UHLC Nota Bene

The O'Quinn Law Library collection now includes the 2020 edition of Texas Trial Procedure and Evidence by Jim Wren and Jeremy Counseller.   Texas Trial Procedure and Evidence is an annually-updated resource   It contains a number of quick-reference guides meant as a reference during trials, as well as containing what is effectively a practitioner's checklist for pre-trial preparation.  This book is intended as a reference guide for practicing attorneys, but it functions equally well as an introduction for law student to both trial practice and the rules of evidence in Texas courts.  Legal researchers may alse be interested in this book as a quick reference to search for rules by subject. Texas Trial Procedure and Evidence is currently available on the New Books shelf at the far end of the law library reference desk.  This book's call number is KFT 1779.W74 2020 .

The O'Quinn Law Library collection now includes Death of a Law Firm: Staying Strong in the Global Legal Market by Jaap Bosman with Lisa Hakanson. Death of a Law Firm , despite its title, is not a pessimistic look at the future of the legal profession.  The book seems to have an optimistic view of the future growth of the legal sector and the attendant legal market; its skepticism is focused on certain developments in law firm management.  The authors review a number of recent trends in the law firm model and examine how they have been applied, both by successful law firms and by firms that have failed.  This book may be of interest to current law firm partners preparing for the future, or to anyone curious about law firms and law firm management. Death of a Law Firm is is currently available on the New Books shelf at the far end of the law library reference desk.  This book's call number is KF 318.B67 2017 .

The Handbook of Texas Lawyer and Judicial Ethics is a three-volume set published annually by Thomson Reuters as part of their Texas Practice Series. The Handbook comprises volumes 48, 48A, and 48B of the series. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should also mention that one of the authors, Robert P. Schuwerk, is a professor emeritus here at the Law Center.) This unique resource covers three bodies of Texas law: attorney tort liability, attorney discipline, and judicial discipline. It is designed to help lawyers and judges find answers to their ethical questions, but it may also be useful to law students and non-lawyers. For those interested in doing further research, the book contains frequent references to relevant West’s Key Numbers and C.J.S. sections. Discussions of case law, statutes, and ethics opinions in this edition have been updated through January 2017.     The work is divided into six parts. Part I deals with the standards of attorney tort liability. I...

The American Bar Association has recently published Images with Impact: Design and use of Winning Trial Visuals by Kerri L. Ruttenberg . This title is now available in the law library ( KF8915.R88 2017 ) o n the new titles shelf across from the reference desk. This book, ideal for both the trial lawyer and law student, focuses on turning themes into visuals to communicate effectively with the jury. The author begins with a discussion of the importance of visual communication and then covers tools such as charts, maps, diagrams, graphs, tables, outlines, photos, and timelines. Those who are not familiar with the basics of graphic design will also find the chapters in Part III to be very helpful. Tips on spotting misleading visuals, practical tips for creating and using visuals at trial, and an overview of the law on demonstrative evidence are among the other topics addressed.

If you are a student looking for an internship or other work experience with the federal government, you might want to check out this new report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS). It provides information on internship opportunities with the executive branch, Congress, the federal courts, and independent agencies such as NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency. It also contains a bibliography for further reading.  This CRS Report was made available online by the Federation of American Scientists . For more information on finding CRS reports online, see our blog post on the subject.

Neal-Schuman has recently published the second edition of Fundamentals of Government Information: Mining, Finding, Evaluating, and Using Government Resources ( ZA5055.U6 F67 2016 ) by Cassandra J. Hartnett, Andrea L. Sevetson, and Eric J. Forte. The authors begin with an overview of government information resources, discussing the history of government history, depository libraries before the existence of the web, classification of government documents, and government information in the era of the internet. This title also covers congressional publications, statutes, regulations, case law, and presidential and executive branch documents. There are specialized topics such as statistical, patents, health, environment and energy, and archival information. This source, now available on the law library's new titles shelf , is beneficial for anyone interested in an overview of researching government information.

The ABA's Solo, Small Firm, and Practice division has recently published, Technology Tips for Lawyers and Other Business Professionals by Jeffrey Allen and UHLC alumna, Ashley Hallene . The authors provide concise practical advice on a variety of technology topics useful to attorneys. The book covers matters related to hardware and equipment such as using a tablet in court and portable hard drives. Software topics as well as advice related to travel are also covered. Security and ethics issues such as password protection and encryption are discussed.  The Miscellaneous tips section focuses on topics such as blogging, Google search tips, storing data in the cloud, creating an inexpensive electronic signature, and electronic business cards. The library has just acquired this book and it can be found on the new titles shelf under the call number, KF320.A9A 429 2016 .

A question often asked by law students at the beginning of the summer is whether or not they can use their Westlaw, LexisNexis, and Bloomberg Law accounts at their summer jobs, internships, and externships. Recent graduates also may wonder about using their accounts as they study for the bar and beyond. Here are the guidelines for each of the three services: Bloomberg Law You may use your Bloomberg Law account during the summer, without restriction. As with Westlaw and LexisNexis, if you are assigned a Bloomberg Law account by your summer employer, use the employer account instead. If you have questions about using Bloomberg Law during the summer, contact our Bloomberg Law rep, Michael Calder ( mcalder@bna.com ). Bloomberg Law also provides a great collection of resources to help you research efficiently and perform successfully during your summer employment, available here . LexisNexis Your law school log-in will allow you unlimited access to all legal content and news in Lexi...

One of the hottest topics in legal information today is the use of data analytics, or harnessing large amounts of data to create assessments and make predictions. Legal research vendors are now offering their own, specialized tools that subscribers can use to take advantage of the copious amounts of data already present within the system’s databases. One of these vendors, Bloomberg Law, has introduced a feature they call  Law Firm Representation Analytics . This tool uses Bloomberg Law’s popular and expansive database of court dockets to show users the top law firms representing a particular company in federal litigation.  To use the tool, simply search for the company’s name using the “Go” bar at the upper-right hand side of any Bloomberg Law page.  Once the company’s name appears on the list of Suggested Companies, select it. The federal litigation analytics will display on the company’s page, along with other information about the company and its performance ...

The second edition of Mastering Professional Responsibility by Grace M. Giesel has been recently published by Carolina Academic Press and is now available in the library ( KF306.G547 2015 ). The first section of this book begins with an overview of the different sources of professional responsibility law such as the ABA model rules and ethics opinions and explores the attorney discipline process. The Lawyer-Client relationship is explored fully as issues ranging from competence to malpractice are discussed. Confidentiality, with a entire chapter devoted to the attorney client privilege and the attorney work product doctrine, and conflict of interest matters are also covered. This book is ideal for those desiring a background in professional responsibility, materials to supplement exam preparation, and could be helpful for preparation for the MPRE (Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam) The library has several sources for those interested in professional responsibility incl...

LexisNexis recently released the results of a survey commissioned to determine what skills and experience are most needed from new associates, and where their employers find them most lacking. Over 300 hiring partners and senior associates who supervise new attorneys were surveyed about both the relative importance of various skills, and to what extent they believed new attorneys to be lacking in those competencies. In the area of litigation, the survey found associates lacking in advanced legal research skills required for complex legal issues. The attorneys surveyed placed advanced legal research skills alongside drafting pleadings and motions as the skills both “most needed” and “most lacking” in litigation practice. For those in transactional practice, new associates are reportedly most lacking in basic understanding of fundamental financial and business concepts. The next most cited problem area for new associates in transactional areas was inability to conduct due diligen...

The Texas Bar exam will take place on the 29 th -31 st of July, here is a list of some of the  resources available at the library to help you prepare for success.  Also remember that the Board of Law Examiners website has all the past exams (excluding the MBE) from February 2000 through February 2014 available to download. In addition, sample answers from questions from 2009-2014 are also available through the BLE website. Sara J. Berman, Pass the Bar Exam : A Practical Guide to Achieving Academic & Professional Goals ( KF 303.B45 2013 ). Neil C. Blond, Multistate Bar Exam, 5 th ed. ( KF 388.B57 2010 ). Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus, The Bar Exam in a Nutshell ( KF 303.D37 2009 ). Steven I. Friedland, The Essential Rules for Bar Exam Success ( KF 303.F75 2008 ). Best of luck to all of our graduates!

If you’re a law student looking for a little inspiration about which practice area to pursue, the May 2014 issue of the ABA’s Student Lawyer magazine provides information about three of the hottest practice areas right now.  Currently, there is a greater need for energy law, health law, and regulatory law attorneys.   These are areas where the UHLC is strong and students will find a variety of course offerings on these subjects.  To learn more, students might want to peruse the UHLC course catalog with these practice areas in mind or check out the websites for the Environment, Energy, & Natural Resources Center and the Health Law and Policy Institute .   For more general information about these practice areas, try visiting the Texas Bar Association’s Administrative and Public Law, Health Law , and Oil, Gas, and Energy Law section websites as well as the American Bar Association’s Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice , Environment, Ener...