Each 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!
Effective writing skills are a must for any attorney, whether your practice is big or small, transactional or litigation. Bryan A. Garner, perhaps best known as the editor-in-chief of Black’s Law Dictionary, published an article with the ABA Journal with ten tips to improve your legal writing. Embedded in these legal writing tips are helpful legal research tips such as understanding the client’s problem (Tip #1) and not relying exclusively on computer research (Tip #2). My favorite tip is to proofread one more time than you think necessary (Tip #10). Mr. Garner suggests a dramatic, out loud reading as a proofreading technique, which I did for this blog post (although my dramatic reading was conducted in a whisper as I am working at the law library). Check out all ten tips at http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/10_tips_for_better_legal_writing!
If you are interested in learning more about improving your legal writing, these resources are available at the Law Library!
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 seehttp://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.
On Wednesday, February 4, 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 severance packages, foreclosure, garnishment, car titles, bankruptcy and unemployment. The next program date is Wednesday, February 11, 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/.
THOMAS is retiring! Launched in 1995 by the Library of Congress and named after Thomas Jefferson, one of the United States’s founding fathers, THOMAS is a great online database of federal legislative information. The specific date of THOMAS’s retirement has not yet been set, but expect THOMAS to retire after the 2015 fiscal year.
Introducing Congress.gov! Congress.gov is now the official website for federal legislative information and provides the public with access to both current and historic legislative information including bill summaries, bill status, presidential nominations, treaties, and committee reports. Note that the default search setting for Congress.gov is the current session of Congress. Common search options are available in a drop-down menu next to the main search box at the top of the webpage, and advanced search settings are available through the “Advanced” link to the right of the main search box. For more search tips, check out https://www.congress.gov/help/search-tips-overview.
Information is generally updated the morning after a session adjourns, and specific update schedules are available at https://www.congress.gov/about/coverage-dates. Every Monday, the website compiles a list of the top ten most-viewed bills from the previous week. This can be a great resource to quickly find a popular topic or get a sense of what is trending. Here are some highlights from the site.
You can save searches that you run on Congress.gov, but you will need to register with the website.
If you prefer THOMAS, until all data sets from THOMAS have been transferred to Congress.gov, you can still access THOMAS at http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php.
If you would like to learn more about Congress.gov or receive assistance in navigating the site, contact us at the Law Library, and we will be more than happy to assist you.
Legal research can be challenging, even for experienced attorneys; however, there are many resources available to assist both attorneys and non-attorneys with their legal research needs. The Legal Research in the Blogosphere series will share blog posts and online sites that legal researchers may find useful.
The American Bar Association (ABA) maintains a comprehensive directory of law blogs, which is available at http://www.abajournal.com/blawgs/. The blogs are organized by topic, author type, region, law school and courts. These blogs can be good resources for more specialized information as well as fun to read. In addition, the ABA maintains a blog “Hall of Fame” and annual rankings. Check them out to see if your favorite law blog made the list.
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 seehttp://circuitcourt.org/legal-help/lawyer-in-the-library.
On Wednesday, January 28, 2015, the Law Library hosted another successful Ask A Lawyer In The Library program. Thank you, Kemp Hammond from Baldwin, Kagan & Gormley, 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 unemployment, mortgages, requesting injunctions and civil procedure. The next program date is Wednesday, February 4, 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.
Here is a screen shot of the main page of the wiki.
In 2009, in response to the growing number of self-represented litigants in Anne Arundel County, the Law Library and the Pro Bono Committee of the Anne Arundel Bar Association collaborated to develop a wiki that serves as a guide to pro bono and self-help resources and referrals. The wiki facilitates the sharing of information for the administration and development of pro bono projects in Anne Arundel County by providing those in need of services and service providers with helpful resources. One of the many resources available on the wiki site is a directory of pro bono and reduced fee civil legal services. In addition, you can find family law resources, resources for unaccompanied homeless youth, and legal self-help centers.
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 seehttp://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.
Each 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.
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.
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.
*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.
Each 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!
AACPLL Blog: Law Library News 