Better than Lexis and Westlaw???

There is much more out there than Lexis and Westlaw (and Google) for your research.  Many attorneys and scholars use specialized topical databases to target their area of interest.  How can you do the same?  Go to the Library's Online Resources page, choose your topic of interest and see what we have available.  You will find databases specializing in Tax, Health, Commercial and Corporate and many other topics.

And, of course, if you are not sure where to go, ask your favorite Reference Librarian!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Megaupload Meets Godzilla?

Read Thomson Reuters legal columnist Alison Frankel’s interesting take on the recent accusations of racketeering and criminal copyright infringement against the file sharing site Megaupload here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New Google Privacy Policy

Yesterday Google announced on the Official Google Blog and via email notices that it was changing its privacy policies, effective March 1, 2012.  One general privacy policy covering most of its products will replace the more than 70 privacy documents existing today.

A main objective behind the new policy, as stated in the announcement, will be to "[make] clear that, if you're signed in", Google "may combine information you've provided from one service with information from other services."  In other words, Google will combine information gathered from different products your may have used (for example, Gmail, Google Docs, Google+ posts, shared photos, and calendars) and "treat you as a single user across all our products."  This permits Google to offer its new feature, "Search Plus Your World," described in a previous post. Google is also simplifying matters by revising its Terms of Service, also posted now but effective March 1.

Is this just simplification, just service, or just scary?  The media and the lawmakers are already weighing in on that question, as explained here by Mark Hachman of PCMag.com.  Whatever your personal take on the new Google policies and features may be, it's good to be informed. 

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Contract Law Karaoke

Starting with Chicken in a Contract (Frigaliment Importing Co v BNS International Sales), tap your foot and listen to more songs from classic cases of first-year contract law by visiting R.B. Craswell's Contract Songs"  Hat tip to Law Librarian Blog.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

World Justice Project: Rule of Law Index

New link added to our online resources!  The Rule of Law Index is a new quantitative assessment tool designed by The World Justice Project to offer a detailed and comprehensive picture of the extent to which countries adhere to the rule of law in practice.  The index provides detailed information and original data on nine dimensions of the rule of law:

Limited Government Powers
Absence of Corruption
Order and Security
Fundamental Rights
Open Government
Effective Regulatory Enforcement
Access to Civil Justice
Effective Criminal Justice
Informal Justice

It may be found on the law library's website under "online resources" - "Foreign/Comparative Law".

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

ABA Journal Blawg 100

Blogs are a great tool to keep up-to-date on the latest legal news and events.  Recently, the ABA Journal published an article highlighting 100 blogs that every lawyer should read (or be familiar with) to keep apprise on the latest legal information. The journal compiled the list of the top 100 law blogs in twelve categories using nominations from fellow attorneys. Click here for the entire list.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Is your JD a good investment?

That very question was asked late last year in TaxProf blog .  In the post there is some serious number crunching to help you answer that question.  Definitely worth a read.

TaxProf blog is one of my favorite sources for discussion not only relating to taxes, but about law schools and legal education.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Freedom of Information Act

A brief reminder on a subject of perennial interest: There is an extensive guide to the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") available at The George Washington University's National Security Archive's Web page. The page contains the text of FOIA, and several guides that describe aspects of FOIA, including an explanation of how FOIA requests work

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Maples v. Thomas: A Cautionary Tale

Today the United States Supreme court decided a case that is both high profile and right on point for aspiring law students, at the intersection of constitutional law and professional responsibility.  Maples, an  Alabama death row inmate challenging his murder convictions on constitutional grounds (ineffective assistance of counsel) , was represented pro bono at the state level by two lawyers from a prominent New York Law firm. When the lawyers left that firm without notifying the Alabama court, the notice of the court's decision against their client ended up in the New York firm's mail room, where it was marked "Return to Sender." When it was returned, the Alabama court took no action.  Neither did the client's local Alabama attorney, so the filing date for a Notice of Appeal just passed by. After the attorneys and the courts shared the blame in the oral arguments presented to the Supreme Court justices, the often divided Court decided 7-2 that Maples had suffered "abandonment" by his attorneys and that his procedural default must be excused.  The opinion, which makes for good reading, is found here.  The briefs and case analysis can be found at SCOTUSblog.     

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Dot-Com, Dot-Org, Dot-?: ICANN Launches New gTLD Program

Move over .com, .gov, and .org top-level internet name space is about to get a bit more crowded.  The Internet Corporation for Assigned Numbers and Names (ICANN), the organization that oversees Internet domain names just rolled out a new program that will likely dramatically increase the number and kinds of domain names.

The new program  allows organizations to apply for a custom top-level domain (gTLD), for a fee of $185,000.  Currently, there are about 22 generic gTLDs, but an ICANN board resolution allows as many as 1,000 gTLDs per year that can be added to the Internet and there are many companies that are interested.  It has been reported that “ICANN expects that its plan will lead to the creation of several hundred new gTLDs, such as .canon, which Canon, the Japanese electronics company, has said it is seeking to register. Hitachi is another company that has said it will apply for its own gTLD. “

"Rod Beckstrom, president and CEO of ICANN, in a statement characterized the decision as a way to "unleash the global human imagination" and expressed the hope that "this allows the domain name system to better serve all of mankind."  However, in a recent interview, Dan Jaffe of the Association of National Advertisers warned “that this basically unlimited increase in top-level domains is going to impose enormous costs on business, costs that will basically mean that people will be buying their own trademarks to protect them against others who may harm them and it's going to be a serious problem for consumers.  . . . This is going to create enormous problems for those who try to monitor the Internet against Internet crime.”


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat