UHLC Nota Bene

Each semester the law library presents a series of presentations on legal research topics. These presentations are held at 12 noon on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Room 4 BLB. We will be offering the following sessions during the Spring 2013 semester: 1. Laws & Sausages: Texas Legislative History and Bill Tracking Tuesday, 2/5, Wednesday, 2/6, 12:00-12:45 P.M. Matthew Mantel, Reference and Research Librarian 2. International and Foreign Law Research Tuesday, 2/12, Wednesday, 2/13, 12:00-12:45 P.M. Dan Baker, International and Foreign Law Librarian  3. Texas Administrative Law Research Tuesday, 2/19, Wednesday, 2/20, 12:00-12:45 P.M. Emily Lawson, Reference and Research Librarian 4. Environmental Law Research Tuesday, 2/26, Wednesday, 2/27, 12:00-12:45 P.M. Chris Dykes, Reference and Research Librarian 5. Researching Insurance Law Tuesday, 3/5, Wednesday, 3/6, 12:00-12:45 P.M. Katy Stein, Reference and Research Librarian

The Lawyer’s Professional Assistant App from Wolfram Alpha has a variety of helpful information and tools for legal professionals and law students.   For instance, it contains a legal dictionary; information about the statutes of limitations in each state; an overview of the different types of visas; financial tools for calculating fees, settlements, and tax rates; a calendar computation tool; and damages and estate planning computation tools.   It also has information on crime rates, demographics, and companies. This app costs $4.99 to download and is available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.   More information about the app can be found on the Wolfram Alpha website as well as the iTunes store .

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade .   On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court issued the landmark decision, holding that certain laws prohibiting abortion are unconstitutional.   Even though the decision is 40 years old, the controversy surrounding the case and the issue of abortion persists. There are a number of resources available if you would like to learn more about the case, the impact it has had, and where this issue is headed.   The full opinion is available on the Legal Information Institute website and other information about the case, including a summary and audio/transcripts of the oral arguments, can be found on the Oyez Project website dedicated to the decision.   As you might expect, there are also a number of recent news reports discussing the decision and reflecting on what it means today.   Also, for current information about abortion laws and public opinion, try the National Conference of State Legislatures abortion laws s...

It seems that talk of Abraham Lincoln is everywhere these days. Steven Speilberg's movie "Lincoln" , which includes an incredibly powerful performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th president, is a front-runner for several Academy Awards . Many organizations are holding special events to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation . Even our current president, President Obama, is getting into the act, announcing he will take his second oath of office on bibles owned by President Lincoln and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Since President Lincoln is getting so much attention, I thought now would be a good time to share my favorite words of his. These lines come from a speech Mr. Lincoln gave before he was even 30 years old : "In the great journal of things happening under the sun, we, the American people, find our account running . . . . We find ourselves in the peaceful possession of the fairest portion of the earth as regards extent of terri...

The Texas legislature convened on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 to begin its 83rd legislative session. Pre-filing of legislation began on November 12, 2012, so legislators have already had time to file many of their bills in advance of the legislative session. Listed below are just a handful of bills worth watching in the coming months, as well as one topic that seems to be ignored, at least so far:   Senate Bill 11 , similar to the controversial Florida law that is currently stalled in federal court, would require Texans applying for financial assistance to undergo drug testing to receive benefits. House Bill 29 proposes a fixed rate tuition plan that would require Texas state universities to offer a four-year fixed tuition rate that would allow each incoming class to pay the same tuition each year for four years, without increase. House Bill 67 would permit the University of Texas system to open an additional law school in the state's Rio Grande Valley.   Hou...

Ever wonder how legal scholars get their start in academia? How they refine their theories? How their ideas have changed over the years? Or even what they thought of their own law school experience? James R. Hackney has posed all of these questions, and many more, to some of the great legal scholars of our time. In his new book, Legal Intellectuals in Conversation: Reflections on the Construction of Contemporary American Legal Theory , Hackney conducts one-on-one interviews with some of the most prominent legal scholars alive today.  He discusses how Richard Posner became interested in law and economics, and the development of feminist legal theory with Catharine MacKinnon. A law professor himself, James Hackney is no stranger to the worlds of legal academia and legal theory, and he asks probing questions in each of the interviews, often with surprising results. Richard Posner announces that he considers cognitive psychology as the new driver of law and economics; critical race the...

Happy New Year to our readers.  The list below is dedicated to UH Law students.  May you have success and enough sleep in the year to come.  Let us begin 2013 with a smiles or two.  You Know You Are a Law Student When…    1.       You know you are a law student when your reading speed is reduced to ten pages an hour. 2.       You know you are a law student when you start spotting issues in everything you read. 3.       You know you are a law student when you consider a great idea to have 24/7 access to your law school library. 4.       You know you are a law student when you meet your friends and make plan for the rest of the week at the library. 5.       You know you are a law student when your student association offers free ear plugs in the library. 6.       You know you...