Summer Updates – For Our Incoming Students

It’s a busy time here at the Gould Law Library. We’re getting ready for orientation for our new 1Ls and looking forward to welcoming all of our students to the library in the Fall with legal research instruction and library services that will help all of you succeed in law school.  We cannot wait to meet our incoming students at Orientation!

Have you heard of the The Law School Guys? They run a website that is made for those going through the exciting yet stressful process of applying to law school, and for those in the equally exciting yet equally stressful process of getting through law school.

One of the resources they offer is a list of recommended books to read before you get here. 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
By Professor and Director of Academic Development & Bar Programs Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus

The law school exam can be a daunting prospect. 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 learn how to successfully bridge the gap from class to exam. 

Bridging The Gap Between College And Law School : Strategies For Success
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, now in its 3rd edition, will help you successfully navigate the educational terrain of law school. 

When you're in the Library during Orientation, please feel free to take a look at these books, available in our print collection.

We’re looking forward to welcoming you all back in the Fall. We’ll be back to post again when the Fall Semester begins.

In the meantime, keep calm and read on.

Summer Updates - Legal Fiction

We know all of you are busy working and studying, making the summertime an essential part of your overall legal education. However, it is still summer, and if you have some down time at the beach or the pool (or even indoors in the air-conditioning), we thought we’d suggest some riveting and interesting legal fiction for you to check out.

Each year, the University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal jointly award one book the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction; the winner is the work “that best exemplifies the role of lawyers in society.” The 2014 winner will be announced on August 28th, as the winning book will be honored on that day at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Check out these past (and possibly future) winners of the award:

Ronald H. Balson’s Once We Were Brothers

Finalist for 2014 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction

This book won the largest percentage of votes in this year's readers' choice online poll, which is one of the factors considered in determining the winner for the year.

Paul Goldstein’s Havana Requiem

Winner of the 2013 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction

This book was last year's highly acclaimed winner, and also received the highest number of votes in the readers' choice poll for 2013.

William Landay’s Defending Jacob

Runner-Up for the 2013 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction

This book came in a very close second in last year's readers' choice online poll, coming in second by only ten votes.

Have you read any of these books? Come by the reference office and let us know – we’d love to chat with you about it! Of course, you can always read the book that inspired it all, and inspires us still:

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird

We’ll post again soon with some more interesting reads.

In the meantime, keep calm and read on.

Summer Updates – Books for Current Law Students

How is your summer going? We hope all of our students are having a wonderful and educational summer. No matter where you are in your legal education and preparation for entry to the bar, you may be curious about what your future career in the law has in store for you. Here are two new, very popular books that provide insight on what to expect in your career:

Tomorrow’s Lawyers: An Introduction to Your Future 

Author:                                Richard Susskind

Call Number:                       K120 .S87 2013

Publication Date:                2013

Review:                               ABAJournal (March 27, 2013)        

The Good Lawyer

Author:                                Douglas O. Linder & Nancy Levit

Call Number:                       K115 .L56 2014

Publication Date:                2014

Review:                                Book Reviews (June 2014)

We’ll post again soon with some more interesting reads about the study and the practice of law.

In the meantime, keep calm and read on.

Bloomberg Law - Advice for Your Summer Employment

Bloomberg Law is offering a host of articles and videos to help you succeed at your summer employment, whether you’re working at an externship, in a volunteer position, or working for an organization, a firm or an attorney as a summer associate.

Log on to your Bloomberg Law account, and scroll down to the box on the left entitled “Summer Associate Survival Tips.” There you will find links to their Summer Associate video series, Summer Associate writing tips, and a series of articles with advice on how to make your summer employment a beginning step in a successful career.

We’ll be back to post with some suggestions for your summer reading list.

In the meantime, keep calm and read on.

Summer Updates - For Grads Working in Public Service - Lexis ASPIRE Program

If you are a recent graduate who is employed by a non-profit, charitable, or public service organization, Lexis has a program tailored just for you.  You're eligible to apply for a special Lexis user I.D. and password through the LexisNexis ASPIRE program – The Graduate ID for Public Service.

LexisNexis allows May 2014 graduates who are employed by eligible non-profit or charitable organizations to have free access to their Lexis account (with the same privileges and access available to them as a student) until September 1, 2015.

To request an ASPIRE ID, please go to http://www.lexisnexis.com/grad-access/. Be sure to read the application rules and ensure that your employer-organization meets all of the requirements. Once you sign up, you should receive a reply as to your eligibility for an ASPIRE ID in early July.

Of course, any May 2014 Grad may extend their Lexis Access until December 31, 2014, for free, as we blogged about in this post from earlier this summer.

We’ll be back to post with new summer updates soon.

In the meantime, keep calm and read on.