Library Information

Civil Rights Act at 60: Progress Made, But the Work Continues

This week we commemorate a significant milestone in American history: the sixtieth anniversary of the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Signed into law on July 2nd, 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, this landmark legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, signifying a giant step towards a more equitable society.

Beyond its immediate legal impact, the Act also symbolized a commitment to equality and dignity. The anniversary of the Act highlights both progress made and ongoing challenges, including racial inequality, economic disparity, and social justice issues that continue to influence national discourse and policy. The legacy of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 reminds us that the pursuit of equality is not a destination but an ongoing journey that requires vigilance, solidarity, and collective action.

Access to Lexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law for Recent Graduates

As you prepare for the bar exam, we wanted to remind you about the ways in which you can still benefit from The Mendik Library. For a summary of all resources, please visit our Student Services guide:

https://libguides.nyls.edu/studentservices/graduates

Recent law grads have access to Lexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law for a limited amount of time after you graduate. Please see the details below.

Lexis+

You do not need to do anything to be able to continue to use your law school Lexis account through December 31, 2024. Just use the same Lexis account log on credentials you used during law school. This access is intended to help you study for the bar, conduct your job search and become more efficient in Lexis+ research.

ASPIRE Program: The ASPIRE (Associates Serving Public Interest Research) program provides 12 months of free access to federal and state cases, codes, regulations, law reviews, Shepard’s Citation Service and Matthew Bender treatises to graduates who are engaged in verifiable 501(c)(3) public interest work. Graduates who apply to this program must work directly for a non-profit or charitable organization, and be able to provide documentation (e.g. email) from a supervisor of the same. Exclusions include government work (even if unpaid), work for a law firm (even if it represents a non-profit organization), and solo practice (even if it encompasses non-profit work). A 501(c)(3) organization is defined as one that is organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes. Graduates should receive a new Lexis+ ID about a week after they submit the completed application.

To apply for the ASPIRE program, please contact our LexisNexis representative, Nejat Bumin, Esq. (email: nejat.bumin@lexisnexis.com; 551-580-1920).

Note: Students who have changed their expected graduation date since they first created their NYLS account must contact LexisNexis Customer Service (800-45 LEXIS) to change their graduation date on the LexisNexis system.

Westlaw Grad Elite

Graduates have access to Thomson Reuters products, including Westlaw and Practical Law, for six-months after graduation by registering for Grad Elite access.

This will give you access to these Thomson Reuters products for 60-hours per month. While you cannot use these products in situations where you are billing a client, Thomson Reuters encourages you to use the tools to build your knowledge of the law and prepare for the bar exam. In addition, you get access to job searching databases on Westlaw and TWEN for 18-months after graduation for 1 hour a month. If you have any questions, please contact our Westlaw Account Manager Shawn Lopez (Shawn.Lopez@thomsonreuters.com)

Bloomberg Law

Bloomberg Law offers students unlimited and unrestricted access to their Bloomberg Law accounts for any purpose, anytime, anywhere, including for use over the summer. 2024 graduating students will retain unlimited and unrestricted access to their accounts through November 31, 2024.

Please contact the Reference Desk (212.431.2332; reference@nyls.edu) or sign into Microsoft Teams during Reference hours) if you need any assistance.

Reminder: Ramp Up Your Research Skills!

2024 Summer Research Challenge and Research Skills Workshops

This summer, take advantage of multiple opportunities to up your research game and learn more about tools you’ll need in practice through our popular Summer Research Challenge! Click here for details. Each virtual session begins at 6:00 p.m., with a short introduction to the research area, and then moves on to a concrete research problem where you need to efficiently identify the law bearing on your client’s situation. The sessions are two hours long and will wrap up with a discussion of results and strategies.

Attend whichever sessions most interest you, but researchers who successfully complete all four will receive a certificate signed by both Dean of Faculty William LaPiana and Associate Dean & Library Director Camille Broussard recognizing this achievement. It’s a great practical skill certification for your resume.

May 29: Researching Congressional Documents: Statutes and Legislative History
June 5: Navigating the Regulatory Maze: Research in Administrative Law
June 12: Research on the Road to Trial: Experts, Juries, Discovery and More
June 26: Legal Research for Transactional Lawyers

For more information and to register, click here. Select the sessions you would like to register for and you will be taken to the registration page.

Research Skills Workshops
In addition to the Summer Research Challenge, we will also be offering our regular Research Skills Workshops. These virtual sessions are intended to give pointers on how to handle research situations you might face this summer. The workshops are 30 minutes long and will be offered on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5:15 p.m. from June 4 through June 27, 2024. To register, click this link. Select the sessions you would like to register for and you will be taken to the registration page.

If you cannot view the contents of this email, please click here.

Reminder: Course Registration: Why Legal Research

Among the most important skills all lawyers rely upon is the ability to do legal research–to find what’s needed to analyze and interpret legal issues. It’s an integral part of the Student Learning Outcomes that NYLS has adopted. Effective research skills are vital to students engaged in any type of legal writing, to those who are clerking or participating in externships, and to those entering legal practice.

To help prepare you for the realities of law practice, we offer several courses that will make you a more efficient, confident and successful researcher. Click here to read what other                  students have said about these classes.

Legal Research: Practical Skills (1 credit)

Builds on fundamental research skills through refining students’ techniques, introducing shortcuts and new approaches, and developing effective strategies. The course focuses on finding legislation, administrative materials, and related cases; using the secondary sources relied on by practitioners; attaining greater proficiency and comfort with Lexis, Westlaw, Bloomberg, and other online research tools, including reliable free and low-cost sources. We also offer this class with a focus on a particular substantive practice area, including Corporate & Business Law; Criminal Law; Family Law; Intellectual Property Law; Real Estate Law; and Labor & Employment Law.

For the Fall ’24 semester we are offering Legal Research: Practical Skills (5 remote Saturday classes) and Legal Research: Criminal Law (7 weekday classes, in-person).

For the Spring ’25 semester we are offering Legal Research: Practical Skills (5 remote Saturday classes) and Legal Research: Labor & Employment Law (7 weekday classes, in person).

Legal Research: Skills for the Digital World (3 credits)

Continues to build on the fundamentals described in Legal Research: Practical Skills. Students concentrate on more advanced techniques and strategies and learn to evaluate online and print materials in order to choose the best and most cost-effective source for projects. Some assignments are geared to students’ individual subject interests. Take-home assignments test and enhance students’ ability to perform various research tasks and strengthen their understanding of important research process and strategy consideration. This class will be offered only during the Spring ‘25 semester.

Want more information? Contact Associate Dean and Professor Camille Broussard or Professor Michael Roffer.

Summer Access to Lexis, Westlaw, Bloomberg Law and other databases

Congratulations on getting through exams! As you get ready to start your summer employment, we wanted to remind you of your access to Lexis, Westlaw, Bloomberg Law and other subscription databases. Westlaw access for continuing students includes some restrictions. Here’s the specific information for each database. You can also visit our Student Services guide.

LEXIS

Students will automatically have free unlimited use of their law school Lexis+ ID this summer. This includes workplace related research (but check with your employer first; many firms prefer summer associates use a firm-issued Lexis ID for client confidentiality or billing purposes). If you have any questions, please contact our account manager, Nejat Bumin (email: nejat.bumin@lexisnexis.com).

WESTLAW

You can use Thomson Reuters products, including Westlaw, Practical Law, and Drafting Assistant, over the summer for non-commercial research. You can turn to these resources to gain understanding and build confidence in your research skills, but you cannot use them in situations where you are billing a client. Examples of permissible uses for your academic password include the following:

  • Summer coursework
  • Research assistant assignments
  • Law Review or Journal research
  • Moot Court research
  • Non-Profit work (either required for graduation or as part of a class)
  • Clinical work
  • Externship sponsored by the school

If you have any questions, please contact our Westlaw Account Manager Shawn Lopez (email: Shawn.Lopez@thomsonreuters.com).

BLOOMBERG LAW

You may continue to use your Bloomberg Law account for any purpose. If you haven’t already signed up for a Bloomberg Law account, go to www.bloomberglaw.com and click on “Academic Registration” (you must use your NYLS email).

For assistance using Bloomberg Law, students and graduates continue to have free access to the 24/7 Help Desk at (888) 560-2529 or help@bloomberglaw.com. You can also contact our Bloomberg Law Relationship Manager, Stefanie Schuette (email: sslavens@bloombergindustry.com)

OTHER DATABASES

Continuing students have full access over the summer to many other subscription resources.

You’ll need to login with your NYLS network password. If you need HeinOnline, Law360, Proquest Congressional or most other databases, you’re all set!

QUESTIONS? Please contact the Reference Desk with any questions about summer access, or any other research related questions over the summer:

T 212.431.2332

E reference@nyls.edu

Chat With the Reference Desk

Log in to Microsoft Teams with your NYLS network ID, and use Microsoft Web App to connect.