by Robyn Hagle
Most of us know that Google is smart enough to customize or personalize results based on past search activity. This is true whether you have a Google account or not. In doing this, Google looks at past searches you’ve done and results you’ve clicked. This can be useful if the majority of what you do on Google is business or legal related research. Sometimes I think this helps me get better results (and find what’s actually being asked for) more efficiently than our attorneys. Google keeps getting smarter the more I use it. Continue reading 'Turning off Google Personalization'»
by Mary Whisner from Gallagher blogs
Ah, the office holiday party. At best, an awkwardly enjoyable fishbowl of free booze and treats on the company dime; at worst, a festival of liability that presents an open invitation to inappropriate canoodling,
drunken slurs, and unwanted advances amongst employees, any one of whom might one day quit and sue you for fostering a hostile work environment, citing events that occurred one fine December evening when everyone was “supposed to be” having a good time.
Catherine Dunn, Reducing Holiday Liability with ‘The Company Party Checklist’, Corporate Counsel (law.com), Dec. 14, 2011.
by Kristine Lloyd
For those of you who know me, I heart free stuff. A $20 Groupon for a $40 meal. Even if it’s gruel, I’m there! A free facial. Rub my face raw. That’s just fine. It’s free! I love training new associates on PACER, especially the “wait, there’s more” part when I tell them that it’s only $.08 per page (though it’s going up to a whopping $.10 in April), with a cap at $2.40!
It’s painful to have to pay exorbitant prices for the legal research we do, but honestly, some of the free sites just aren’t that great. For years, the US Code at the GPO’s site was a listless blob of stultified code sections. Thankfully, somebody over there wised up and now the US Code has a new sleek look at a brand new site. Sit down for this one: there’s even a popular name table. In addition to the popular name table, you’ll find the Statutes at Large conversion table. But wait, there’s more. There’s even a cite checker. I searched for a section of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 that had been amended by the Dodd-Frank Act, and sure enough, those changes are included. When you look up a code section, there are even revision annotations. I am very impressed.
An advanced search feature even allows you to search down to a sections subpart. You’ll find a helpful page on the currency of the code, and some of the titles were last updated on November 12th. Certainly we’ll continue to use fee services to ensure the currency of statutes, but this is a great place to steer new associates looking for ways to save their clients a buck.
by Susan Schulkin
Just like libraries and librarians, federal judges often have their own preferred procedural practices. A new Westlaw database (DRFCTG) includes the full text of the Directory of Federal Court Guidelines, a district-by-district publication of biographical information about all sitting federal judges. Most interestingly, it also includes detailed procedural practice conventions mandated by individual judges — on matters such as discovery, scheduling conferences, voir dire, marking of exhibits, and jury participation. Next time you’re asked for background information on a federal judge, be sure to check this out!
by Stina McClintock 
When I was 18, I went to Disneyland for the first time. It was one of those “I just graduated from high school! I’m going to Disneyland!” commercial celebratory moments, much like when Peyton Manning wins the Superbowl or Kim Kardashian dominates the cover of every single celebrity gossip magazine at the newsstands in the same week. And while I had a good time, I had to wait a whole decade to go to what I would consider the happiest place on the earth: The United State Supreme Court.
Yep, you read that right. I have a not-so-secret love of the Supreme Court. And I indulge my love openly at work (under the guise of “professional reading”) by reading the SCOTUSblog on a daily basis. So it was to my great delight to see that the site has been revamped just in time for the 2011-2012 court season. Now sponsored by Bloomberg Law, the new site layout still features the court daily calendar and a round-up of court news, along with new features to the site such as a beefed up “community” page for online discussion of the high court and law in general. Also, the site will now feature more commentary and case summaries from legal experts, as opposed to law students.
And for those of you keeping score, the Court has granted 49 total petitions so far this October Term, but one was dismissed under Rule 46 soon after it was granted, so you will want to use 48 as the total if you are like me and keep a score sheet.
by Robyn Hagle
Last Tuesday, I attended the WSBA sponsored course “Google Powered Law Office.” I’m always a little skeptical about how worthwhile Google classes are for me as the instructor of two advanced Google classes at my firm. I’ve been using advanced Google search functionality since the start of library school (now 8 years ago)! How much more is there to learn? How often does Google make changes to their core search functionality (not just their menus or page layout)? Turns out, at least half the day was very worth my while. I learned a number of new tips I’m happy to share with you. I’ll also throw in a few of my favorite tips as well. Continue reading 'You think you know Google? I doubt you know all of this!'»
Health matters may not be the first thing that springs to mind when considering law librarian roles and tasks. Yet we know better, health research is by no means unexpected and often turns up, depending on the needs of our patrons, professors, or practice groups. State and Federal health laws are in flux as are the cases surrounding them. Staying apprised of new developments can be tricky. The latest trick comes from the reigning system for health condition categorization, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. The impending October 2013 shift from ICD-9 to ICD-10 will be a million dollar (if not billion dollar) wrangle with implementation and compliance. Getting it right will be expensive but getting it wrong will undoubtedly be more expensive.
The Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch details online training to assist with the coding changes. The WSJ highlights Health Care Compliance Strategies as they leap into the ICD-10 effort with a digital library, offering training within a range of ICD-10 subjects. As 2013 approaches we can expect to see other health care education companies throw their materials into the ring. We can also expect to see local seminars and programs popping up with some frequency. Lastly, the adoption of ICD-10 also means that our libraries will have to buy another large reference book.
by Stina McClintock
While watching the American Event of the Century (aka Kim Kardashian’s wedding on E!) over the weekend, I saw an ad for MyLife.com and decided to do some investigating. After about an hour of exploring the landscape of MyLife.com, I was reminded just how powerful the Internet is in tracking down individuals. And maybe this isn’t always a good thing.
One of the questions that people ask in the Skiptracing class that we teach here in the library is, “How can I make it so people can’t find me?” With hundreds of people search databases, removing your name and personal data from the Internet is a tedious task. Thankfully, there are companies out there that can help. One company named Reputation Defender (RD) has been doing the business that many frustrated people are trying to accomplish: remove personal information from the Internet with automated process and continuously monitor personal information on a daily basis. Continue reading 'I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me'»
by Erin Hoffrance
I recently stumbled upon an article written for summer associates on research success. While reading these tips I thought that they could apply to newer law librarians too. Titled “Observations for Summer Research Success”, written by Shawn G. Nevers of J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, this short paper provides several tips that I have found useful in my life and for summer associates.
Continue reading 'Research Tips and Reminders for Newer Law Librarians'»
by Kerry Fitz-Gerald
Recently, a former student forwarded me an article about advanced Google search techniques. In his email he noted that he didn’t use Google for research because of privacy concerns, but thought I might find the article of interest.
I was, I confess, more interested in his comment about privacy. I regularly teach my students that it can be very cost-effective to start their research in Google Scholar’s case law search, but I’d never thought about the privacy angle before. Was this just paranoia or was there something to this?
Coincidentally, just two days later, my SSRN notifications pointed me towards an article on this very issue: When to Research is to Reveal: the Growing Threat to Attorney and Client Confidentiality from Online Tracking, by Anne Klinefelter, 16 Virginia Journal of Law & Technology No. 1 (2011). After reading this article, I realized that my student may be right to be concerned, though the threat seems so amorphous it’s hard to get my head around.
Continue reading 'Client Confidentiality and Online Searching'»
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