Author: Chi Song

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Ask a Lawyer In the Library: Wednesday Wrap-up

Turtle 7The Ask A Lawyer In The Library program is a civil, non-family law, self-help program sponsored by The Anne Arundel Bar Association and the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service. Every Wednesday, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., you can talk with a volunteer attorney for up to 20 minutes. No appointment is necessary, but sign-up is required at the law library’s information desk. Sign-up begins at 10:45 a.m., and time slots are determined by a lottery. For more information, please see http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.

 

On Wednesday, January 21, 2015, the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program. Thank you, Crighton Chase of Hillman, Brown & Darrow, P.A., for volunteering and providing this service to the public. Five people took part in the program and were able to speak with the attorney to request assistance with issues such as garnishment, foreclosure, estates, power of attorney and torts. The next program date is Wednesday, January 28, 2015.

Do you have a family law matter?  Family law issues are best addressed by the Family Law Self Help Center, which is also located in the library.  For more information, please see http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/family-law.

More information about the program is available at http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library. The Ask A Lawyer In The Law Library program is a limited legal advice service. The program is not a substitute for representation. If you need an attorney to represent you, you can contact the Anne Arundel Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service.
 
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lawlibrary

Check your pocket parts!

photo 1Each month, the AACPLL Blog will publish a post with helpful legal research tips.  If you would like more information about any of the tips referenced in this post or series, please feel free to contact the Law Library!

January is one of the Law Library’s busiest months for updating resources, including updating pocket parts and filing supplemental pages.  As you are conducting your legal research, it is essential that you make sure that your sources, both primary (e.g., code, regulations, case law) and secondary (e.g., treatises, form books) are up-to-date because the “law” is constantly changing.  The onus is on the legal researcher to make sure their information is current.

Here are a few helpful tips for making sure that your resource is up-to-date.

  • Check the cover or title page to determine the publication date of the resource.  The publication date will provide clues as to whether you should check to see if a later edition of the resource has been published.
  • Check the pocket part and take note of the date of the pocket part.  Pocket parts are paper supplements that are generally located inside the back cover of a hardbound volume.  If you are not sure if the pocket part is current, please drop by the service desk.  The Law Library keeps track of its updates, and we can let you know if the pocket part is the most recent supplement available.
  • Check for any standalone supplements to the resource.  When in doubt, ask us at the Law Library’s service desk, and we can confirm whether a volume has a standalone supplement.
  • Online does not necessarily mean current.  Is the information posted on a reputable site? Check for a publication date or “last updated” date.  When in doubt, ask!

Here are some great resources that provide an overview of the basics of legal research.

In addition, the following titles, which focus on providing a comprehensive overview of the legal research process and fundamentals, are available at the Law Library.

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Holiday lawlibrary

The Law Library is closed today.

The Law Library is closed today, January 19, 2015, as today is a Court Holiday.  The Law Library will be open tomorrow, Tuesday, January 20, 2015.  A list of Court Holidays is available on the Circuit Court’s website at http://www.circuitcourt.org/court-holidays.

Except on Court Holidays, the Library is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. We are located on the third floor (main floor) of the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court at 8 Church Circle, Suite 303, Annapolis, Maryland.

If you cannot make it to the library in person, you can always reach us via email at lawlibrary@aacounty.org, via phone at (410) 222-1387 or via fax at (410) 268-9762.

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lawlibrary Maryland Law UELMA

An Introduction to UELMA

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This Enactment Status Map as well as other resources are available at http://www.uniformlaws.org.

What is UELMA? UELMA (“yoo-el-mah”) is the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act, a uniform law* that addresses the issues of trustworthiness and access raised by the increased electronic distribution of state primary legal materials through the provision of an “outcomes-based approach to the authentication and preservation of electronic legal material . . . to enable end-users to verify the trustworthiness of the legal material they are using and to provide a framework for states to preserve legal material in perpetuity in a manner that allows for permanent access.”**  UELMA requires legal material that are only published in electronic form to be designated as official.  Official information must then be (1) capable of authentication (i.e., the appointed government agency or official provides the user with a way to determine that the legal information is trustworthy as an accurate copy), (2) preserved (i.e., in print and/or electronic formats)  and (3) permanently accessible to the public.

As of October 2014, the following twelve states have adopted the act:  California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon and Pennsylvania.  UELMA was introduced in the Maryland General Assembly in January 2014 (HB 46 / SB 275), but was withdrawn from further consideration in February 2014.  The full text of UELMA is available at http://www.aallnet.org/Documents/Government-Relations/2011Oct-UniformElectronicLegalMaterialAct-Final.pdf. If you are interested in learning more about UELMA, check out the UELMA Resources page (http://www.aallnet.org/Documents/Government-Relations/UELMA), available on the American Association of Law Libraries’ website.

Why is UELMA important? UELMA will help ensure that online legal information deemed official will be publicly accessible, free and reliable.  This, in turn, will promote government transparency, promote acceptance by the courts of online legal sources and assist legal researchers.  For more reasons why UELMA is important, check out this article by Judy Janes, the director of the University of California, Davis, Mable Law Library – http://aallnet.org/mm/Publications/spectrum/Spectrum-Online/uelma.html.  Advocacy materials are available at http://www.aallnet.org/Documents/Government-Relations/UELMA.  UELMA supporters include the American Association of Law Libraries (http://www.aallnet.org/Documents/Government-Relations/UELMA/testimonychart.pdf)  and the American Bar Association (http://www.aallnet.org/Documents/Government-Relations/Formal-Statements/2012/lt013112ABA.pdf).

*In the United States, multiple legislative bodies may address the same area of law.  The goal of uniform laws is to encourage uniformity throughout the United States by encouraging state legislatures to enact the same law. A uniform law is only a proposal until it is adopted by a legislative body.

**Prefatory Note of the Uniform Electronic Material Act.

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Ask a Lawyer In the Library: Wednesday Wrap-up

Valadez
Thank you Mike Valadez!

The Ask A Lawyer In The Library program is a civil, non-family law, self-help program sponsored by The Anne Arundel Bar Association and the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service. Every Wednesday, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., you can talk with a volunteer attorney for up to 20 minutes. No appointment is necessary, but sign-up is required at the law library’s information desk. Sign-up begins at 10:45 a.m., and time slots are determined by a lottery. For more information, please see http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.

On Wednesday, January 14, 2015, the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program. Thank you, Mike Valadez, for volunteering and providing this service to the public. Seven people took part in the program and were able to speak with the attorney to request assistance with issues such as administrative appeals, bankruptcy, property, leasing, mortgage fraud and estates. The next program date is Wednesday, January 21, 2015.

Do you have a criminal law matter? Criminal Law matters are best addressed by the Office of the Public Defender. Information about the Office of the Public Defender is available at http://www.opd.state.md.us/.

More information about the program is available at http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library. The Ask A Lawyer In The Law Library program is a limited legal advice service. The program is not a substitute for representation. If you need an attorney to represent you, you can contact the Anne Arundel Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service.
 
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lawlibrary

About the Law Library – Daumier in the Library

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So Goes His Story

The Law Library is proud to be home to six prints by Honoré Daumier, a prolific, nineteenth century French artist, whose wide array of works include lithographs, wood engravings, drawings, paintings and sculptures. The black and white prints on display in the Law Library’s main entry hall, which include Plead “Not Guilty”, This Saintly Woman, So Goes His Story, A Respected Citizen, Such a Devoted Husband and A Sure Case, were donated to the Law Library by retired Judge Michael E. Loney (1939-2012) in 2009. These courtroom scenes satirize the law and the court.

The prints themselves have a long history at the Anne Arundel County Circuit Courthouse as they previously graced the walls of Judge Loney’s chambers during his tenure at the Circuit Court.  The prints were originally a gift to Judge Loney from H. Chester Goudy, Judge Loney’s former law partner and a retired Circuit Court judge. If you are interested in viewing these prints, please come visit the Law Library. Please stop by the service desk, and we will be more than happy to give you a brief tour.

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

2014 – Year in Review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt:  A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,500 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 42 trips to carry that many people. Click here to see the entire report.

2014 was a transitional year for this blog as we moved towards a more regular posting schedule and introduced several ongoing series, including the weekly Ask a Lawyer in the Library Wednesday Wrap-Up series and the monthly Legal Research in the Blogosphere series.  We also debuted three short-term series, including our National Pro Bono Week series, New Laws series, and the Online Databases in the Limelight series, all of which will return to the blog in 2015.

This year, expect to see 3+ new posts each and every week.  We will focus on the library (e.g.,  news, resources, events), legal research (for both experienced and inexperienced researchers), access to legal information and pro bono legal service.  In addition, we will be introducing several new series to the blog, such as our Practice of Law series and Legal Research 101 series.  We are looking forward to growing and refining this blog and hope you stay tuned. We are always open to comments and suggestions. Please comment below to let us know how we can improve our blog!

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lawlibrary Pro Bono Self Represented

Ask a Lawyer In the Library: Wednesday Wrap-up

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Thank you Mike Ragland (l)  and Jack Paltell (r)!

The Ask A Lawyer In The Library program is a civil, non-family law, self-help program sponsored by The Anne Arundel Bar Association and the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service.  Every Wednesday, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., you can talk with a volunteer attorney for up to 20 minutes.  No appointment is necessary, but sign-up is required at the law library’s information desk.  Sign-up begins at 10:45 a.m., and time slots are determined by a lottery. For more information, please see http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.

On Wednesday, January 7, 2015,  the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program.  Thank you, Mike Ragland and Jack Paltell, from Bell, Ragland, Gauges & Paltell, for volunteering and providing this service to the public. Six people took part in the program and were able to speak with the attorney to request assistance with issues such as employment termination, foreclosure, property, wills and trusts.  The next program date is Wednesday, January 14, 2015.

It is helpful to prepare for your session with the attorney.  Here are some helpful tips:

  • Write a list of specific questions for the attorney.
  • Bring any paperwork and information related to the case.
  • Organize any paperwork from most recent on the top to oldest at the bottom.
  • Identify all deadlines.
  • Prepare a timeline of the legal issue.

If you would like to read up on your issue prior to your session with the attorney, please come find us at the Law Library’s information desk.  We are happy to assist you.

More information about the program is available at http://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.  The Ask A Lawyer In The Law Library program is a limited legal advice service.  The program is not a substitute for representation.  If you need an attorney to represent you, you can contact the Anne Arundel Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service.
 
Categories
lawlibrary Legal Technology

Online Databases in the Limelight

Online databases can be invaluable, time-saving tools to any legal researcher as they provide organized access to a wide array of legal resources as well as sophisticated search functions.  Many online databases, including fee-based databases, are available at the Law Library, free of charge, to library patrons.

Throughout the month of December 2014, this blog featured a series on online databases available at the Law Library for patrons’ use.  The featured databases include Bloomberg BNA, HeinOnline, LexisNexis, VerdictSearch and Westlaw, which are all subscription-based databases that the Law Library offers to its patrons free of charge.  However, this is just a small sampling of the legal databases that may be available for your use.  If you are interested in learning more about online legal databases, including databases that are available without subscription, please contact us!

Many other law libraries also provide their library patrons with access to online legal databases free of charge.  For other local access points to online legal databases, you can check out these libraries.

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lawlibrary Maryland Law

The 2015 Edition of Michie’s Maryland Court Rules is available!

photo 3The 2015 Edition of Michie’s Maryland Court Rules is available at the Law Library!  The 2015 edition includes amendments adopted through November 7, 2014.  The Maryland Rules are the rules of practice and procedure followed by Maryland courts and apply to all Maryland courts unless noted otherwise.  Annotation sources include Maryland case law, the Maryland Law Review, the University of Baltimore Law Review, the University of Baltimore Law Forum and Opinions of the Attorney General.

The current Maryland Code and Rules (without annotations) are available online, free of charge, through Lexis Nexis and Westlaw.  In addition, you can access the annotated Maryland Code and Rules online in the Law Library’s computer room through the Law Library’s subscriptions to Lexis and Westlaw legal databases.  If you are new to the Maryland Rules, the People’s Law Library has an online video tutorial on reading the Maryland Rules through Westlaw, which is available at http://www.screencast.com/t/My0FU44NZbwL.

The 2015 edition supersedes and replaces all previous editions and supplements.  Note that the Law Library maintains copies of the superseded Maryland Rules in its collection, so if you ever need to reference the superseded rules, please drop by the Law Library’s service desk, and we can assist you in locating the appropriate rules.