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.

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The Library will be closed on Saturday May 25 through Monday May 27, 2024 in observance of Memorial Day. Regular Library hours will resume on Tuesday May 28, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.

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.

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.

Below is the schedule for the Mendik Library’s hours of operation from Thursday, May 16 through Sunday August 18, 2024.

Due to stronger than expected demand for carrels this summer, we are no longer able to accommodate requests for carrels.  If you would like to put your name on a waiting list we will certainly let you know if any additional carrels become available. Please send an email to Chantelle James asking to be placed on the carrel waiting list.

Remember, there are many areas of the library that are conducive to bar study and we hope you take advantage of them.

 

The Mendik Library wishes all New York Law School students the very best of luck on your      upcoming exams. And remember that it’s never too late to check out our Exam Preparation Resources! 

 

Click on this photo for a virtual tour of the Mendik Library.

 

 

A Carrel to Call Your Own!

If you are an NYLS alum preparing for the Bar Exam, we invite you to reserve a library carrel on L3 or L4 for your own exclusive use from Thursday, May 16, through Monday, July 29, 2024—we’ll even put your name on it.

A library carrel can be your home away from home! Let it be your own personal study space while you gear up to rock the bar exam. Stop by and look around or visit our homepage and take a virtual tour. Just click on the photo above.

We will begin taking reservations on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. All you need to do is email Chantelle James at Chantelle.James@nyls.edu indicate by floor and carrel number which one you’d like to call your own. All carrels are labeled by floor and carrel number. For example, the first carrel on level L3 is labeled L3-C1, the second is labeled L3-C2; the first carrel on level L4 is labeled L4-C1, etc. Once you have sent your request, you will receive an e-mail confirming your reservation.

Don’t wait—get the study carrel of your choice. Beat the demand and check this off your list—reserve your carrel soon.

The Mendik Library is here to support you. We look forward to seeing you on a regular basis this summer.

 

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.