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Summer Access to Legal Research Databases

Whether you are graduating from Duke Law this month or continuing your legal studies next year, your access to legal research services and other campus databases may change this summer. Below is a summary of policies for the major legal research databases that you might wish to access over the summer. Continuing Students Westlaw  allows continuing students to use Thomson Reuters products, including Westlaw® and Practical Law, over the summer for non-commercial research ( i.e. , "to gain understanding and build confidence in your research skills, but you cannot use them in situations where you are billing a client"). Examples of permissible uses for your academic Westlaw password include the following: Summer coursework Research assistant assignments Law review or journal research Moot Court research Non-Profit 501(c)(3) work Clinical work Externship sponsored by the school Your Westlaw summer access will continue automatically - no action is needed on ...
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Prep for Finals Like a Pro

Time to start preparing for spring exams! Just a few weeks separate you from your summer, and here are some resources to make the most of your remaining study time. Additional recommended strategies and time management tips are available from Thomson Reuters' Law School Survival Guide and the Duke Academic Resource Center's Study Strategies that Work . First, fill in those outline gaps with study aids, available in print and online via the Law Library. The West Academic Study Aids Library includes Acing, Concepts and Insights, Hornbooks, Nutshells, Black Letter Outlines, Legalines, and Sum and Substance audio. The Aspen Learning Library includes Examples & Explanations, Glannon Guides, and Emanuel Law Outlines. Elgar Advanced Introductions to Law provides accessible yet comprehensive overviews of more than two dozen legal topics, particularly strong in comparative and international areas of law. All three study aid databases can be accessed quickly from the Law Libra...

New Laws in the New Year

January 1 marks the effective date for many new laws passed by legislatures in the previous calendar year. While individual statutes (or subsections of statutes) may include language indicating that they will take effect immediately upon passage or at a different specified point in time, most jurisdictions have a default time period for new laws to take effect if the text does not otherwise specify an effective date. See charts of the general dates at LegiScan and StateScape . January 1 is the general effective date for laws passed in the states of California, Oregon, and Illinois (at least for laws enacted prior to May 31). Other popular dates for new state laws to usually take effect are August 1, October 1, or 60–90 days after enactment or legislative adjournment. The North Carolina General Assembly maintains annual Effective Dates compilations on its website, with the 2025-26 document available here . New laws or portions of laws taking effect on January 1 in North Carolina i...

Winter Break Reading Recommendations

Long layovers, delayed flights, slow trains – be ready during your holiday travels with a good book. The Goodson Law Library staff have compiled a new list of recommendations, available in various formats across the University or from your favorite booksellers . The Payback: A Novel (2025), by Kashana Cauley. ( Request the print copy! ) "The second novel by a former lawyer turned comedy writer ( The Daily Show ; The Great North ) takes aim at student loans — literally. Retail worker Jada is fed up with running from the Debt Police, who brutalize her and her friends for being down on their luck and late on their payments. Together, they plot a heist that will take down their loan company. A funny and fast-paced commentary on capitalism and inequality." – Jennifer Behrens, Associate Director for Administration & Scholarship The Women (2024), by Kristin Hannah. ( Request the print or e-book ! ) "My book club's latest pick; historical fiction about nurses who ...