Summer Access to Legal Research Databases

Whether you are graduating from Duke Law this May 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.

Graduating Students

• Westlaw: You may opt in to Thomson Reuters products, including Westlaw and Practical Law, for six months after graduation for non-commercial use. This "Grad Elite" access allows 60 hours of usage on these products per month to gain understanding and build confidence in your research skills. While you cannot use it in situations where you are billing a client, Thomson Reuters encourages you to use these tools to build your knowledge of the law and prepare for your bar exam.
  In order to activate Grad Elite access: log in at http://lawschool.tr.com and use the drop-down menu by your name to access Grad Elite Status, or click on this link.
  In addition to the six months of Westlaw/Practical Law access for non-commercial purposes, Grad Elite access provides Knowledge Center eLearnings and Tutorials on Westlaw for 18 months after graduation.
• Lexis: Spring 2021 graduates will have access to Lexis+ via their law school IDs until 12/31/21. Graduates can use their Lexis IDs for job research, professional development, and commercial purposes. Graduates do not need to register for this access; it is automatic.
  Graduates going into non-profit work may apply for a LexisNexis ASPIRE ID which lasts 12 months beyond graduation. Learn more about the LexisNexis Graduate programs and/or apply for an ASPIRE ID.
• Bloomberg Law: Access to Bloomberg Law continues for six months after graduation. Graduated students may be limited in their ability to retrieve docket filings marked "Request," update dockets, or set up docket tracking. Graduates may download docket items already uploaded in the Bloomberg system (labeled "View").

Access to most other Duke University research databases will expire upon graduation, when your status in Duke's directory changes to "Alumni." Recent graduates who register with the Duke Alumni Association for a OneLink account receive remote access to selected databases (including ABI/Inform, several e-book platforms, and JSTOR).

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 or clinical work, or an externship sponsored by the school.
  Your Westlaw summer access will continue automatically - no action is needed on your part.
• Lexis: All returning students have automatic, unlimited access to their Lexis law school IDs for the entire summer. Law School Lexis IDs may be used for non-commercial purposes, as well as commercial purposes if your employer permits such use.
• Bloomberg Law access continues over the summer automatically. IDs may be used for non-commercial purposes, as well as commercial purposes if your employer permits such use.

For questions about using legal research services or other Law Library/University electronic resources this summer, feel free to Ask a Librarian.

Font Fight

As the ABA Journal and other news outlets reported this week, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a new notice on "Preferred Typefaces for Briefs." The notice indicated that the court was revising its Handbook of Procedures and Internal Practices "to encourage the use of typefaces that are easier to read and to discourage use of Garamond."

Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32(a)(5) doesn't encourage or discourage the use of specific fonts in briefs, but does outline general rules for font spacing and size. The D.C. Circuit's new handbook language fleshes out the FRAP requirements with additional guidance: "Certain typefaces can be easier to read, such as Century and Times New Roman. The Court encourages the use of these typefaces. Briefs that use Garamond as the typeface can be more difficult to read and the use of this typeface is discouraged."

The announcement quickly sparked chatter on social media, with some attorneys reading the change to be largely directed at the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Appellate Staff (which uses the disfavored Garamond font in its briefs). Fans of Garamond expressed disappointment in the change, while detractors derided its "ugly" italics and cramped spacing. (Want to delve more into the great legal font debates? Check out Matthew Butterick's thought-provoking book Typography for Lawyers, available for Library Takeout or full-text, pay-what-you-can online.)

The amusing kerfuffle serves as a good reminder of the importance of consulting local court rules when preparing filings. As Law.com noted, different courts can require or recommend vastly different typefaces, from the U.S. Supreme Court's preference for the Century family to the Seventh Circuit's discouragement of Times New Roman (one of the D.C. Circuit's new preferred fonts). For more information on researching the general and local court rules for a particular jurisdiction, check out the library's research guide to Court Rules or Ask a Librarian.

Tax Time (Yes, Again)

Last year, as the coronavirus pandemic ramped up in mid-March, the Internal Revenue Service announced an unprecedented across-the-board extension to federal tax filings. This year, alas, the IRS has already announced that they expect to retain the traditional April 15 deadline. [Update 3/19: The IRS announced a one-month federal deadline extension to May 17 earlier this week; states may or may not grant similar extensions.]  Between the narrower filing window and the delivery delays that continue to plague the U.S. Postal Service, taxpayers will want to get their filings in order as quickly as possible, and consider electronic filing in order to expedite the processing of returns and refunds. (It's possible to request an Extension of Time to File Your Tax Return, but note that this does not grant an extension for time to pay estimated taxes owed.)

Taxpayers whose income was at or below $72,000 in 2020 may qualify for the IRS Free File service, which offers online tax preparation assistance and free e-filing for federal taxes. The Free File Online Lookup Tool helps taxpayers to identify available free online filing offers that are appropriate for their tax situation. If you do not qualify for Free File, the IRS also outlines additional e-File Options, including free fillable online forms for federal taxes.

Some important considerations for the 2020 tax filing season includes treatment of economic stimulus payments as well as unemployment compensation. The IRS's Coronavirus Tax Relief and Economic Impact Payments page includes information on tax treatment of these payments, as well as how to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit for stimulus payments that were owed but not received.

Don't forget your state tax filings, as well! The Federation of Tax Administrators provides quick access to State Tax Agencies. Should your federal and state taxes prove too complicated to complete on your own, the IRS also has tips for Choosing a Tax Professional and for handling any complaints that arise.

For more resources on federal tax law, including access to research databases like Thomson Reuters Checkpoint, visit the Goodson Law Library's research guide to Federal Tax or Ask a Librarian.