Tag Archives: GSU Law Library

05.03.23
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Finding Study Aids for your Corporations Course

We get it. If you’re taking Corporations, you may be thinking “I’ve made it this far in law school, why do I need additional assistance?”

Even if you don’t need it, per se, the Law Library wants to emphasize that these resources are still there for your enjoyment and intellectual enrichment. These resources are still invaluable for those in particular that have “too much on their plate” and need a little help.

The Study Aid Finder has a “Recommended Electives” tab for upper-level students.  These courses are courses with subject matter often tested on the bar.  You may not even be taking any of these courses, and may not have a course exam to prepare for, but for those 3L’s and 4LP’s, the July bar exam is right around the corner. These resources could be useful for bar prep even if you don’t have a final in these courses.

As with the other posts highlighting the Study Aid Finder, going to the menu on the left of the screen and clicking “Recommended Electives” gives a drop-down menu of various courses that are not required for graduation but often tested on the bar exam:

Clicking on “Corporations,” as with the other courses, brings you to a box with “Digital,” “Physical,” and “Audio and Video” tabs. A portion of the “Digital” tab is displayed above. We’ve previously taken a look at the Glannon guide[s] and Examples and Explanations series, so let’s look at something different this time: the Emanuel CrunchTime series.

Clicking the link brings us [again] to the Aspen Learning Library:

Unlike the other resources we’ve investigated in this blog series, there is no “read online/read offline” option – only a “View Inside” option.

Clicking “View Inside” brings us to essentially an e-book within the browser:

Unlike the other resources we’ve evaluated in this series, the e-book options aren’t as comprehensive. There’s not a search menu button, a table of contents menu button, etc. That does not mean this resource is not valuable though.

With this resource, we are more or less limited to digitally turning the page. That’s not a bad thing though! Looking at the table of contents, this resource has a lot to offer:

As can be seen, there’s around at least 140 pages of exam questions in various formats
(with explanation). This is a great way to test your application of the material, or, alternatively, a great way to learn through experience.

Clicking on the “Physical” tab brings a list of resources that are similar (some are identical) to those in the “digital” tab. These can be accessed physically in the Law Library, or the ISBN is provided and one can Google it and find a vendor-of-choice to obtain the book.

The “Audio and Video” tab has a list of resources that are, well, audio and video! These resources are not as comprehensive oand don’t provide quite the depth that other resources have, but, for those on the go, these resources provide a great opportunity for learning in traffic, in the gym, nursing a child, etc.

The amount of resources available can be overwhelming, but I’d recommend skimming a few, see which resource resonates with you, and going from there. You can’t go wrong. Happy hunting and best of luck on your upcoming exam!

05.01.23
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Finding Study Aids for your Professional Responsibility Course

In a previous post we focused on Property Law for the 1Ls, but they are not the only ones who need help!

All of you 2Ls out there likely have your Professional Responsibility final to get past before the summer. The rules of Professional Responsibility are there for a good reason. Unfortunately for us law students though, there’s a little more to them than “don’t touch your client’s money” and “communicate with your client[s].” Thankfully we have the awesome professors at GSU to help us out with these – and the amazing Law Library (and librarians and other staff and students assisting the library) to help us learn them.

Back to the study guide – to get to Professional Responsibility, we click on the “2L Courses” tab in the left menu. This brings down a drop-down menu of selected 2L courses:

Clicking on “Professional Responsibility” will bring you to a box with digital, physical, and audio/visual resources to aid your study, just like the other courses we’ve reviewed in this blog series:

We previously took a peek at a Glannon guide, so let’s take a look at a different guide this time around.

Clicking on the Examples and Explanations for Professional Responsibility (a.k.a., the “E&E” guide) again brings us to the publishers website and the Aspen Learning Library:

As you can see, it’s compatible with a variety of electronic devices (computer, tablet, phone) and can be accessed online or offline (note: offline reading must be done through the Aspen Learning Library App, available for PC/Mac/Android/iOS).

Utilizing the “Read Online” tab, you are brought to the table of contents, and from there, you can search the ToC, scroll through the ToC, etc. Chapters are broken out into the major topics (possession, gifts, title, etc.). The chapters discuss the topics generally, and provide some examples with explanations (hence “E&E”).

As this is another Aspen Learning Library resource, the interface is similar (if not identical) to that of the Glannon guide discussed previously:

Going to the “Duty of Competence” section, for example, is something that none of GSU students should have to worry about, but, you’re going to get tested on it on the final, the MPRE, and the bar. The top left icons bring one to the Aspen Learning Library and Table of Contents, respectively. The five menu buttons on the top right provide a “text to speech” function, a button for supplemental material, a full screen viewer option, a settings option (allows one to change the font size and font), and a search option. The chapter then ends with some examples. Other resources in the “digital” tab include the Glannon series, the Emmanuel crunchtime series, and others. 

Clicking on the “Physical” tab brings a list of resources that are similar (some are identical) to those in the “digital” tab. These can be accessed physically in the Law Library, or the ISBN is provided and one can Google it and find a vendor-of-choice to obtain the book.

The “Audio and Video” tab has a list of resources that are, well, audio and video! These resources are not as comprehensive or have the depth of examples (a.k.a. “Hypos”) that other resources have, but, for those on the go, these resources provide a great opportunity for learning in traffic, in the gym, nursing a child, etc.

The amount of resources available can be overwhelming, but I’d recommend skimming a few, see which resource resonates with you, and go from there. You can’t go wrong. Happy hunting and best of luck on your upcoming exam!

04.20.23
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Tips for Exam Season

by Ralaya Evans, Law Library GRA

Exam Season can bring anxiety for all law students. There is a lot of pressure and everyone wants to do well. There are a few upkeep actions one can partake in to help ease the nerves surrounding exams.

  1. Sleep is your friend. It can be tempting to wake up super early and stay up late studying and digesting as much information as possible every day. However, this is more harmful than helpful. This can overload your mind and make it hard to retain information. You may find that no matter the ample hours that you are putting into studying, you are not prepared for the exam. Getting the right amount of sleep will make studying more effective and allow you to perform to your best ability on the exams.
  • Take breaks. Studying all day without breaks will also impact your ability to retain information. Mental fatigue will often be the result. Your mind/body will often tell you when you need a break, but during finals we ignore the signs. However, kn­­ow the signs of mental exhaustion so that you can respond appropriately. Pushing yourself too hard will only cause burn out.
  • Set a study schedule and stick to it. Setting a schedule can also help you block out time to study, but to also take a break, eat, do something that you enjoy and more. Sticking to a schedule allows you to accomplish the amount of studying that you want, but also still have a life. A nice balance between the two will be extremely beneficial.

Although taking care of your mental health is key, we must also ensure that we are ready for finals substantively.  To prepare for such information-intensive exams, here are a few tips:

  1. Find your study group. There are many different studying techniques. Some of us share the same techniques for studying and use the same sources such as Quimbee, law library study aids and more. So, it is often a good idea to team up with others and form study groups. Aside from sharing resources and techniques, insight from your fellow classmates can help you see information from a different perspective.
  • Make an attack outline that works for you. It is a good idea to work with your classmates to create a detailed outline of your course to use during the exam. However, it is also extremely helpful to make a more concise “attack outline” that you are more familiar with and comfortable with using during a timed exam. This brevity and familiarity will work to your advantage since it will be so much easier for you to quickly reference during the exam.
  • Go to office hours. Once you reach the point in your studies where you have created your outline, take note on the areas you are still a little fuzzy on and go to that professor’s office hours to see if they can help clear things up for you. The professors are always so willing to help and want you to succeed. So, schedule time with them when needed. Do not choose to suffer in silence or settle for not understanding a topic fully.

Exams are often referred to as the most stressful part of each semester. So, it is important to have the tools to get through the season and feel good about your performance. All of these tips will help to build your confidence for taking the exams.

02.13.23
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The Day RBG Came to Campus

by Alison Guffey, 3L

On this day 20 years ago, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg visited the Georgia State University College of Law to deliver the 32nd Henry J. Miller lecture. The topic of her lecture was “Little Known Pages from the Supreme Court’s History,” and her focus was on re-telling the accounts of two women: Burnita Shelton Matthews, the first woman to be appointed as a Federal District Court judge, and Malvina Harlan, wife of Supreme Court Justice John Harlan and author of a memoir titled, “Some Memories of a Long Life, 1854-1911.”

Justice Ginsberg, Professor Mary Radford, and Dean Knowles converse after the Miller Lecture.

One particular story highlighted by Justice Ginsburg from Malvina’s memoir featured Malvina inspiring her husband to finish his dissent in the Civil Rights cases by swapping his inkstand for one with a different history: the very inkstand that was used by Justice Taney in composing the Dred Scott opinion. Justice Harlan knew of this inkstand’s history, and by writing with the same inkwell that decades earlier had “tighten[ed] the shackles of slavery,” Justice Harlan finished his dissent and powerfully asserted the need to “protect the recently emancipated slaves in the enjoyment of equal civil rights.”[1]

Ginsburg told this story of poetic justice, of an inkstand in need of absolution, and she wondered of the pen in need of absolution in her own career. She determined the next time her thoughts on an opinion refuse to flow easily, she may visit the pen “that Judge Justice Bradley used to write his now-infamous concurring opinion in Myra Bradwell’s case, Bradwell v. Illinois, an 1873 decision upholding a state’s right to exclude women from the practice of law.”

Without ever directly addressing why Justice Bradley’s pen would be in need of absolution, Justice Ginsburg spoke of a photograph that is taken periodically of the Supreme Court Justice’s spouses. The audience knowingly chuckled while Justice Ginsburg explained that, with her and Justice O’Connor on the Supreme Court, “the subject of these photographs have changed beyond anything Justice Bradley or even Justice Harlan would have contemplated.”

Justice Ginsburg’s lecture was poised, clear, and moving as she masterfully led the audience through monumental moments in the Supreme Court’s history that came from the lives of Burnita Shelton Matthews and Malvina Harlan. Georgia State Law’s own Professor Mary Radford was in attendance for Justice Ginsburg’s lecture, and had the opportunity to speak with her one-on-one. Of this experience, Radford reflects on Justice Ginsburg’s “dignity and grace,” her “shy smile, almost embarrassed by the amount of attention that was flowing her way,” and recalls that Justice Ginsburg “greeted each individual, from student to faculty member to judge to local dignitary, with a quiet smile and a light handshake . . . wearing black lace gloves.” Professor Radford sums up the day: “An uninformed observer would probably have been astounded to learn that this unassuming, soft-spoken, petite woman was in fact one of the most powerful, insightful, and influential legal thinkers of our time.”


It is undeniable the impact Ruth Bader Ginsburg left on the nation and the world. On February 13, 2003, she visited our campus in celebration of GSU Law’s 20th anniversary. This year, as GSU Law celebrates its 40th anniversary, we take time to recount her lecture and remember her legacy. To watch Justice Ginsburg’s lecture, learn about other notable visitors, and read about the history of the Georgia State University College of Law, check out GSU Law’s 40th Anniversary Exhibit here.

[1]  Harlan, M.S. and Przybyszewski, L. (2003) in Some Memories of a Long Life, 1854-1911. New York: Modern Library, pp. 113–114.

08.17.22
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Meet Michelle Hook Dewey

This post is the continuation of an “in-depth” interview series with new librarians and staff at Georgia State University College of Law Library. See earlier installments here.

We introduce our new librarians and staff at Georgia State University College of Law Library with a questionnaire invented by Austin Williams, which is borrowed in spirit, if not in part, from Marcel Proust’s famous questionnaire.

photo.dewey3.Austin (if he were still here): What is your name and what do you do?

Michelle: Michelle Hook Dewey. I am the Legal Technologies Librarian here at GSU Law. In addition to teaching first-year legal research (Research Methods in the Law) and providing traditional library support, like reference, I will be working with the Legal Analytics & Innovation Initiative helping teach in and support that program.

A: How long have you been at Georgia State University College of Law Library? 

M: I started at the beginning of August, so just a few weeks.

A: What books are currently on your nightstand (or Kindle)?

M: Most Beautiful Thing. It is a memoir that tells the story of America’s first all-black high school rowing team developed on the west side of Chicago in the 90s. It is super interesting. I also read a lot of poetry and currently have Mary Oliver’s New and Collected Works and Faithful and Virtuous by Louise Gluck next to my bed.

A: What is an interesting fact about yourself that you would like to share with our readers?

M: I spent a few years in my twenties living in a fishing town in Alaska. I like to say it is a “small fishing town” because it was an island with only 8, 000 people. That said, it was the fifth largest city in Alaska at the time.

A: What is your favorite place in Atlanta (so far)?

M: I have lived in the greater Atlanta area for about six years now and I love Piedmont Park. I am a big fan of the botanical gardens, the farmer’s market there, and random Piedmont Park festivals and activities. My favorite is the International World Kite Festival every October. It is fun just to bring my kids to the park and fly kites with a few hundred of our closest friends (plus, food trucks!)

A: When you are not saving the world here at GSU Law Library, what do you enjoy doing outside of work?

M: I write and read a lot. I love to swim. I also enjoy cooking- but only for pleasure, not weeknight dinner! (Which I loathe the responsibility of making.)


A: Lastly, what is your favorite vacation spot? The place you go to leave it all behind for a few days.

M: Big trip- Carribean, especially the eastern caribbean. But, I love long weekends at a house on the beach or a cabin in the mountains. One thing I love about Atlanta is how easy it is to get out of town and disappear into nature for a few days.

There you have it, folks. The complete, unedited, behind-the-scenes interview with Michelle Hook Dewey.

08.10.22
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Welcome! (or Welcome Back!)

Here in the library, it’s been relatively quiet over the summer, and we are excited to meet our new students and welcome back our returning students. Please stop by and say hi.

4 people at the law library reference desk welcoming students

Here in the library, it’s been relatively quiet over the summer, and we are excited to meet our new students and welcome back our returning students. Please stop by and say hi. Continue reading →

04.01.22
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Celebrate National Poetry Month with the Library!

Grab your pencils, your pens, and your thinking caps and join the Law Library in celebrating National Poetry Month! 

We have several events we are including as part of the celebration. Today, I am highlighting a couple of ways you can join us. Keep your eyes here for more about our celebration as the month continues! 

Poetry Contest 

We invite you to craft poems that are law- or law school-related, submitting no more than one poem each day between now and April 15, 2022, at 11:59 PM. We have a talented pool of students, faculty, and staff who will assist us in recognizing the best in category (student, faculty, and staff), as well as a best in show poem.  

You may submit one poem per day using this form.  

Poetry Slam 

The Law Library will host poetry slams on April 25 at noon and 5 PM. To encourage participation, we are inviting our poets (if you’re reading your own poem) and performers (if you’re reading a poem by another) to participate in person or submit a video of their performance for screening during the event. Please keep performance length to 3 minutes. 

You may submit your video files to me (at mbutler at gsu . edu) using the Georgia State Send a File tool. To be included, please submit your files no later than 9 AM on April 25. 

Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, and she was the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate. This picture, taken at the inauguration, is an official photo provided by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Use of this photo in no way is meant to suggest approval or endorsement by the Chairman, the Joint Staff, or others, of our National Poetry Month Celebration. Image available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thejointstaff/.  
01.19.22
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The GSU ALERT Program – Why? Why not!

The GSU College of Law Library has just announced its slate of spring ALERT programming… Hooray!  This semester’s line-up includes some real bangers, with sessions covering PowerPoint, Health Law Research, the Bluebook, and Fastcase!

But, as a law student, you maybe wondering: what exactly is the ALERT program?  Where did it come from?  What might distinguish ALERTS from some of the other programming available at the college of law, and why might you choose to attend?  I’m glad you asked because that is the purpose of this hea’ blog post. 

Where can I access the information on the ALERT Program?

See https://gastate.view.usg.edu/d2l/home/1188316

How long has the ALERT program been around?  Where did it come from?

Legend has it that the ALERT program began sometime in the fall of 2015, when then Librarian and now interim director of the Georgetown Law Library (yes that Georgetown) Austin Williams pitched the program as a way to provide supplementary research and technology training to the GSU law community.  Yours truly took it over in Spring 2016 and it has been rolling ever since. 

What is the ALERT Program? 

Basically, it’s a series of four presentations given per semester, twice (we do each twice, once early and once late.)  If you complete at least six you receive a digital badge as soon as you finish and a certificate at the awards ceremony before you graduate.  They generally last around 45 minutes with time to answer the quiz at the end.

What if I can’t make it to the in-person session?

Lucking, there are also ONLINE ALERT sessions.  Just see the ALERT I College Page for exact directions.  Generally, you have to watch the video lesson and take the quiz.  Easy peazy, one, two, threezy.

But why? 

That’s really the question isn’t it?  Why take a minimum of six hours of your life to learn even more (I know – my brain feels full daily and I’m not even in law school.)  There are actually exactly three reasons why.

  1. It looks good on your resume.  When I interview people to be GRA’s in the law library, I’m always looking for interesting things to ask about.  For an interviewer, this is that type of thing.  Moreover, when they do ask, it gives you a chance to brag about yourself a little bit.  When asked, being able to say something like “ Oh, that’s a supplementary educational program I CHOSE to participate in because I wanted to learn more about legal research and technology.”  Saying things like  “We’ve done things above and beyond what is expected from the 1L class like business research, legislative history, and productivity tools lessons” makes you look motivated and engaged. 
  2. You’ll actually learn things.  There is only a finite amount of information that you can conceivably include in a one-credit Legal research class.  These sessions are designed to build upon the foundation you started in research methods. 
  3. It builds a foundation for learning even more.  Again, we can’t really hope to teach you any big subjects in around 45 minutes.  But, introductions are important.  Simply knowing that a certain type of resource or technology exists will allow you to seek it out later, even if you don’t remember exactly how to use it.

So, Just do it!

If you have a free 40 minutes here and there, why not ALERT!  It’s a fun(ish), easy way to kill time between classes.  Lots of them are also available online.  If you have any questions about procedures, topics, or really anything else, you can send me an email at pparsons@gsu.edu

12.01.21
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Study Aid Spotlight- Select Upper-level Selections

This super-deluxe mega Spotlight is a sequel to our earlier post with guidance on the premier study aids for this semester’s 1L courses. This time, we’re movin’ on up, hitting up some of those current upper-level courses and telling you which study aids are undoubtedly the very best.

As a 2L or 3L, you’ve already endured law school finals, so you basically know what to expect. This increased familiarity may have also given you a better sense of how to prepare. Perhaps you’ve decided to sharpen your outlines into a more exam-ready ‘attack’ format? Maybe you’ve pledged to work more practice exams into your study routine? If you reflect upon your previous exam experiences, you can probably find some ways to ‘level up’ your approach to finals this time around.

But do you know which study aids work well for your upper-level courses? Perhaps you’ve noticed that truly helpful study aids are a bit harder to find for these courses, especially the electives. Fewer students take them, so it’s natural that fewer study aids are published to supplement them. Moreover, quite a few of the upper-level courses are rooted in constitutional jurisprudence, which is less suited to the example-based format of many study aids than the common law courses of your 1L year.

So, if you’ve thoroughly perused the study aid shelves in the back of the library, failed to find Glannon’s trusted name on any of the pertinent spines, and skulked back to your study station empty-handed, this is the post for you. I’m going to help you choose the best study aids for your courses. That is, I’m giving you the inside scoop on which titles are the tip-top, best-in-class study aids to illuminate your courses and position you to triumph over another round of exams. Of course, in the interest of keeping this post of a manageable length, there aren’t selections for every upper-level offering, but most of the required courses (and two important electives) are here.  

Constitutional Law I- Constitutional Law: Principles & Policies (Chemerinsky)

This study aid has a well-deserved reputation for being a game-changer for this challenging course. It’s an absolute classic, and we’ve sung its praises before. It offers tight, lucid descriptions of the key cases that nonetheless manage to capture many of their nuances, while also placing them in the context of SCOTUS’s evolving doctrines. I remember finding it to be a huge help when reworking my outline, but it can also work very well as a general refresher when you have trouble recalling the specifics of those early-semester cases. However, its format is designed to serve as a quick reference, not to help you learn to apply these doctrines. ConLaw exams tend to vary quite a bit from professor to professor, so that may be for the best, but that does mean it’s more important than ever be attentive to your professor’s hypotheticals. You should also see if they have any past exams available, in our archive or elsewhere. Note that this one isn’t available in the library’s online collections, so you’ll need to use it in print.

Evidence- Examples & Explanations for Evidence

In contrast to ConLaw, the rule-based structure of this course is particularly well-suited to the E&E format. The short examples allow you to gain some insight into how the FRE actually work, both in the real world and on your exam. This one also has the virtue of a writing style that makes intimidating topics quite approachable. In particular, I could appreciate how it discusses “hearsay’s appearance of difficulty to ‘outsiders’ and its relative simplicity to initiates” before proceeding to swiftly induct you into the ranks of the latter via two succinct chapters demystifying this topic.

Criminal Procedure: Investigations- Examples & Explanations for Criminal Procedure: The Constitution and the Police

It’s tricky to choose the best approach for this course, which combines ConLaw’s policy orientation with the labyrinthine analytical constructs more often associated with courses like Evidence or CivPro. Fortunately, this E&E does a solid job of addressing both of these aspects. This study aid tries to ‘simulate the Socratic classroom at its best’ and it shows. The examples are shorter than what I’ve seen in other E&Es, but they build upon one another in a way that does a good job of illuminating not just the boundaries of the applicable doctrines, but the justifications behind those boundaries.

Criminal Procedure: Adjudication– Principles of Criminal Procedure: Post-Investigation

The Concise Hornbook series is my go-to study aid for if you’re chiefly after a summary of the law. In particular, this one does a great job of tying together the many disparate topics covered in this course. A great example is the early discussion of the CrimPro’s “cornerstone objectives,” which supplies just the type of valuable context that can help make the whole course ‘click.’

Do you like these choices? Do you disagree with them? Which study aids are your top choices? Let us know in the comments!

11.17.21
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Study Aid Spotlight- Aman & Mayton’s Administrative Law (Hornbook Series)

In Admin Law, Organization is Everything

By Luke Smith

In this edition of Study Aid Spotlight, Ref GRA Luke Smith takes a closer look at a study aid that’s been a huge help to him in this challenging upper-level course. This one is an excellent example of the most O.G. study aid of them all, a hornbook.

Remember all those things you learned in Con Law about the nondelegation doctrine? Me neither. You’ll have about a week to relearn it all before you move on to the next equally complicated aspect of administrative law. Admin Law is not a required class, so its study aids might not get as much love as someother classes (I’m looking at you Civ Pro study aids), but having a good study aid is absolutely critical for this behemoth of integrated legal concepts. One that I’ve come to love is Aman & Mayton’s Administrative Law hornbook. To me, it stands out for two key reasons.

Reason #1: This aid is well-written and well-organized. It succinctly defines topics to give you an edge when preparing for exams. It’s organized into 5 sections: agency legislative power, agency adjudication, consistency in agency action, control of agency discretion, and access to government information. Within each part, it is broken down further into chapters that each explain an aspect of that overall topic. This might not sound like much if you haven’t taken Admin Law yet, but this easy-to-follow organization is absolutely perfect for the course, making it easy to fill in the gaps you have when it comes time for exams.

Reason #2: One of the worst parts of studying for exams is the limited 3-hour check out time for study aids, which can leave you fighting to make sure you get your preferred study aid. But this hornbook is available online through the library as well as in print. Waiting your turn for a study aid during exam time is a thing of the past. Now you can study all night long from the comfort of your home with a great study aid!!! Additionally, online it features the same great topical organization, with the added benefit of hyperlinks to each section, so you can easily access the exact section you need without having to navigate a table of contents like with those outdated print study aids.

Whether you’re using it to prepare for class or study for exams, this classic hornbook is a must for anyone in Administrative Law.