The Goodson Blogson

Although law school casebooks tend to focus on the judge’s written opinion, court cases actually generate a large amount of other documents, such as: complaints, briefs, depositions, oral argument transcripts, jury verdicts, settlement agreements, etc. These materials comprise the record of the case. Legal researchers might wish to consult a case’s record or briefs for a variety of reasons: to review which legal arguments persuaded (or did not persuade) the judge, to learn more about the factual or procedural background of a case, and to gauge what kind of verdict or damages might be awarded in a similar situation. Unfortunately, there is little consistency in the publication of court records and briefs, which may be available in a variety of print, electronic and microform sources. To aid these researchers, reference librarian Jennifer L. Behrens has created a new Goodson Law Library Research Guide to Court Records and Briefs ( http://www.law.duke.edu/lib/researchguides/records_brie...

State legislators are busy people; between staff briefings, budget votes, and non-stop reelection campaigning, who has time to actually draft legislation any more? Fortunately, there’s the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws , which has been saving legislators time and effort since 1892. NCCUSL prepares “uniform laws”, intended for legislatures to adopt in full, as well as “model acts”, whose language can be used by legislatures as a starting point for similar laws. ( Note : Model acts may also be drafted by other groups, such as the American Law Institute .) Some of the best-known examples of such laws are the Uniform Commercial Code (see the library’s research guide ) and the Model Penal Code (drafted by the American Law Institute). Uniform laws and model acts promote consistency in legislation across state governments. However, because legislatures may choose to adopt only parts of these laws, determining the status of such a law in a particular state can be c...

Beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 19, the library will operate under Winter Break service hours . Generally, the library will be open from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday , with some mid-week closures in observance of the Christmas and New Year's holidays: • Saturday 12/20-Sunday 12/21 : CLOSED • Monday 12/22-Tuesday : 12/23 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. • Wednesday 12/24 -Sunday 12/28 : CLOSED (Christmas) • Monday 12/29-Tuesday 12/30 : 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. • Wednesday 12/31-Sunday 1/4 : CLOSED (New Year) • Monday 1/5-Friday 1/9 : 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. • Saturday 1/10 : CLOSED • Sunday 1/11 : Spring semester hours begin During the break, the Duke Law Community will retain 24-hour access to the Law School and Goodson Law Library with a current DukeCard. Have a fun (and safe) winter break!

The Commonwealth Legal Information Institute (CommonLII) recently announced the digitization of the English Reports , an historical reprint of English case law from 1220-1873. The reports can be found in PDF at http://www.commonlii.org/int/cases/EngR/ . CommonLII’s database may be browsed by case name or year; or searched by party name or keyword. Researchers at Duke have a growing list of options for locating cases from the English Reports. A print set is available on Level 1 at the call number KD270 1220 .E53, and the HeinOnline database added a digitized version of the set in 2007. For more information, consult the library’s recently-updated research guide to English Legal History .

In January 2008, American Law Reports became available online exclusively in Westlaw . Historically, both LexisNexis and Westlaw had provided access to the electronic version of the lengthy annotations, which compile and summarize a large amount of state and federal case law on a particular legal topic. Perhaps moved by the spirit of the holiday season, the two legal research giants have agreed to share A.L.R. once more. American Law Reports is now available on both Westlaw (ALR database) and LexisNexis (Legal > Secondary Legal). The series is also available in print in the library’s Practice & Procedure collection (Level 3). (This is a remarkable change from the spring 2008 semester, when the Lexis access ceased and the print volumes were in renovation storage.) Other newly-reinstated titles on LexisNexis include Witkin treatises (a major secondary source in California legal research), New York Jurisprudence , Ohio Jurisprudence , Texas Jurisprudence , and Florida Juris...

The reading and examination period marks the beginning of changes to library service hours. Effective today, the Reference Desk will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday . Night and weekend reference services will resume at the start of spring 2009 classes, on Sunday, January 11. The Circulation Desk will maintain regular hours during the reading and examination period, and will begin operating under winter break hours (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) on Saturday, December 20 . The Academic Technologies Help Desk will remain fully staffed during reading and exam period, as well. As always, current members of the Duke Law community will retain 24-hour access to the Law School and Law Library with a valid DukeCard. For more information, see the Library's Hours & Directions page.

Around this time of year, the library fills with 1Ls who are dreading their first law school exams. (Upper-class students are also not immune to this end-of-semester anxiety, even though they have a better idea of what to expect.) During the last week of classes, we're devoting the Goodson Blogson to library tips for exam success. This is the last tip of the week; click "Older Posts" to view the rest of the series. Tip #5. Stop Stressing! We know, we know--telling a law student to relax is easier said than done. Some law students might even view their stress as a motivating force. However, for the majority of students, anxiety is an obstacle which makes exam season even more difficult. As Duke Law begins the Reading and Examination Period, here are some tips to keep in mind. Last month, Amy L. Jarmon, Assistant Dean for Academic Success at Texas Tech, published a thoughtful article in the ABA’s Student Lawyer magazine on the topic of stress reduction for law students. Ja...

Around this time of year, the library fills with 1Ls who are dreading their first law school exams. (Upper-class students are also not immune to this end-of-semester anxiety, even though they have a better idea of what to expect.) During the last week of classes, we're devoting the Goodson Blogson to library tips for exam success. Check back each day for a new tip. Tip #4. Install Electronic Bluebook (EBB) Ahead of Schedule As Registrar John Spencer sagely noted in last month's panel Exam Prep and Study Session Tips for 1Ls (now available as a webcast; RealPlayer required), please don't hesitate to download Electronic Bluebook (EBB) if you will be using your laptop to take an exam. Detailed instructions are available on the Academic Technologies' Computing for Students page ( http://www.law.duke.edu/computing/examinfo/ebbstudentinfo ). If you encounter problems while downloading the software, talk to the Academic Technologies' Help Desk staff. After downloading t...

Around this time of year, the library fills with 1Ls who are dreading their first law school exams. (Upper-class students are also not immune to this end-of-semester anxiety, even though they have a better idea of what to expect.) During the last week of classes, we're devoting the Goodson Blogson to library tips for exam success. Check back each day for a new tip. Tip #3. Complete Your Outlines...with a Little Help Still confused about consideration? Puzzled by the Rule Against Perpetuities? Fill in your course outline gaps by consulting some subject-specific study guides. The library purchases a number of book series which are designed to help law students understand the concepts in a particular area of law. Perennial favorites: Examples and Explanations Series : This series of books, published by Aspen, are written by law professors and are great exam preparation aids. The books give a narrative overview of key concepts and rules followed by "examples" (hypothetical q...

Around this time of year, the library fills with 1Ls who are dreading their first law school exams. (Upper-class students are also not immune to this end-of-semester anxiety, even though they have a better idea of what to expect.) During the last week of classes, we're devoting the Goodson Blogson to library tips for exam success. Check back each day for a new tip. Tip #2. Consult General Law Exam Prep Books What if you can’t find any past exams from your specific professors ? You might benefit from looking at general law examination preparation guidebooks, available on reserve in the library. These books contain an overview of the most common formats for law school exams, and give strategies for studying and for writing successful answers. Often, these books also provide model exam questions and sample answers, along with explanations why a particular answer is more successful than others. Titles like Law School Exams: Preparing and Writing to Win and Mastering the Law School Exa...

Around this time of year, the library fills with 1Ls who are dreading their first law school exams. (Upper-class students are also not immune to this end-of-semester anxiety, even though they have a better idea of what to expect.) During the last week of classes, we're devoting the Goodson Blogson to library tips for exam success. Check back each day for a new tip. Tip #1. Review Old Exams from your Professors A frequent question at the library’s service desk during the reading and exam period is where to obtain copies of Law School exams from previous years. The Office of the Registrar currently hosts a database of Exams on File ( http://www.law.duke.edu/curriculum/courses/exams ), which offers password-protected access to some past exams. Note that participation in Exams on File is at the discretion of the instructor; as a result, the selection is somewhat limited. (Tip #2 will provide suggestions if your professors choose not to provide old exams for review. Note that beginnin...