One-Stop Shopping for NY Court Info

The web site of the New York State Unified Court System at http://www.courts.state.ny.us offers one-stop shopping for New York court information. The site lists the various NY courts and details the types of cases handled by each. A court directory provides locations, phone numbers, and directions. Court rules, full text of recent decisions, and court administration information also is provided. The judicial directory provides short profiles of each judge. A separate section of the site provides guidance to self-represented litigants, including court forms, filing fees, and an attorney referral page. The “How Do I?” page offers further guidance, as does a selection of court publications. The site also supplies a directory of public law libraries around the state and a collection of links for further legal research. Some court information is provided in multiple languages (for example, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish).

Finding the Law

Here's another recommendation for the intrepid legal researcher:

Finding the Law (12th edition) by Robert C. Berring and Elizabeth A. Edinger
St. Paul, MN: Thomson West, 2005
ISBN: 0-314-14579-6

Call number in the Gould Law Library:
KF240 .C538 2005

Locations: Reserve, Main Collection

This popular book, now in its 12th edition, was written by two librarians from Boalt Hall at the University of California, Berkeley. It covers all the basics of legal research - reporters, codes, legislative history, administrative publications, court rules, and search strategy. Librarians commonly use this book in tandem with the previously mentioned Fundamentals of Legal Research. If a detail is missing from one of the books, the other usually fills the gap. Finding the Law is highly recommended for Legal Process students or those enrolled in an advanced legal research course.

Legal Research in a Nutshell

Another helpful quick reference source is Legal Research in a Nutshell (9th edition) by Morris L. Cohen and Kent C. Olson. The Nutshell provides a solid introduction to the basics of legal research, such as primary and secondary sources, legislative and administrative research, and foreign and international sources. The book is frequently used as a reserve reading for first-year legal research classes or as a training manual for law librarians. A copy is available on Reserve at the library's circulation desk. The call number is KF240 .C54 2007.

Another Expert Legal Research Source

Fundamentals of Legal Research (8th edition) by Roy M. Mersky and Donald J. Dunn is another weapon in the arsenal of the advanced legal researcher. This volume is used regularly by the professional reference librarians at the Gould Law Library. The guide provides very detailed assistance in locating legislative history, international law, and administrative law, along with the expected cases, statutues, and constitutions. Ask for a Reserve copy at the library's circulation desk. The call number is KF240 .J32 2002.

Westlaw and LexisNexis Training for First-Year Law Students

Westlaw training for first-year law students begins on Sunday morning, September 21. Sign onto Westlaw with your personal ID and password (which you created with the activation code distributed during orientation). Then click on "Training Calendar" under the heading "Support" next to the photo of Adriana Mark, our Westlaw representative. Multiple times are available to accommodate your busy schedules. Remember to sign the attendance sheet at your session so that your Legal Process professor knows that you attended a mandatory session.

LexisNexis group training sessions ended on this Friday. To schedule a make-up session, contact our LexisNexis representative, Natasha Dasani. Just sign onto Lexis Nexis using your personal ID and password (which you created with the activation code distributed during orientation). Then, click on "My School." The contact information for Natasha will appear on the screen.

Links to the law school portals of Westlaw and LexisNexis are available on the library's homepage at http://www.tourolaw.edu/library. The law school portals will take you directly to the information you need as a law student researcher. You may wish to bookmark the library's web page or to place an icon on your desktop for easy access. Happy searching!

New York Legal Research: An Expert Tip

Do you have a question about New York legislative history? New York administrative decisions? Other hard-to-find New York legal minutiae? The experts consult Gibson’s New York Legal Research Guide (3d edition, 2004) by William H. Manz. First published in 1988, this book contains instructions for locating myriad types of New York legal information, supplemented with historical background. The Gould Law Library has copies on Reserve at KFN5074 .G53 2004. Also, remember to utilize our web page of helpful links to New York legal information at http://www.tourolaw.edu/library/internet_resources/index.asp.

Reference Office Implements Meebo Chat

The Reference Office recently has implemented Meebo chat, a new way for Touro law students and faculty to ask reference librarians for assistance with research projects. Visit the library's homepage at http://www.tourolaw.edu/library. Click on the link labeled "Chat with the Reference Staff." Then, type your query into the Meebo chat box. Reference queries will be answered through Meebo during regular reference hours. If the reference staff is unavailable, feel free to contact us by email at LibraryReference@tourolaw.edu. The next librarian on duty will respond to your question. Similarly, you may reach the Reference Office at 631.761.7160.