Author: michael roffer

Questions from Cupid

An early Happy Valentine’s Day from the Mendik Library! As a Valentine’s treat, here’s an easy opportunity to be entered into a drawing to WIN great study aids, texts and other prizes.  And did we mention chocolate?

Click here to access the Valentine’s Day Info Hunt – Questions from Cupid (use Internet Explorer for best results).  Each slide includes one question (there are only 6) and easy, step-by-step instructions. Press enter to reveal each step.  Click  here to access an answer sheet or pick up a copy at the Reference Desk. Either submit your completed answer sheet at the Reference Desk or e-mail it to reference@nyls.edu by 5:00 PM on Thursday, February 14. The drawing will take place outside the library entrance on February 14 at 5:40 PM. You need not be present to win, but an additional entry form will be added for each student who does attend!

Among the titles the winners will choose from are:

Corbin on Contracts
Payment Systems (Examples & Explanations)
Secured Transactions (Examples & Explanations)
Acing Criminal Law Procedures
Civil Procedure Stories
Criminal Law Stories
Foundations of Tort Law
Leading Constitutional Cases on Criminal Justice
Understanding Islamic Law
Legal Writing: Ethical and Professional Considerations
Interactive Citation Workbook for The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation
Basic Legal Research Workbook
Questions and Answers: Wills, Trusts, & Estates
Foundations of Labor and Employment Law
Plain English for Drafting Statutes and Rules
Federal Criminal Practice: A Second Circuit Handbook
Property (Examples & Explanations)

Getting Back in Gear

We know that many of you have been affected by the recent hurricane.  Returning to normal in difficult times is never easy.  The entire library staff wishes you well.  We are glad that we are back together and look forward to working with you to get back in gear.  Our librarians are here and ready to help you.  If you need help with passwords, databases, books or research projects, please let us know.

Note to 1Ls:  We are working with the Legal Practice program on additional possibilities for completing the required workshops.  You will be getting more information on that front soon.

And, just in case you needed a reminder:   remember to vote tomorrow, Tuesday!  Voting is a right.  It is a privilege.  And as lawyers, it is our duty!

Research Guide for Supreme Court Affirmative Action Case

Oral arguments are scheduled today (October 10) in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, 631 F.2d 213 (5th Cir. 2011), cert. granted, 132 S. Ct. 1536 (Feb. 21, 2012).  The case is a challenge to UT Austin’s consideration of race as a factor in undergraduate admissions and will be the first time the Court addresses affirmative action in higher education since Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 (2003).  The NYLS Racial Justice Project filed an amicus curiae brief in the case on behalf of the National Black Law Students Association. (See our previous post.)

The reference librarians of the Tarlton Law Library at the University of Texas have assembled a research guide for the case.  The guide includes the text of selected court documents filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court; news coverage and law review articles about the Fisher case; and some basic information on UT student body profiles and statistics since 2008.  Tarlton’s librarians will continue to follow the case and update the guide as new articles are published.

Haunted Halloween Hunt

Happy Halloween from the Mendik Library! As a Halloween treat, here’s your opportunity to be entered into a drawing to WIN one of more than a dozen valuable study aids and texts we will be giving away (see a sampling of titles below).

Click here to access the Haunted Halloween Hunt.  Each slide includes one question (there are only 5) plus helpful guidance on sources and steps to get you to the answer.  Press Enter to reveal each step in the research process and to move on to the next question.  Click here to access a PDF answer sheet (or pick up a copy at the Reference Desk) and submit your completed copy at the Reference Desk by 5 PM on Monday, October 31st to enter the drawing.

 

Among the titles winners will choose from are:

Reading like a Lawyer – Time-Saving Strategies for Reading Law like an Expert
Persuasive Written and Oral Advocacy
Guide to Legal Writing Style
Legal Writing and other Lawyering Skills
New York Practice Hornbook (Siegel)
The Question Presented:  Model Appellate Briefs
Winning an Appeal
Questions & Answers:  Evidence
Legal Interviewing and Counseling Nutshell