Student studying in the law library.

We are approaching the time of the semester where law students, especially first years, begin to feel the time crunch.  In addition to balancing or juggling demands on your time from outside of law school, law school places its own demands on your time—read for class, brief cases, outline, study for exams, meet with study groups, etc.

Hopefully some of these tips will help you make the best use of your time in the library.

• Plan to study when you are freshest—some of us are morning people, others are night owls. Try to do the most mentally taxing work when you are freshest and your concentration levels are highest.
• Set aside some time for individual study and some time for group study. Consider the way that you best learn material—flash cards, outlines, flow charts, working through hypotheticals out loud, etc. If you learn best making outlines or flow charts by yourself, spend your time accordingly.  On the other hand, if going through flash cards with a partner, reserve a study room and get to it!
• Treat law school as if it were your full-time job. (Note:  This is harder if you are in the part-time program and already have a full-time job.)  Plan your ‘work week’ around your classes, so that you can maximize the amount of time you have on campus to focus on school.
• Come to the library between classes. Make use of the opportunity to study between your 9:00 and 2:00 classes by coming to the library for some quiet.  Take advantage of the view from the 6^th floor terrace when you need to refresh yourself, it’s only steps away from our designated quiet study area.
• Book your study room ahead of time. Plan for your study group to meet regularly at the same time.  You can reserve your room in advance of picking up the key at the circulation desk and you will spend less time in line and more time with your group.
• Chunk your studying. Our brains work best when we give them breaks—study for up to 50 minutes and then take a brief break before switching to a new topic or task.
• Use the Exam Archive wisely. Many College of Law professors make sample past exams available for student use through the Exam Archive.  Visit InsideLaw to view these exams.  Some professors even include sample answers!

If you would like to consult library resources about time management, we have a few titles you might find interesting.  Singletasking:  Get More Done—One Thing at a Time and Time Management are two online resources you may find helpful.

Photo Courtesy of Bill Johnson

Members of the Georgia State Law community gathered at Piedmont Park on Saturday, Sept. 12 to honor former law library director Nancy Johnson at the Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance‘s annual Teal Trot 5K. In addition to walking and running at the event, Team Nancy and its supporters raised over $5,000 to support GOCA’s mission to educate women and their families about ovarian cancer. The 18 members of Team Nancy joined over 1,000 other participants in the southeast’s largest ovarian cancer awareness event, which raised nearly $125,000 in total for educational and outreach programs.

Photo Courtesy of Kris Niedringhaus

Nancy Johnson (1949-2014) was associate dean for library and information services and professor of law emerita, working tirelessly for Georgia State from 1980 until her retirement in 2012. She passed away on Dec. 13, 2014 after a seven year battle with ovarian cancer.

by Murtaza Khwaja

image by Flickr user angel_e

Starting off a new semester can be rough, stressful, and extremely time consuming. Despite all the pizza, sandwiches, and other free goodies all the clubs throw our way, it is hard to eat well and healthy. Thankfully, the new law school building is located in the heart of downtown right by some of Atlanta’s tastiest and best restaurants, so eating right should never be one of the things stressing you out.

Here’s just a short list of some of my favorite food joints by the new law building:

• Aviva by Kameel
  • The top rated Atlanta restaurant and the #17 highest ranked in America Yelp! And for good reason. You will get some of the most delicious Mediterranean food you have ever eaten prepared by one of the most helpful, friendly, and polite serving staffs.
  • Kameel is always around with a big smile and extremely good-natured personality. Be prepared to enjoy nothing but the freshest ingredients and, of course, complimentary watermelon to finish your meal.
• Brickstone Café
  • Quick, diverse, and delicious, Brickstone never fails to satisfy my hunger or palate. With extremely tasty hot or cold sandwiches, soups, pastas, and more at a very affordable price, Brickstone is definitely one of my top choices for places to eat.
• Baraka Schwarma
  • Tucked away on Walton Street, your prototypical hole in the wall Mediterranean food but with a twist. Delicious schwarmas and wraps AND a 10% student discount to boot.
• Dua Vietnamese
  • As soon as you step in you will understand immediately why Dua appears on my list. From the moment you open the door you are greeted with a to-die-for aroma. Lots of flavor and spice but definitely a go-to if you are in the mood for Asian food.
• Benihana’s
  • Hibachi x25! Located on the bottom floor of Peachtree Center some of the best hibachi you can find in Atlanta!
• Tin Lizzy’s
  • A tastier, healthier, and more trendy version of Chipotle. Located at the top of Peachtree Center, they have great food and also a very chill atmosphere.
• Corner Bakery
  • All the way down Peachtree but well worth the walk.

And  don’t worry, I know all of us need our daily (at minimum) caffeine fix, so here’s just a short some of the best coffee spots close by:

• Ebrik
  • Hands down some of the finest coffee in Atlanta. Not only are the drinks made just right using some of the best coffee grounds in the city, but it is also owned and managed by the friendliest of brothers who will ALWAYS remember a face and a name. Go there once and see why everyone keeps going back. A very chill and relaxed vibe inside make Ebrik a great place to study as well.
• Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts
  • If you are in a hurry or “just want to sell out,” in the words of an anonymous Research Methods professor, these two classics are just across the street.
• Caribou
  • A further walk than either of the others since it’s inside Peachtree Center but provides a happy medium of selling out and still getting some (not much) indie coffee cred.

Here our links to some suggestions made by your very own Georgia State College of Law faculty and their locations on Google Maps:

• For grubbin’
• For chilling/studying (coffee y’all).

But if none of those suggestions catch your fancy, here’s a more complete list of all the potential food options close by:

Restaurants on Broad Street

• Anatolia Cafe and Hookah Lounge
• Dua Vietnamaese Noodle Soup
• Jimmy John’s
• Moe’s Southwest Grill
• Ginseng Café
• Best Cajun Asian Restaurant
• Hot & Spicy Wings
• Mama Mia Pizza
• Smoothie King
• Ali Baba’s
• Brickstone Café
• Reuben’s Deli
• Naan Stop
• Rosa’s Pizza

Restaurants in Peachtree Center

• Aviva by Kameel
• Benihana’s
• Gigney’s Pub
• Gus’ Famous Chicken
• Hsu’s Gourmet Chinese Restaurant
• Metro Café Diner
• Tin Lizzy’s
• Michon’s BBQ Bistro
• Au Ban Pain
• Bistro 7
• Café Momo
• Caribou Coffee
• Checkers
• Chick-fil-A
• Dairy Queen
• Farmer’s Basket
• Firehouse Subs
• Great American Cookies
• Great Wraps
• GW Cheesesteaks
• Noodle Café
• Roman Delight Pizza
• Willy’s Mexicana Grill
• Yami Yami Sushi
• GLF Café
• Malibu Wings
• Moe’s Southwest Grill
• My Friend’s Place
• Planet Smoothie
• Subway
• Tropical Cajun
• Turmeric Indian Bistro

Other restaurants close by:

• Subway
• Rising Roll Gourmet
• Quiznos (20% off!)
• Alma Cocina
• Hard Rock Café

flickr photo by greeblie

The course readings for the first couple of weeks of law school can be tough for new students due to the use of latin phrases and “legalese” in court opinions. Legal dictionaries are a great source to consult when trying to define legal terms. Not only will legal dictionaries define a term, but they may also give an example of how the term is used, as well as provide references to cases, statutes, or secondary sources that relate to the term.

Below are a couple of legal dictionaries available in the Law Library and online.

• Black’s Law Dictionary
  • 10th Edition located in the Reference Collection
  • Also available WestlawNext
• Ballentine’s Law Dictionary
  • Available through Lexis Advance
• Barron’s Law Dictionary
  • Available on Bloomberg Law (access by typing in legal term in the <GO> bar)
• Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary 
  • Locted in the Reference Collection
  • Available on Nolo.com (free)

By Catherine Schutz

Ninth Circuit Judge Marsha S. Brezon recently cited comedian and political commentator John Oliver, host of HBO show Last Week Tonight, in her opinion in Paeste v. Guam, 2015 U.S. App LEXIS 15067. Oliver’s show on March 8 of this year concerned the impact a set of Supreme Court decisions from over 100 years ago currently has on U.S. territories, and Judge Brezon used this show as evidence of popular criticism of what she described as such “insular cases.”

Happily, this is not the first time that Judges have cited popular culture in their opinions. Any law student is familiar with the comic relief that humorist Judges can provide during weekly readings. Here are a few more notable examples:

• In U.S. v. Stapleton, Judge Amul R. Thapar likened a criminal defendants attempts at using civil procedure as a diversionary tactic to “the legal equivalent of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s ‘These aren’t the droids you’re looking for” from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. (U.S. v. Stapleton, 2013 WL 3967951 (E.D. Ky. 2013)).
• Third Circuit Judge Evans cited Yogi Berra’s famous quote “A oral contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on” in lamenting the fact that the musical group the Butthole Surfers had not written up a deal they entered into with a record distributor (Walthal v. Rusk, 172 F. 3d 481 (7th Cir. 1999)).
• In the dissenting opinion of Chambers v. State, Minnesota Supreme Court Judge Anderson objected to what he viewed as the “unconstitutional sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release” by referencing Danish physicist Niels Bohr famous quote: “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.” (Chambers v. State, 831 N.W.2d 311 (Minn. 2013)).
• Maryland Court of Appeals Judge Glenn T. Harrell prefaced his opinion in In re: Tyrell A., a case concerning a flight that broke out between two high school students at their school, with a quote from the movie Fight Club: “The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club.” He later commented that the boys had regrettably not followed that rule. (In re: Tyrell A., 112 A.3d 468 (Md. Ct. App. 2015))
• In his dissent to Sprint Communis. Co., L.P. v. APCC Servs., Chief Justice Roberts described his belief that respondents lacked Article III standings as “When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose”, quoting Bob Dylan’s song Like a Rolling Stone. This was allegedly the first time a Supreme Court Justice has cited a rock lyric in an opinion. (Sprint Communis. Co., L.P. v. APCC Servs., 554 U.S. 269 (2008)).
• Finally, even Justice Scalia is not immune to the draws of pop culture, referencing the movie Casablanca in his plurality opinion in Rapanos v. United States. He thanked the lower court for the original reference and included the following exchange between Humphrey Bogart and Claude Rains as an illustration of “the absurdity of finding the desert filled with waters”:  “‘Captain Renault [Claude Rains]: “What in heaven’s name brought you to Casablanca?” “‘Rick [Humphrey Bogart]: “My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.” “‘Captain Renault: “The waters? What waters? We’re in the desert.” “‘Rick: “I was misinformed.”‘” (Rapanos v. United States, 547 U.S. 715 (2006)).

By Zach Dalton

LexisNexis Courtroom Cast (formerly AudioCaseFiles) is a valuable resource available to Georgia State law students for free. Students can sign up for the site using their Georgia State email address.

Courtroom Cast provides students with access to audio and video of real court cases containing concepts learned in class. This can facilitate a deeper understanding of how concepts come together when representing a client.

Audio Versions of Cases

The site contains audio versions of selected cases from your casebooks. To access these audio files, one must scroll down to the bottom of the page, select the proper subject under the heading of “Browse Audio by Casebook,” and then choose the casebook which is being used for your class. You can listen to the cases using your favorite audio program or by downloading the MP3 to your chosen digital audio device. Unlike having a computer read the text of the opinion, these use real people and are much easier to listen to. These audio versions can be very helpful for those who have a significant commute each day. This can also be helpful for those who just get tired of reading so many pages each week.

Courtroom Training Videos

Upper level students will appreciate the courtroom training videos. These cover a variety of topics, such as trial advocacy, rules of evidence, and appellate advocacy. The videos break these different skills down into manageable sections and provide commentary and analysis to improve one’s ability to better represent a client.

The site also contains videos of complete trials, including many from Georgia. If you were ever interested in how a trial proceeds while in the courtroom, this could be very helpful. Individual sections of the trials are also able to be viewed. This could allow you to watch a specific section (ex. opening statements) in dozens of trials if you are having difficulty in that specific area.

LexisNexis Courtroom Cast is another of the many free resources available to Georgia State Law students. Go to the site and give it a try.

The new Circulation and Reference area

Hopefully you have found the wonderful amenities in our new library space—you know where the terraces are, you have found the place that will contain Miss Demeanor’s Café, and you located the bathrooms.

Now you need to know where to find things.  Use this guide to find things you need.

Reserve Items: Course required books, book stands, lap desks, games, and more are available on request at the Circulation Desk.

Reference Collection:  The materials you used to ask for at the Reference Desk and the other reference materials, including a copy of the Official Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.) are located just to the right of the Reference Desk.

Study Aids:  The Study Aid Collection can be found in the same low shelves as the Reference Collection—just to the right of the Reference Desk.

Georgia Collection:  The Georgia state materials are located on the library 5^th floor behind the elevators, in free-standing shelves.  The collection includes Georgia primary sources including Georgia Laws, West’s Annotated Code of Georgia, and reporters for Georgia cases.  You will find secondary sources including past editions of Georgia treatises (current editions are in the Reference Collection) such as Redfearn Wills and Administration in Georgia and a wide variety of Georgia continuing legal education materials.

Core Practice Collection:  A number of our heavily-used resources and practitioner tools, such as legal encyclopedias, form books, and practice guides are located the Core Practice Collection on the 5^th floor behind the elevators, right next to the Georgia Collection.

Law General Stacks:  Material in General Stacks are located on both the 5^th and 6^th floors.  Call numbers beginning with AC and running through KE will be found on the 5^th floor, starting behind the elevators.  If the call number starts with KF1 or comes later in the alphabet, you’ll want to start looking for the title on the 6^th floor, just as you walk off the elevator.

Law Periodicals:  If you want to look at a journal article that you can’t access online because it’s too recently published, you may want to come up to the 6^th floor behind the elevators.  The journal titles are in alphabetical order.

Leisure Collection:  The DVDs, fiction, and fun non-fiction are all still available for you to check out and enjoy—they are located at the back of the active learning area on the 5^th floor.  Walk past the IT Help desk and turn left, and you’ll walk right to the collection.

If you have any questions about finding our other special collections—state materials or the Young Adult Collection—please stop by the reference desk and we will be happy to help you!

Welcome to the new building!

The Law Library is rolling out a new program this fall called the Applied Legal Experience, Research, & Technology (ALERT) Program. The ALERT Program is a non-credit program that provides students with additional opportunities to learn advanced legal research and technology skills outside of the College of Law’s curriculum. By completing the ALERT Program, students can demonstrate to potential employers that they have obtained practice ready skills that will enable them to hit the ground running.

To get more information about the ALERT Program, check out the program’s webpage.

We will be holding an information session about the program on Wednesday, August 26th, at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Food will be provided, so please RSVP if you plan to attend.

RSVP: 12 p.m., Room 241

RSVP: 5 p.m., Room 346

By Blake Williams and Zach Dalton

Study Materials

The Law Library provides several types of print and online resources that students can use to study and supplement course readings.

CALI Lessons

• The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction maintains a collection of almost 1,000 interactive, computer-based lessons covering 33 legal education subject areas. The interactive tutorials are written by law faculty to supplement traditional law school instruction. The format of the exercises varies according to the authors’ objectives.

To access CALI lessons:

1. Go to www.cali.org
2. Enter the email and password you created at registration. (If you have not registered, you will need to create a new user account. Contact Austin Williams to obtain an authorization code.)
3. Click on Login
4. Select Lessons (from Quick Links) and then choose a specific lesson
5. Click on Web/HTML to use online or Win/Download or Mac to download lesson

Exam Archive

• The Law Library’s website provides an archive of sample past examinations from many College of Law professors.

Study Aids

• The Law Library provides students with a robust collection of study aid resources and supplements. The collection includes many notable series, including Examples & Explanations, Crunchtime, and Acing.

Study Space in the Law Library

The Law Library offers different types of study areas with wireless coverage available throughout the entire library.

Study Carrels, Work Spaces, and Soft Seating

• The Law Library has nearly 300 seating options, including study carrels, work spaces, soft seating, and a formal Reading Room. These seats are available on a first come/first served basis and many provide power outlets and non-data USB ports for charging mobile devices.

Group Study Rooms

• The Law Library has 27 group study rooms for use by Georgia State Law students. Students in groups of two or more may reserve study rooms on a first come/first served basis. All study rooms contain tables with power outlets, dry-erase boards, and five of the study rooms (530-533 and 537) have large format televisions for viewing audio visual materials. Most study rooms seat up to 6 people. Rooms 537 and 603 can seat up to 10 people.

• Law students can make group study reservations using the online booking system or at the Circulation Desk.

Quiet Floor

• The Law Library established the 6th floor as as area for quiet study.  Please refrain from conversation while using this area.

Law Library Student Computer Lab

• The Law Library hosts a 16 workstation student computer lab with general purpose and research-service-specific printers located just outside the door. The  student computer lab is available to law students during the library’s operating hours.

Windows!

Orientation is over, and fall semester starts on Monday – welcome (back) to law school! As you’re no doubt aware, quite a bit has changed. We got some new DVDs. We have some new brightly colored book trucks. There are some awesome new faculty.

Oh, and we moved buildings.

What does this mean for you?

• Windows!
• Stairs!
• An actual quiet floor (the 6th floor)!
• More study rooms!
• Terraces!
• A cafe in the library (coming soon)!

If you want to see what the new building looks like, stop by (bring your PantherCard to prove you’re a law student!) any time we’re open. If you want an online preview, check out the photos from our earlier post about the new library. If all of this makes you nostalgic for the old place (or if you’re a 1L and not sure why we’re so excited about our new building), we have photos of that, too.

While a lot has changed, some things stay the same. We’re still here to help you find whatever you need to succeed in law school, whether it be books, study aids, things to do to relax, or even just the sympathetic ear of someone who has gone through this before. We’re here to help!