“Driverless Car Law”: Another New Legal Field?

As we noted last week in our post about “drone law”, advancing technology presents both new challenges and new opportunities for lawmakers and attorneys. Another such challenging field may be in the area of vehicular laws and driverless automobiles. Read a brief article on the latter topic here.


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Finding Study Guides

In addition to CALI lessons online, you can find some great study guides and study aids--such as the Examples & Explanations series, flash cards, CD's, and more--at the Law Library.  Many of the Library's study aids are kept on reserve at the Circulation Desk and circulate for 3-hour periods; others are found in the main stacks.  Finding the right study aid for a 1L or advanced course is easy with "Study Guides," one of the research guides on the Library website.  The "Study Guides" research guide organizes these resources by both subject and series, including some online and media series.  Print copies of "Study Guides" are kept at the Reference Desk handout rack for students' convenience.

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Law360 - hot off the press legal news

Want to know what is happening "right now" in the legal world?  Then check-out Law360.  In the legal profession, information is the key to success. You have to know what’s happening with clients, competitors, practice areas, and industries. Law360 provides the intelligence you need to remain an expert and beat the competition.

You can access this resource through the Law Library's website.

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State and Local Government Code Resources: Municode.com

Are you interested in a source that provides state and local codes for the fifty states?  Try Municode.com, this free sources provides 3,100 online codes covering various cities, counties, towns, villages across the United States. You can browse by state and the results can be easily viewed on desktop, tablet, and mobile.
To access Municode.com:

• Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
• Click the "State and Local Government"
• Scroll down to "Municode.com"

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Words, words, words

Words - they are the tools of the trade as attorneys.  What a word means - a.k.a. its definition - can be crucial whether you are drafting an agreement or litigating a dispute.

For those who want the latest technology, Black's Law Dictionary now has an iphone and iPad app.  (It costs $55). You can also access Black's on Westlaw (no charge).

On Lexis, you can access Ballantine's Law Dictionary (no charge).

On Bloomberg Law you can access Barron's Law Dictionary (no charge).

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Drone Law: An Emerging Field?

Technology advances, and the law must keep current with it. See, for instance, this article about recent legislation in California regarding trespass laws and their applicability to drones.


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Research Resources

The Law Library provides helpful online research guides, all created specifically for Hofstra Law students by our librarians. 

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CALI.org -- Interactive Tutorials for Law Students

Now that classes are underway, and you've been introduced to new subjects and concepts, it's a good time to think about study aids. The interactive tutorials known as CALI Lessons are some of the best.  Over 950 of these tutorials, written by law professors for law students, are free to all Hofstra Law students who register at the CALI.org site. CALI Lessons cover both 1L and more advanced courses.  They focus on specific concepts and topics within legal subject areas, and some are written to correspond to particular casebooks.

And there's more. The CALI.org site offers free legal e-books on many subjects.  Among these is "Law School Materials for Success," a brief guide to the transition process we know as the law school experience, written by law school dean Barbara Glesner Fines with accompanying podcasts on key skills for studying and taking exams.

Registering on the CALI site is easy, but a special code is required. Just stop by the Law Library reference desk and ask for the Hofstra school code.    

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1L Law Library Survival Guide: Types of Legal Materials

1L Law Library Survival Guide:  Types of Legal Materials
 
This research guide explains the resources, both print and electronic, in a law library for a new law student. There are brief explanations of the types of legal resources that a law student is likely to encounter for research and exam preparation.

While this is written with the 1L student in mind, upper level students may find it useful as a quick refresher.  
 
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ABA Journal-How to conquer anxiety and break the ice during professional events (podcast with transcript)

Networking as law students and attorneys is a crucial part of keeping oneself in the job market.  It is not only important in finding new job opportunities but also getting your brand out in the market as well.  But does it give you social anxiety thinking about networking at big events? ABA Journal recently published a podcast (with transcript) by business development coach Larry Kohn.  The podcast provides tips for overcoming anxiety when networking at events.  Click here to access the complete podcast and transcript.

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