Ordinarily, spring break is a time for students to catch up on sleep, get out of town, and remember what life is like outside of the Urban Life Building.  That is not always the case for law students.  Some may take the opportunity to sleep in a little later than usual and catch up on all the shows they have stored on their DVR.  However, others may start writing papers or studying for the upcoming MPRE on March 5th.

For those of you who plan on being semi-productive during spring break, not to worry, the law library will still be open during spring break.  Although the law library will be on a reduced schedule during spring break, but there will still be plenty of opportunity to access our resources.

If you plan on studying in the library during spring break, the library will be operating under the following hours:

• Saturday, February 26 and Sunday, February 27:  10am – 6pm
• Monday, February 27 through Friday, March 4:  8am – 6pm
• Saturday, March 5th:  10am – 6pm
• Sunday, March 6th:  10am – 11pm

The reference desk will continue its normal 10am – 6pm hours on Feb. 26, Feb. 27, Mar. 5, and Mar. 6.  The reference desk will be staffed from 8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday, Feb. 27 – March 4.  Students will also still be able to utilize chat reference (located on the law library’s homepage) to communicate with reference librarians during these hours.

In addition, anyone who needs access to the law library’s electronic databases off campus can do so by using GSU’s Virtual Private Network (VPN).  This is a great way to get little research done while you are relaxing at the beach.  Information on how to download and set up the VPN.

Let’s face it: you’re in law school, which means that it’s almost certain that you’ve seen Law and Order. You may have even heard your pet howl at the sound of the theme song. And you’re aware by now that, while great TV, L&O may not accurately represent every aspect of the legal system. But you lack cold, hard data to back that up.

Well, now you have some. Back in May, the website Overthinking It asked its readers to complete a short survey every time they watched an episode of Law & Order. In February, it was announced that they had information on every episode from the first ten seasons. If you compare that with information from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, like Felony Sentences in State Courts, you can see some of the differences. In real life, 94% of felony cases end in a guilty plea; on Law & Order, only 36.7% end in a plea bargain.

The data compiled by Overthinking It is limited to the outcome of the trial and doesn’t include, for example, the percentage of trials before a jury (in real life, only 4% of felony cases are tried before a jury), or information on sentencing. If you want to compile that information for yourself, or check any of Overthinking It’s data, check out our Leisure Collection – we have nine seasons of Law & Order on DVD (i.e., all of the seasons currently released on DVD).

The American Constitution Society will be hosting a Q&A session with  Stephen Wermiel, a former Georgia State University College of Law professor, on Thursday, February 10, from 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm in Room 170 of the Urban Life Building (College of Law).

Wermiel recently co-authored the book Justice Brennan: Liberal Champion.  The book is the definitive account of the life of the justice who spent 34 years on the Supreme Court of the United States.  Wermiel and co-author Seth Stern based most of the book on 60 hours of tape-recorded interviews between Justice Brennan and Wermiel between 1986 and 1990.  During the session, Wermiel plans to discuss his interactions with Justice Brennan and what he learned about the Supreme Court.

Currently, Wermiel is a Fellow in Law and Government at American University Washington College of Law.  Wermiel has been teaching constitutional law for nearly 20 years.  Prior to teaching, Wermiel served as a Supreme Court correspondent for the Wall Street Journal from 1979 to 1991 and as a reporter for the Boston Globe from 1971 to 1979.

Super Bowl XLV (45) matched two storied franchises: The Green Bay Packers & The Pittsburgh Steelers.   NFC vs. AFC.  The Cheesehead hat vs. The Terrible Towel.  Terry Bradshaw vs. Brett Favre (oops, wrong decades…..).   Anyways, you get the picture, two epic teams battling it out to determine the 2010-2011 NFL Champion.

Although the game initially looked to be a blowout, fans were on the edge of their seats to the bitter end.  Those that stuck around after the halftime show saw a tremendous comeback on the part of the Pittsburgh Steelers that just came up short in the end.

It seems that all of America stands still for the 4 hours that the game is on every year.  Even those who generally do not watch football will stop and enjoy a few minutes here and there.  Those who are not particularly fans of the sport may tune in for the thrilling halftime shows or the often humorous commercials.

For those who like to find some legal aspects in the game, the Law Library has just the resources for you on the following topics:

Advertising Law:  Every year corporations spend millions of dollars for just 30 seconds of air time.  What are the legal aspects behind getting a commercial on the air?  Check out a few books the College of Law Library has on advertising law.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC):  Many people may not know the Federal Communications Commission off the top of their head.  Yet, they probably remember the Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake incident at Super Bowl 38 and the letters FCC.  The FCC is the agency that regulates non-federal government use of radio, television, and other telecommunications.  Here are a few resources that the Law Library has on the FCC.

Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA):  Although it was not blasted on the jumbotron Sunday night (which is almost as big as some stadiums), looming in the background of all the festivities was the CBA negotiations that will heat up now that the Super Bowl is over.  Some believe that the NFL might not have games next year because of the delay in the owners and the NFL Players’ Association agreeing on a new CBA.  Get to know more about CBAs with a few helpful resources in the Law Library.

These are just a few of the legal aspects dealing with the Super Bowl and the NFL.  For those who just need a little break from studying, here is a compilation of the Super Bowl commercials organized by quarters.

I am sure many of you have been tuned into the events going on in Egypt over the past several days.  Either by choice or because it has dominated nightly news, many Americans are getting their first real look inside Egypt.

Some may see the events as a true exercise of democracy.  People organizing in the streets, demanding more from their government.  For others, the events may be a little unnerving, especially for those who have family members living in Cairo.  Currently, an estimated 52,000 Americans are living in Egypt.

Whether your are for or against the actions of the protesters, these events do provide Americans with an opportunity to learn more about Egypt.

The College of Law Library has many resources dealing with Egypt and its legal system.  Here are a few suggestions for those interested in learning more:

• The struggle for constitutional power: law, politics, and economic development in Egypt by Tamir Moustafa (2007).
• Mixed courts of Egypt by Mark S. W. Hoyle (1991).
• Lawyers, the rule of law and liberalism in modern Egypt by Farhat Jacob Ziadeh (1968).
• The rule of law in the Arab world: courts in Egypt and the Gulf by Nathan J. Brown (1997).

There are also additional books and resources related to Egypt at the GSU Law Library & Main Library.

For those interested in the Egyptian Legal System, go to the following resources:

• The World Factbook
• The World Law Guide
• WorldLII

To get updates on news and events in Egypt, the library has electronic access to Daily News Egypt, Cairo.

Are you ever right in the middle of a torts study session and realize the library is about to close in 10 minutes?  Class is tomorrow morning and you need just a little more prep time?

Many students like using study aids to prepare for class and exams, but are unable to use them outside of the library because of the circulation restriction.  However, the Law Library does have some study aids that students can check out.

When the Law Library receives the newest edition of a study aid, it places the previous edition on the last set of shelves in the Study Aid Collection, facing the Jackson Pollock painting.  These study aids can be checked out by students for the regular 3 week circulation period.

If you have questions on which study aids can be checked out, talk to one of the librarians or staff members working Reference and Circulation.

Welcome back to the spring semester! We hope your winter break was enjoyable. You may notice some small changes as you research this semester.

The library Reference Desk hours have changed slightly. Our new hours are:

Monday – Thursday: 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Don’t forget we are also available for chat reference and by phone during these hours as well.

You may also notice that both Westlaw and LexisNexis look a little different this semester. LexisNexis now features a “cleaner, more modern look” (to quote one of their emails about the change); although some tabs and databases have moved, you’ll find the site functions quite similarly to the way it did last semester.

Westlaw has also released its much-discussed WestlawNext client to law students. You can now access both WestlawNext and “Westlaw classic” when you login.

If you have any questions or comments about these new changes, feel free to ask one of the reference librarians. You can also contact LexisNexis or Westlaw directly.