Need to enhance your resume?  The Law Library Research Fellow program has an opening for a 2L or 3L Cornell Law School student.  Fellows conduct research for faculty who do not have their own research assistant, or who need additional help with a project.  Research Fellows’ hours are extremely flexible, and they have the same pay rate as research assistants working directly for faculty.  To apply, send your resume via email directly to Matt Morrison.

When the Winter Olympics started in 2010, the Law Library’s Pat Court wrote a helpful blog post on Olympics and the law, with many relevant links.  We realized that it was time for a few updates since the Summer 2012 Games start in London tonight.  The broken links in Pat’s post have been fixed.  For recent coverage of the Olympics, see the Quick Reference for London 2012, which examines trademarks for this year’s games; this update on drug testing; Slaw’s Guide to Sports and Olympic Games Law; the Peace Palace Library‘s research guide; and, just published today, The Laws Behind the London Olympics from the Law Library of Congress.

The Law Library is pleased to welcome Priya Rai, Deputy Librarian in Charge at the Justice T.P.S. Chawla Library, National Law University in Delhi, to Cornell Law School.

Ms. Rai’s visit is made possible through the Bitner Research Fellows Fund.  This endowment is designed to provide foreign law librarians with exposure to Cornell Law Library’s excellent resources and the expertise of its professional librarians, while learning about advanced legal research in a global context.

Ms. Rai will present at the faculty workshop on Wednesday, July 25, 12:00 Noon, in the Weiss Faculty Lounge.  Entitled “Access to Legal Information in the Digital Age: A Comparative Study of Electronic Commercial Databases and Public Domain Resource in Law,” her presentation will include the results of her research involving law students and faculty from leading law schools in India. In addition to comparing open access and commercial legal databases, she will discuss initiatives to promote access to legal information to all Indian citizens.

Ms. Rai is the 2012 recipient of the FCIL-SIS Schaffer Grant.   This grant provides financial assistance for a foreign law librarian to attend the American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting, which she will do immediately prior to visiting Cornell.

The Cornell Law Library is pleased to announce the 2012 recipients of The Cornell Law Library Prize for Exemplary Student Research:

First Place: Annexation of the Jury’s Role in Res Judicata Disputes: The Silent Migration from Question of Fact to Question of Law, by Steven Madrid, 2L

Steven Madrid focused his research on two hundred years of case law to uncover an historical development not currently identified in any secondary source.  Discerning the silent migration of the jury’s role in res judicata disputes from question of fact to question of law required performing the difficult research task of proving a negative – in this instance, proving the absence of cases overturning relevant precedent or otherwise affirmatively establishing res judicata disputes as a question of law.  Steven’s research was further challenged by the fact that current terminology, i.e. “res judicata,” “collateral estoppel,” “claim preclusion,” and “issue preclusion,” was rarely used in nineteenth century cases.  This necessarily led to the creation of innovative search queries to complete the project.

Steven’s foray into the history of his topic was unplanned at the outset of his research, and he notes that, “by maintaining an open attitude a researcher can mold his/her topic into a slight variation that may prove more interesting and novel.”

Second Place: Targeted Killing and Just War:  Reconciling Kill-Capture Missions and the Combatant Civilian Framework, by Louis Guard, 3L

Louis Guard’s research encompassed a diverse array of legal, philosophical, and factual resources.  Not only did he examine the theoretical underpinnings of customary international law principles, but he successfully navigated the intricate research involved in locating hard evidence of customary international law as well.  To this he added an accurate accounting of the specific facts and circumstances surrounding his topic.  His sources included blogs, military-specific news sources, policy briefs and position papers, speeches and public statements, treaties and their interpretive documents, and even a number of forthcoming publications.

Through discussions with both scholars and practitioners, Louis learned how depth of research affects quality of scholarship.  He states, “Academic pieces lacking in rigorous research seem to do little in advancing the [academic] dialogue and are short lived.  The more novel and valuable contributions always seemed to be those that were more thoroughly and competently researched.”

A review panel comprised of Librarians Jean Callihan, Pat Court, Amy Emerson, Matt Morrison and Nina Scholtz selected the winners from among 27 competitive entries.

Funding for the Prize is provided by an endowment given to the Law Library by Barbara Cantwell in honor of her late husband, Robert Cantwell, a 1956 graduate of Cornell Law School.

In addition to receiving a monetary award, the winners are also invited to publish their papers in Scholarship@Cornell Law, the Law Library’s digital repository, and to feature their papers in Reading Room displays.

Throughout the year, Research Librarians provide customized sessions with individual students to prepare for their summer jobs, clerkships, public interest work, and post-graduate positions. These consultations become even more valuable as you prepare for summer employment. Tailored advice includes, but is not limited to, specific jurisdictional sources, key resources in substantive practice areas, and advanced research skills and strategies. Consultations can be as short as 15 minutes or last up to 60 minutes. Our registration form allows you to specify your interests and needs, and request a particular Research Librarian if desired. Forms are available at the Circulation Desk in the Reading Room and here.

Bloomberg:  Your academic account remains active during the summer and there are no restrictions on its use.  It can be used for both academic and commercial purposes.  For graduates, your BLAW account remains active through December 2012.

 

Lexis:  You will have full access to Lexis Advance during the summer without special registration.  If you do not have a Lexis Advance account, contact our Lexis rep, Aaron Eberle, aaron.eberle@lexisnexis.com Academic use only, commercial use is prohibited.

Academic use includes:

  • Summer course preparation and assignments
  • Journal and Moot Court research
  • Research associated with pursuing a grant or scholarship
  • Working as a faculty research assistant
  • An internship, externship, or clinic position for school credit or graduation requirement
  • Bar exam preparation
  • Research skill improvement

For summer access to Lexis.com, you will need to register at www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/ at which a registration form will be available by the end of April.  Register before the end of May.  Same restrictions on academic use apply as above.

 

Westlaw:  You will have full access to both Westlaw.com and Westlaw Next for the summer without special registration.  NOTE: West is placing a per month limit on the use of each; however, the hour limit is significantly higher than the maximum number of hours used by any student during the school year.  If you exceed the limitation, you will be able to register for additional hours at https://lawschool.westlaw.com Academic use only, commercial use is prohibited.

Academic use includes:

  • Law school coursework
  • Journal or Moot Court research
  • Working as a faculty research assistant
  • Unpaid, non-profit public interest positions, excluding government and court positions
  • Pro bono work for academic credit
  • Bar exam preparation

If you have questions, contact Matt Morrison.

The Cornell Law Library invites 2Ls, 3Ls, and LLMs to submit scholarly research papers to be considered for the Cornell Law Library Prize for Exemplary Student Research.  All papers must have been written in the time period spanning June, 2011 – May, 2012.  Entries may include, but are not limited to, papers written for a class or journal notes.  Work product generated through summer or other employment will not be accepted.  Papers must be a minimum of 10 pages in length, must be written in proper Bluebook format, and must be properly footnoted.  First prize is $500, second prize is $250, and both winners will be invited to publish their papers in Scholarship@Cornell Law, a digital repository of the Cornell Law Library.  For submission procedure and selection criteria, please visit the Law Library website.  Submissions will be accepted on an ongoing basis through May 2, 2012.

Need to stay up-to-date with news and events in China?  The Law Library has a new electronic subscription called Current Digest of the Chinese Press.  This is an excellent resource, especially for those who do not read Chinese, because it offers an unabridged and unfiltered English translation.  The product is published by East View Press, and it offers a comprehensive view of China through relevant and timely stories.  The Digest is a weekly that culls articles from a broad range of sources all aimed at a domestic audience.  These articles are then carefully translated so as not to lose the actual sense and meaning of the original article.  So, if you need reliable Chinese news, be sure to check out the Current Digest.

This semester, there will be no Saturday reference. Instead, we are starting Sunday reference hours from 1 pm-6 pm. Two new part-time reference librarians will be on duty to answer questions and help with your research needs. Here is information about the new librarians:

Greg Ewing is the Assistant Director for Faculty & Outreach Services at the Barclay Law Library, Syracuse University College of Law. Prior to coming to Syracuse University in 2000, Greg spent a dozen years working in court and law firm libraries. Greg earned his B.A. in Latin from Carleton College, a Masters in Library Science from the U. of Maryland, and a J.D. from the Syracuse University College of Law. Greg is admitted to practice in New York State.

Emily Love received her B.A. and Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University. Emily has worked at the CNN political research library in Washington D.C., Concordia University in Montreal and was most recently an outreach librarian at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. At CNN, she conducted research on federal government web pages and on the 2005 nomination process of the new Supreme Court Chief Justice. At Illinois, Emily provided outreach and user education programs across campus.

The Cornell Law Library invites 2Ls, 3Ls, and LLMs to submit scholarly research papers to be considered for the Cornell Law Library Prize for Exemplary Student Research. All papers must have been written in the time period spanning June, 2011 – May, 2012. Entries may include, but are not limited to, papers written for a class or journal notes. Work product generated through summer or other employment will not be accepted. Papers must be a minimum of 10 pages in length, must be written in proper Bluebook format, and must be properly footnoted. First prize is $500, second prize is $250, and both winners will be invited to publish their papers in Scholarship@Cornell Law, a digital repository of the Cornell Law Library. For submission procedure and selection criteria, please visit the Law Library website. Submissions will be accepted on an ongoing basis through May 2, 2012.

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