Summer 2017 Database Access

Continuing Students:

Westlaw: Law students automatically have their passwords extended for summer use with no additional steps required on the student’s part. During the summer, students will receive 180 hours of Westlaw usage per month which can be used for non-commercial purposes. Non-commercial purposes includes school-related work, law review, writing competitions, moot court, research assistant positions, and unpaid internships or externships.

Lexis Advance: No registration for summer access is required if students already have an ID. Continuing students will have free and unlimited Lexis Advance access this summer. There are no restrictions.

Bloomberg Law: All registered students will have unlimited access during the summer.

Graduating Students:

Westlaw: Graduating law students will begin to see a pop-up message whenever they log into lawschool.westlaw.com prompting them to agree to the Grad Elite program three months before their graduation date. Once the student agrees on the pop-up, they will be enrolled in the Grad Elite program. The pop-up will continue to appear whenever the student logs into lawschool.westlaw.com until the student accepts enrollment in Grad Elite. Students who register for Grad Elite will have 60 hours of access per month to Westlaw for six months after graduation to be used for non-commercial purposes.

Lexis Advance: Lexis Advance offers six months of access to their database for 6 months after graduation. Access is preserved automatically – no additional action is required. Students going into public interest law, may register for the Lexis ASPIRE program, which provides 12 months of free access for graduates engaged in verifiable 501(c)(3) public interest work. For more information go to: https://www.lexisnexis.com/grad-access/

Bloomberg Law: Graduating students will have unlimited access for 6 months following graduation.

2016 Graduate Database Access

We know our May 2016 graduates are busy with wrapping up their last law school finals and preparing for the bar exam. However, beginning that first position as an attorney is just around the corner, and before you go from Touro Law,  you need to know what the policies are for using your student access to the major legal research databases after you graduate. Here are the policies:

Bloomberg Law:

Graduating students have full access to their Bloomberg Law accounts for six months after their graduation date.  Your access is preserved automatically – no additional action is required.

 

Lexis Advance:

Lexis Advance offers six months of access to their database after graduation.  Your access is preserved automatically – no additional action is required.  For more information, please use the following link: https://www.lexisnexis.com/grad-access/.

 

Westlaw:

Westlaw offers a program called “Grad Elite.”  After registering with the program, students are granted limited access to Westlaw for six months after graduation.  To enroll in Grad Elite, log-in at www.westlaw.com and click the graduate extension banner, which is currently entitled "Grads - Want More Westlaw?"

~ Compiled by Reference Librarian Isaac Samuels

Summer 2016 Database Access Policies

Summer's almost here! Before you start your externship, internship, clerkship, or summer employment, you need to know the policies regarding any work you do for your employer in each legal research database, which are set forth below. For academic work over the summer, the policies that are in effect for your study during the academic year still apply.

Remember, if you need assistance with a research assignment, contact a Reference Librarian. We're always here to help you with your research, and not just for your classes.

Bloomberg Law:

Students may use their Bloomberg Law accounts as normal throughout the summer. There are no restrictions based on the nature of your summer placement (private firm, government, study abroad, etc.) and no special steps to enable summer access. Please remember that, while you are able to use your Bloomberg Law account, your employer may prefer that you use their organization’s account for billing purposes.


Lexis Advance:

Students may use their Lexis Advance accounts as normal throughout the summer. There are no restrictions based on the nature of your summer placement (private firm, government, study abroad, etc.) and no special steps to enable summer access. Please remember that, while you are able to use your law school Lexis Advance ID, your employer may prefer that you use a Lexis Advance ID issued by the organization. Please defer to your employer.


Westlaw:

In order to use your Westlaw account over the summer, you must request permission from West to “extend” your password. Additionally, you may only use your Westlaw account for “Academic Purposes.” This includes, but is not limited to, summer law school classes, Law Review/Journal/Moot Court, projects for professors, and some not for profit/pro bono internships. For detailed information, and to request a password extension, please log-in at www.westlaw.com and click the summer extension banner.

~ Compiled by Reference Librarian Isaac Samuels

Spring 2016 Courtesy Policies Reminder

24/6+ Library Access for Touro Law Students has begun! We encourage everyone to come and study in the library, and we hope that you'll stay and use these extended hours to your benefit. We also want everyone to feel welcome and accomplished here, so the following are just a few reminders about our courtesy policies to keep in mind during the reading period for finals:

Noise: Please be mindful that courtesy is contagious, and that noise travels. The entire library is a silent student area, except the area around the circulation desk, reference office, and the study rooms, where quiet conversation (i.e., at whisper level) is permitted. If someone asks you to stop talking or to take it down a notch, please be courteous to them. If you have a continued noise problem, please contact circulation or reference, and we will come and see if we can help. You can stop in circulation or reference at any time to talk to us. You can also email us at libraryreference@tourolaw.edu.

Unattended Items: Please do not leave items unattended to reserve a table, couch, study room, computer station, etc. Unattended items may be taken by security.

Cell phones: Cell phones are fine for texting, but talking on your cell phone really disturbs students who are studying. Please make and take your calls outside the library.

Food: Only light snacks, in snack-size portions, and drinks (non-alcoholic) with lids are allowed. Meals (e.g., sandwiches, salads, pizza, hot foods) are not permitted in the Library. As a general rule: if a reasonable person would eat the item for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or would use a knife, fork and/or spoon to eat the item, then you cannot eat the item in the library. Anything that you can order from a restaurant or drive-up window is not allowed in the library. Students who bring in food other than snacks and beverages in closed containers may eat the food in the MFMR, but will be expected to clean up after use. The MFMR may not be used for studying.

Furniture: All library furnishings, including tables, chairs and decorative wall hangings may not be moved or removed. Please no feet on furniture.

Sleeping: Air mattresses, pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, mattress pads and camping equipment are not allowed.

For complete library hours visit our Hours Webpage.

Good luck with your final exams! If there's anything we can do for you, please speak to a librarian or library staff member. We're happy to help!

Fall Semester Final Exam Study Hours

Effective Monday, November 16th through the end of final exams (Wednesday, December 23rd, 2015), The Gould Law Library will be open around the clock to Touro Law students only, except for:

• Friday afternoon-Saturday morning, in observance of the Jewish Sabbath. The library will close Fridays at 2:45 p.m. and will reopen Saturdays at 10 a.m. (Saturday access is subject to special conditions: Touro ID required, special access door, no food); and

• Thanksgiving. The Library will be closed Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26th. The Library will be open as a study hall only (no services) on Friday, November 27th from 7 a.m.- 3 p.m. 

With these exceptions, the library will remain open 24 hours a day through the end of final exams. Library services will not be available during the overnight period and on Saturdays, although a security guard will be on duty. The entire library (except for the Circulation Desk, the Reference Office, and enclosed study rooms) will be a quiet zone to maximize available study space.

Access during overnight periods is for the Library only. Students will not be permitted anywhere else in the building, except that during overnight periods, students may make brief trips to the Concourse to access their lockers or use the vending machines, but must return promptly. Use of recreational equipment in the Concourse is prohibited on overnights. No Concourse access of any kind is permitted on Saturdays.

We wish all of our students the best with their final exams!

Summer Reading for New Law Students

Welcome back for the summer semester to all of our continuing students - and welcome to all of our 1Ls starting this summer! We hope all of our students are beginning a wonderful and educational summer. We're also looking forward to welcoming 1Ls in August. We can't wait to meet you!

For our 1Ls - have you heard of the The Law School Guys?  One of the resources they offer is a list of recommended books to read when you begin law school. Two of the books on the list were written by Touro Law Center faculty, who clearly know their stuff. They are:


Mastering The Law School Exam: A Practical Blueprint For Preparing And Taking Law School Exams  - Call No. KF283 .D37 2007
By Professor and Director of Academic Development Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus
The law school exam can be a daunting prospect, and students can be unsure or overwhelmed in preparing for exams. Professor Kleinhaus takes the uncertainty out of the process by guiding you in “how to do it,” and “how to write it.”  Her book will help you along the way to learning how to “think like a lawyer” and also how to successfully bridge the gap from class to exam.




Bridging The Gap Between College And Law School: Strategies For Success - Call No. KF283 .S77 2014
By Touro Law Assistant Dean Charlotte D. Taylor & Ruta K. Stropus
Wondering how you can step up your game and translate your success in college to further success in law school?  Look no further.  This definitive guide will help you successfully navigate the educational terrain of law school, including how to take notes differently, prepare for class differently, and prepare for exams differently than you did in college.


We’ll post again soon.

In the meantime, keep calm and read on.

Print Library Resources for Bar Exam Study

The Gould Law Librarians have prepared a Lib Guide that provides an organized means of perusing the study aids available to you in our library. We have a page that links you to all of the print resources we have here in the library, both in the reserve room and in the main collection, to assist you in studying for the bar exam.

Visit our Circulation Desk – our Circulation Staff can help you find review books and outlines to assist with your bar preparation.

Our very own Professor Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus, Director of Academic Development and Bar Programs, has written two comprehensive, practical, and enormously helpful guides to the bar exam, which are available to you in our library:

ACING THE BAR EXAM : A CHECKLIST APPROACH TO TAKING THE BAR EXAM 

This book offers guidance on how to plan for your bar exam preparation while taking into consideration your lifestyle and your study goals. It further deconstructs the bar exam and the bar review course for you, providing helpful tips on how to practice both the essay questions and the multiple choice questions that you will face on the bar exam. There’s even advice on what to do when it’s all over.



THE NEW YORK BAR EXAM BY THE ISSUES 
Co-Authored with Associate Dean Myra Berman & John J. Cooney

This guide offers advice and counsel as to taking the New York Bar Exam, so that you pass the exam the first time. Helpful study plans, real advice about reading and writing the New York essays, and detailed preparation techniques for the New York State multiple choice are provided.


PASS THE BAR EXAM – AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
By Sara J. Berman

While not authored by Professor Darrow-Kleinhaus, this is also a very popular and helpful book to guide you through your preparation for the bar exam.




An upcoming post will provide you with resources on taking care of yourself during this intense study period – the home stretch before you are a practicing, professional attorney.

In the meantime, keep calm and read on.