Learning the Law with LII
We recently wrote about how changes in the way Google reports traffic to websites like law.cornell.edu have given us the opportunity to revisit how we think about, and talk about, traffic. When we sat down last week to sift through the 7.4 million website sessions Google Analytics recorded for us in November, one of the first things we did was go to the “heaviest” of traffic days last month–November 29–to look for interesting use cases. What emerged amused us, and we thought you might enjoy hearing about it.
There weren’t any particularly compelling news headlines like a high-profile indictment, an important Supreme Court decision, or a political event of the type that often drive extra folks to our website. There was also no evidence that all the folks who use our site as part of their work in legal services, or any of the myriad regulated industries, or all levels of government, etc. were particularly active on a random Wednesday six days after Thanksgiving.
So, what was it? All signs point to law students flocking to the website to study for their final examinations. All that week, but especially that day, traffic in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure was busier than usual, and parts of Title 28 of U S Code like Sections 1332 (diversity jurisdiction), 1367 (supplemental jurisdiction), 1391 (venue), & 1446 (removal) were far busier than usual. Anyone with a law degree will recognize those topics as the fundamental concepts addressed in any good CivPro exam.
We always get a lot of mileage, especially within our home institution of Cornell Law School, in recounting all the ways we employ law students and expose them to the intersection of law and technology. But we don’t really talk too much about students as a segment of our user population. But they’re very much present, and sometimes we hear from them and those who teach them:
Thank you for providing much needed information for us law students and for the public at large!
A law student in Georgia
I have so much appreciation for what you do! LII is the first resource I turn to when I need to look at statutory text or regulations.
A law student in Washington, DC
I teach business law and find your site to be extremely helpful!
A law professor in Georgia
Most of my students go into solo or small firm practice. Having this resource is a life-saver for many of them because they cannot afford the various paid research services. But they still have clients who deserve justice.
A law professor in Texas
This website has been essential for my law school education!
A law student in Massachusetts
This was an invaluable resource when I was teaching, and I still consult it in retirement.
A retired law professor in Washington
I honestly do not know how I would be able to complete my weekly discussion posts and assignments without [LII].
An undergraduate legal studies major in Oregon
This website saved my [keester] more times than I care to admit in Law School and is an extraordinary research tool in the real world.
A lawyer in New York, NY (of course)
With any luck, we’ll keep saving the [keesters] of students, lawyers, and millions of others for many years to come.
