By this time in the semester, if you have heard it once you have heard it a thousand times, start your research with a secondary source. Easier said than done, right? With a library full of treatises and law review articles, it can be hard to nail down which source is the best source to use when beginning a research project. Believe it or not, one of the best sources (at least I think) to start your research with is the tried-and-true legal encyclopedia.

Now, this is not your parents’ encyclopedia – or maybe it is if your parents were attorneys. Vaguely similar to the encyclopedia you used to write grade school papers, the legal encyclopedia provides users with a concise overview of a variety of legal topics. Name one other resource in the library you can use that defines the basic elements of assault, explain consideration, and cites to primary sources? A legal encyclopedia is a treasure trove (not in the legal sense) of information. And the best thing about it is you can access it online or in print.

Popular Legal Encyclopedias

• American Jurisprudence 2d
  • Print
  • WestlawNext (WestlawNext ID and Password Required)
  • Lexis Advance (Lexis Advance ID and Password Required)
• Corpus Juris Secundum
  • Print
  • WestlawNext (WestlawNext ID and Password Required)
• Georgia Jurisprudence
  • Print
  • WestlawNext (WestlawNext ID and Password Required)

flickr photo by debagel

By Mark Stuckey

I know that no one here at the College of Law wants to believe it, but there will come a time when you need legal resources and not have (free) access to the panaceas that are Westlaw Next, Lexis Advance, or even Bloomberg Law. But fear not, I am going to expose you brief glimpse of the world of free legal resources (well, for Georgia at least).

Statutory Law

• The Georgia General Assembly has been gracious enough to fund a free, searchable, unannotated version of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the code is hosted by Lexis. You can find it in all of its glory here.
• Fastcase: when you become a member of the Georgia Bar you will have access to Fastcase which has a free unannotated version of the Georgia Code as well as Georgia session laws from the legislature. For Georgia Bar Members click here. For GSU students here.
• For older, archived Georgia Codes check out Archive.com which spans from 1799 – 1933.
• For those interested in municipal ordinances check out Municode, a great free resource that has complied a bunch of city ordinances in Georgia and other states.

Case Law

• Fastcase is a great resource for a lot of things, including finding case law. Go on check it out you know you want to. For Georgia Bar Members click here. For GSU students here.
• There is a pretty cool website called FindLaw that has both Georgia Appeals and Supreme Court opinions for free!
• And finally, Google Scholar is a free resource provided by our friends at Google that will allow you to search for case law from any jurisdiction. It may not have all the bells and whistles of your commercial databases, but it is a good place to start.

Administrative Law

• Executive Orders – the office of the Governor has an archive of executive orders made by that office. Check them out for free here
• Attorney General Opinions – the office of the Attorney General of Georgia also has an archive that contains opinions from that office take a look here.
• Rules and Regulations – click here to find regulations passed by state agencies.

Well, there you have it; a rather brief and superficial overview of some free Georgia legal resources that are available to you. On a final note, always keep in mind that the ultimate free legal resource is one that you probably spend a lot of your time studying in already, yeah that’s right, the Law Library.

by Murtaza Khwaja

image by flickr user blmiers2

As fall strikes Atlanta, with cool winds blowing away the long summer days and bringing us a cornucopia of pumpkin flavored everything, from our coffees to tree leaves, students in the law school may be feeling trapped, overwhelmed, overworked, or a variety of these and a dozen or so other emotions.

Well, at least for the 1Ls and us 2Ls.

3Ls are either still in bed or out golfing, so for all intents and purposes they can be considered outside the scope of this blog post and in some far off fantasy world where coming to the law school 5x a month is not only socially acceptable but expected.

For the rest of us and our complementary Boeing 757 of emotional baggage, we still may need the rare or occasional or periodic or frequent or … ok, ok, the daily reminder of why we chose to embark on this journey and whether or not it is all worth it.

To address these constant doubts, I think it helpful and, in fact, prudent for us to take a step back and look at things from a larger perspective.

First, before the worry and stress cause us too much grief, take this quote from Robin Williams’ beloved movie, Jack, where the titular character, a 17-year-old in the body of an elderly man due to his suffering from an exaggerated form of an aging disorder, says simply in his valedictorian speech:

“Please don’t worry so much.  Because in the end, none of us have very long on this Earth. Life is fleeting. And if you’re ever distressed, cast your eyes to the summer night when the stars are strung across the velvety night. And when a shooting star streaks through the blackness turning night into day, make a wish. Think of me. Make your life spectacular. I know I did.”

What a beautiful quote from a beautiful soul. And true as well, life IS fleeting. We should all take the opportunity to make the most of our time here.  Far too much of the world is engulfed in conflict or poverty or situations of dire need for us to be killing ourselves over the difference between a B+ or A- in one professor’s class, in one university’s eyes.  Not only can this subjective determination not accurately be determined by an outsider, but at the end of the day (namely our days) we will not be regretting having studied too little but rather having lived too little.

Not that these two things are mutually exclusive. Much of our time in law school should be cherished as a life experience we are unlikely to relive. Such experiences are not only essential to making us stronger as individual people but are a constant reminder of our humanity and our mortality; two concepts that link us all as a species. To remember our own is to remember that of those around us and that is the essence of the human spirit.

Far from being soul-crushing or joy-killing, law school is, rather, liberating. While we all may have different stories, I know that many of us share sentiments, likely stemming from our embodiment of the human spirit and strengthened in our time in law school, of wanting to use our study of law to make a difference in the world. As such, our legal education is taking us one step close to achieving that goal and giving us the tools we need to start our endeavors. While we will encounter great hurdles and obstacles, these struggles – whether they are writing a memo or taking an exam or being called on in class –  are actually opportunities for us to showcase our talent and character. We would do well to remember these lessons outside the classroom as well.

As the Muslim Imam, Ali ibn Abi Talib, said, “Do not let your difficulties fill you with anxiety; after all it is only in the darkest nights that the stars shine most brightly. ”

If and when difficulties do arise, seize the moment for what it is, an opportunity.

So for now, sit back, enjoy the crisp fall air and all the pumpkin colors, lattes, and pastries as you prepare for final exams, and the opportunity to shine brightly together as a school, and in the future, as people.

It’s October, which means the Supreme Court of the United States is back in business. The Court started hearing oral arguments on  Monday, October 6th. The following are a few helpful resources for those interested in keeping up with the latest term of the Court.

• Supreme Court of the United States website: Your first place to turn for information on the court. What better place to get information than straight from the source. Some important resources available on the website include slip opinions; oral argument calendars, audio, and transcripts; hearing lists; and general information about the Court.
• Oyez.org: A product of the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Oyez is a multimedia archive that aims to be the authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court. Additionally, users can find summaries of cases; opinions; and justice votes, which are organized by vote, seniority, and ideology.
• SCOTUSblog: SCOTUSblog is a great source for statistics, recent news, and analysis of everything Supreme Court.

For those interested in learning more about the Court, the Law Library has several books on the Court:

• Landmark Supreme Court Cases: The Most Influential Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States, by Richard Leiter and Roy Mersky.
• The Supreme Court A to Z, by Jost Kenneth.
• The Supreme Court of the United States: An Introduction, by Thomas Walker.
• Supreme Myths: Why the Supreme Court Is Not a Court and Its Justices Are Not Judges, by Eric J Segall (Kathy and Lawrence Ashe Professor of Law at GSU Law).

By Darius Woods

For years, two of the countries largest professional sporting organizations, the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), have taken an individual case-by-case based approach to handling domestic violence incidents and allegations. On the other hand, the National Basketball Association (NBA) can impose a minimum 10-game suspension as well as mandatory counseling for convictions under their collective bargaining agreement.

The case-by-case approach taken by the NFL and MLB is currently facing a great deal of scrutiny, as many people believe that the leagues have historically taken a soft stance on the players and these incidents.

For example, in 2012 the Milwaukee Brewers did not suspend or fine reliever Francisco Rodriguez after he was arrested and charged for domestic violence. In another case, the Seattle Mariners suspended pitcher Julio Mateo for 10 days after he was arrested in a 2007 domestic incident with his wife, which he reportedly punched, choked and bit. In February of this year, the NFL initially suspended Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for two games after he was arrested and charged with simple assault for an incident in which he punched his then fiancée, now wife. In September, the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely and the Baltimore Ravens released him after videotape of the incident surfaced online.

Over the summer, national media attention intensified and looked critically at how the NFL handled their domestic violence incidents. This led Commissioner Roger Goodell to introduce a new league-wide domestic violence policy. Under the new policy, a domestic violence violation of the personnel conduct policy will result in a “suspension without pay of six games… with consideration given to mitigating factors, as well as a longer suspension when circumstances warrant.” While the “second offense will result in banishment from the NFL; while an individual may petition for reinstatement after one year, there will be no presumption or assurance that the petition will be granted.”

Currently the Commissioner of MLB, Bud Selig, is in discussions with the players’ union to create a comprehensive league-wide policy on domestic violence.

See the following for additional information:

The Integrity of the Game: Professional Athletes and Domestic Violence

New NFL domestic violence policy

NBA Policy faces test

MLB mulling new domestic violence policy

by Meghan Starr

image by flickr user Flazingo Photos

If you are thinking about life after law school or preparing for a summer job, check out the Law Library’s new display on interviewing (just past the reference desk).   The Librarians have pulled together some great books on perfecting your resume and interviewing skills, as well as information on non-traditional career paths and becoming a solo practitioner.

Just a few of the highlighted books are:

• The Insider’s Guide to Getting a Big Firm Job by Erika Finn and Jessica Olmon
  • Get tips for OCI interviews, call-backs, and networking strategies.
•  A Law Graduate’s Guide by Nelson P. Miller
  • Advice ranging from course selection to networking and interviewing tips designed to get you to your preferred legal career.
• The Millennial Lawyer by Ursula Furi-Perry
  • Advice, tips and techniques, and best practices for making the most of generational differences in a firm.
• Flying Solo: A Survival Guide for the Solo and Small Firm Lawyer edited by K. William Gibson
  • Advice from various contributors that will take you from startup issues like creating a business plan, choosing a specialization, getting capital, and leasing office space to marketing, hiring staff, file/document management, and even selling the practice.
• Fifty Unique Legal Paths: How to Find the Right Job by Ursula Furi-Perry
  • Explore growing legal careers in firms, government, non-profit and academia.
• Essential Qualities of the Professional Lawyer edited by Paul A. Haskins
  • No matter what type of career path you follow, this book provides some practical guidance on how to strive for a rewarding career with a high degree of professionalism.

By Mark Stuckey

You may be like me and view the Law Library as merely a sensory deprivation chamber, to drown out the distractions of the outside world, so you can get at least some of the school work done that you should have been doing for the last 5 weeks. However, the Law Library serves a much higher purpose, it is home to multiple collections of both the legal and non-legal variety. Join me on a rather brief and truncated overview of the library’s physical collections.

Georgia Collection:

The Georgia collection is located on the lower level of the library across from the computer lab and is home to many useful sources, primary and otherwise. Specifically, the primary resources include the OCGA, Georgia Laws, Georgia Appeals Reports, and Georgia Digest. These primary resources will not only help you master your Legal Bib homework, but may also come in handy in the future if you need to do some cost effective Georgia legal research.  In addition to the primary resources, the Georgia Collection is home to secondary resources such as Georgia practice treatises on specific topics of Georgia law, Georgia CLE materials and loads of other great stuff.

• Note: for those interested in other state specific resources, the Law Library has state primary resources other than Georgia on the second floor. Federal Primary materials are located on the first floor near the Georgia Collection.

Reference Collection:

The reference collection is located on the first floor conveniently near the reference desk (that place where you see the friendly librarians). The reference collection contains, among other things, another copy of the OCGA, study aids, legal dictionaries, and Georgia Practice Materials (behind the reference desk). The Reference Collection is a great resource to gain a better understanding of broad concepts of the law (for your classes or generally edification), and Georgia specific practice issues.

Leisure Collection:

The Law Library knows that you’re stressed, and need to blow off some steam, and that’s why we have the leisure collection. In the leisure collection, you will find an assortment of DVDs from classic law related movies like My Cousin Vinny, to television series whose presence on the shelf of a Law Library is a little more enigmatic like Battlestar Galactica. Additionally, the leisure collection contains, get this, books that are actually entertaining, like the LOTR trilogy, and whatever the new John Grisham book is. Next time you find yourself in need of a brief distraction mosey over to the leisure collection.

Government Documents:

Apparently, the Law Library is a participant in the United States Federal Depository Library Program, and as such it houses government documents for the general public to peruse. The Government Documents are locate on the first floor between call numbers KF1 -101. I myself had no idea that this existed until a little while ago, so be adventurous like me and go check it out.

Microform Collection:

This may come as a shock, but that weird room, to the right, on the second floor houses the Law Library’s microform collection.  There are both microform and microfiche formats in this room. The collection contains a bunch of federal and state primary source. There is the ability to print copies of these materials.

Rare Books Collection:

The rare books collection is the last, but probably coolest collection that I am going to tell you about. Located in the locked cabinets of the Law Library Conference Room. As the name might suggest, this collection houses a mish mash of rare books, from 18^th century Blackstone’s commentaries on various topics to a signed copy of Professor Emanuel’s biography of Judge Tuttle.

There you have it, a very brief overview of the Law Library’s physical collections. It just goes to show that the Law Library is more than a place with great ambiance and friendly faces, it also houses a great volume of resources.