wildermuth). 

Alternative Energy and the Energy-Environment Disconnect, 46 Idaho L. Rev. 473 (2010). 

Assured Water Supply Laws in the Sustainability Context, 4 Golden Gate U. Envtl. L.J. 167 (2010). 

East Going West? The Promise of Assured Supply Laws in Modern Real Estate Development, 43 J. Marshall L. Rev. 319 (2010). 

Skull Valley Crossroads: Reconciling Native Sovereignty and the Federal Trust, 68 Md. L. Rev. 290 (2009). 

Energy Policy Today and Tomorrow – Toward Sustainability?, 29 J. Land Resources & Envtl. L. 71 (2009). 

Just a Big, “Hot Fuss”? Assessing the Value of Connecting Suburban Sprawl, Land Use, and Water Rights Through Assured Supply Laws, 34 Ecology L.Q. 1217 (2007). 

Lessons for an Endangered Movement: What a Historical Juxtaposition of the Legal Response to Civil Rights and Environmentalism Has to Teach Environmentalists Today, 31 Envtl. L. 229 (2001). 

If You Give the Court a Commerce Clause: An Environmental Justice Critique of Supreme Court Interstate Waste Jurisprudence, 11 Fordham Envtl. L.J. 207 (1999). 

Working Toward a Common Goal? Three Case Studies of Brownfields Redevelopment in Environmental Justice Communities, 18 Stan. Envtl. L.J. 285 (1999). 

Books: 

Energy Law and Policy: Cases and Materials (2d 2018) (with Alexandra Klass, Hari Osofsky, Elizabeth Wilson & Joseph Tomain). 

United States of America, International Encyclopedia of Laws: Energy Law (2015) (with Joseph Tomain). 

Energy Law in the United States (2015) (with Joseph Tomain). 

Energy Law and Policy: Cases and Materials (2014) (with Alexandra Klass, Hari Osofsky, Elizabeth Wilson & Joseph Tomain).