After a summer break, the Supremes will be coming back. So what does their end-of-summer look like leading up to Oct. 4? A return from summer fun stuff. Many of the Supremes spend time in foreign countries teaching law students, giving speeches and, of course, getting some much-needed rest. Well, except for Justice Kagan. She’s been at the court learning …
Law librarian, comic book fan sees superhero personalities in lawyers
For those who don’t know, I have been a fan of comic books pretty much my entire life. And much like anybody who is a fan of any type of fiction, be it Harry Potter, Twilight or D.C.’s line of comics, you begin to pick up on the character archetypes and see them appear in your world. So it’s not …
First-day jitters and first-year myths
Green Hall was abuzz last Thursday morning with the excited chatter of first-year law students. KU Law faculty and staff welcomed another class of bright and motivated students with continental breakfast, several orientation programs and the first of many Lawyering class sessions. After a few more days of Lawyering and orientation sessions, they begin their core courses today. It hardly …
Google and Westlaw had a baby and WestSearch is its name, O!
Beginning this fall, KU Law faculty, staff and students will have access to Westlaw’s newest product: WestlawNext. I am going to try my best to not get into the super-geeky details here. Also, I’m going to avoid quoting West on this product. Instead, I am going to share with you my experience. Many students who are starting to learn the …
Top 8 misconceptions about legal research
I am in charge of the legal research instruction as part of the Lawyering Skills course. Over the past three years, I have heard (and read) several things students have said about legal research. Before we have a new batch of students start up this fall, I would like to go ahead and address these issues. Everything is available online.Surprisingly, …
Bureau of Justice Statistics website makes crime stats freely available
In need of crime statistics and don’t know where to look? Try the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics! The Bureau of Justice Statistics (B.J.S.) was first established on Dec. 27, 1979, under the Justice Systems Improvement Act of 1979. Their goal is to: “collect, analyze, publish, and disseminate information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and …