Category: Law Library

Summer Access to Lexis Advance

Access to Lexis Advance will continue during the summer.  As long as you are registered for Lexis Advance you do not have to do anything to continue using Lexis Advance this summer.  You may use Lexis Advance for work or school during the summer.  In the fall, usage reverts back to academic use only.

Summer Access to Westlaw

Westlaw is available for academic use over the summer.  To access Westlaw over the summer, students need to register on Westlaw.   Log onto Westlaw and click on the image that says summer access.

• You can extend your Westlaw password for summer use if you participate in one of the following:

  1. Summer law school classes and study abroad programs
  2. Law review and journal – including write-on competitions
  3. Research assistant
  4. Moot court
  5. Unpaid internship/externship

Passwords may NOT be used for research for law firms, government agencies, corporations or other purposes unrelated to law school coursework.

Bloomberg Law

Access to Bloomberg Law continues over the summer.  You may use your Bloomberg Law password for any purpose during the summer as well as year-round.  The court dockets and transactional resources may be particularly useful to those working at law firms over the summer.

Other databases accessible over the summer:

• Students can sign up for a free Ohio State Bar Membership, which includes access to the Casemaker legal research database
• Continue to use Law Library databases such as HeinOnline and Proquest Legislative Insight.
• Free Fastcase App for iPhone or Android
• For free databases on the Internet, see United States Federal Law – Free Sources and Ohio Law – Free Sources

 

The following online sources can help you with exams:

Akron Law Digital – Contains the Questions and Answer series so you can practice exam-taking, and the Understanding Series to go over the cases and concepts you learned in class.  You can access these sources on mobile devices using the Overdrive app.

West Academic Study Aids Online – If you need help outlining, the Gilbert’s Law Summaries and Black Letter Outlines on West Academic may help.  For sample exam questions, take a look at the Sum and Substance titles and Acing series.  Other study aids on this platform include Nutshells and Concise Hornbooks.  These can be viewed on mobile devices.

CALI –  Interactive lessons on many legal concepts. Click here for information about the CALI authorization code for UA Law students.  You can take CALI Lessons on your smart phone or tablet.

Mobile Apps –  Go to the library’s Mobile Apps Guide, Law School and Bar Study Apps to find apps useful for studying.  Some of them are free.

Library Guides:  Study Aids for First Year Courses and Study Aids for Upper Division Bar Courses & the Bar Exam can help you find study aids for a particular subject.

Bloomberg Law allows you to:

• Search the federal dockets that are on PACER plus many state court dockets at once.
• Search dockets by keywords, and even search the full text of the court filings, where the filings are available. PACER just searches for party name, case number and nature of suit.  State court dockets usually just search for party name and case number.
• Access federal court documents without paying PACER’s 10 cents a page fee (although PACER allows $15/month free, and opinions are free).  This free access is granted to law students, faculty and staff.
• Access many briefs and other filings that are not on Lexis or Westlaw

See this short video, How do I use Dockets on Bloomberg Law?

A forthcoming article notes that many written opinions are available via court dockets which are not on Lexis or Westlaw. See Elizabeth McCuskey, Submerged Precedent, 16 Nevada Law Journal ___ 2016 (forthcoming)[SSRN].   Professor McCuskey states, “[s]ubmerged precedent thus raises the specter that docket-based research may be necessary in some areas to ascertain an accurate picture of the law itself, not just trial courts’ administration of it.”

 

Easily link to the major treatises on the legal subject of your choice using the library’s Major Legal Treatises by Subject guide.   The guide includes direct links to the treatises, including on Bloomberg Law, BNA, CCH Intelliconnect, LexisNexis and Westlaw.  Links to the catalog record for print items are also provided, although most of the titles listed are online.

If you want to do comprehensive research on a subject across all the platforms, this guide might help.   Additionally, if you plan to practice law in a certain area, you can become familiar with the major sources.

The law library’s survey:

• Takes less than 10 minutes to complete
• Students get a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card if they fill out the survey
• Will help make the library and library services better!  
• The survey is anonymous because we want your honest opinions, complaints and suggestions.

Take the 2016 Law Library Student Survey

The survey is open through Wednesday, March 30, 2016, so take the survey soon.