Archive of Postings 2013
Changes in Westlaw Access for Graduating Law Students- Wonderful News!
Westlaw has extended access for graduating students through November 2013!
May 2013 graduates must extend their passwords on the Westlaw law school home page by clicking on the “Need Westlaw this summer?” advertisement. Graduating law students receive 60 hours of usage per month per platform (Westlaw Classic and WestlawNext) through November instead of just through July.
Questions? Please contact Lynn Lenart at 330-972-6357 or llenart@uakron.edu
Posted 5/14/2013.
Free Westlaw Printing Ends in May
Free Westlaw printing for The University of Akron law students, faculty and staff will end in May. Westlaw is removing their printers from all law schools in the United States. You can still print from Westlaw by sending your print jobs to the law school’s network printers or to your personal printer.
There are new features in WestlawNext that should help you transition from paper to a more ‘green’ digital world. Electronic file sharing is common in law firms so developing good habits now as a law student helps in preparing you for the work world.
Folders
Use folders to save all your work and easily share with fellow Akron law students or faculty. Your folders are located in WestlawNext in the upper right corner. Your saved material in the folders is automatically updated by Westlaw and always reflects current law. There is no limit in the number of documents you can save in your folders.
History
If you forget to save your research in a folder, don’t worry. Your research history is automatically saved for one year; including all document views and searches. You can also search within your history or use filters to find specific documents.
If Westlaw is removing their printers, what about Lexis?
Lexis is still committed to supporting their law school printers. You can still print from Lexis to the free Lexis printer.
Questions? Please contact Lynn Lenart, llenart@uakron.edu, or call 330-972-6357.
Posted 5/13/2013
End of the Semester Announcements
OASP and Sum & Substance- Circulation Changes
The circulation period and overdue fines for OASP and Sum and Substance materials will change for Reading Period and Finals. Starting on Friday, April 26, these materials will circulate for only 1 day (instead of 72 hours) and no renewals will be allowed. Overdue fines for these materials will increase from $1.00 per day to $5.00 per day.
These changes provide access to the materials for a greater number of students. If you have questions regarding these changes please stop by the Circulation Desk and ask to speak with Ms. Nevins or a librarian.
Shhh! Law Students are Studying . . .
It is the time of the semester when students are writing papers and preparing for exams. Please be courteous of your fellow students and help control the noise level throughout the Law Library. Please put your cell phones and pagers on vibrate and conduct quiet phone conversations either outside of the Law Library or near the Law Library restrooms. If you listen to any form of audio, use headphones and keep the volume low. Please limit conversations in open study areas and if you want to work in a group, please use a study room. When using group study rooms please be respectful of your neighbors and keep discussions under control, the walls are not soundproof. Thank you.
School of Law Sample Exams
The University of Akron School of Law sample exams are available online through Springboard. Log on to Springboard using your UANet ID and Password and follow the link for Law School Sample Exams – Ongoing.
Law Library Guides to help you prepare for finals
To help you prepare for finals, take a look at these library guides:
The guides link to information about study aids, course materials, audio lectures, flashcards, CALI lessons and AudioCaseFiles. All these resources are available to University of Akron law students.
All Law Library Guides can be accessed here.
Don’t forget…you have access to West Study Aids on Westlaw! See this posting for more information.
CALI Authorization Code for the University of Akron law students
The Computer Assisted Legal Instructions (CALI) lessons are a valuable resource that you may wish to use to review for exams.
To use the lessons you will need to register on the CALI site and enter our law school’s authorization code. Here are the instructions for obtaining the School of Law CALI authorization code and accessing the CALI lessons:
1. Click on this link and enter your UAnet ID and university password.
2. A PDF document will open with Akron’s CALI authorization code and additional instructions on accessing the CALI website.
3. Go to CALI’s website (http://www.cali.org ) and click on “Create New Account.” Follow the instructions on that web page and enter the CALI authorization code when prompted. You will need to use this authorization code the first time you register. During the registration process you create a custom password.
Please do not give The University of Akron School of Law CALI authorization code to anyone outside of this law school. The University of Akron is a member of the Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction and therefore has a license to the CALI exercises.
Reading Period and Finals:
Sat.-Sun, April 27-28, 9:00 a.m.-midnight
Mon.-Fri., April 29-May 3, 7:00 a.m.-midnight
Sat., May 4, 8:00 a.m.-midnight
Sun., May 5, 9:00 a.m.-midnight
Mon.-Fri., May 6-10, 7:00 a.m.-midnight
Sat., May 11, 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Posted 4/10/13
Westlaw Password Summer Extension
Your Westlaw password may be used for academic purposes only. If you are not graduating this summer and are taking law classes or participating in a qualified program, you will have to extend your Westlaw password to keep it active. If you do not qualify for an extension, you will still have 40 hours available on Westlaw and WestlawNext in the months of June and July. You may use these 40 hours to improve your research skills and complete online trainings.
Here are the programs that qualify extending your Westlaw password for the summer:
- Summer law school classes
- Law review work
- Project for professor
- Moot Court
- Unpaid non-profit public interest internship/externship or pro bono work required for graduation.
Using your academic Westlaw password for commercial purposes is not permitted. Commercial purposes is defined by Westlaw as “research conducted for a law firm, corporation or other entity (unrelated to law school) that is paying you to conduct said research or that is passing along the costs of said research to a third party.”
Here is the link to extend your Westlaw password for the summer.
For questions, please contact Lynn Lenart at 330-972-6357 or llenart@uakron.edu.
Posted 4/1/13.
Bloomberg Law is coming to the Law School!
Mark your calendars! The law student rollout of Bloomberg Law will take place on Thursday, April 11th. Learn how to activate your account and receive training on Bloomberg Law. Training sessions will be offered throughout the day.
When and where are the trainings?
All training sessions take place in room 167 in the Law School.
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
12:30-1:30 – includes pizza
1:30-2:30 - includes pizza
4:00-5:00
5:30-6:30 - includes pizza
How do we get a password if we cannot attend the training session?
Lynn Lenart will post registration instructions closer to the April 11th date.
What is Bloomberg Law anyway?
Bloomberg Law offers a growing body of legal information such as court opinions, statutes, regulation, secondary sources, and news, as well as the range of corporate and financial information. Users can access an exceptional dockets database that includes Federal docket materials which up until now was only available on PACER. More about Bloomberg Law-> http://about.bloomberglaw.com/ .
Are there any academic restrictions on using the Bloomberg Law password?
No! Bloomberg Law does not have an academic restriction for law students. This means you can use it to conduct research for class or your employer. Access continues through the summer.
Questions? Contact Lynn Lenart at 330-972-6357 or llenart@uakron.edu
Posted 3/20/13
Food for Fines begins March 18
Did you return a book a little late? Forgot what time your laptop was due? Your chance to pay off those charges and help a good cause is here. Starting Monday, March 18, and continuing through April 7, University Libraries and the Law Library will sponsor their annual Food for Fines drive for the Akron-Canton Food Bank.
You can bring in nonperishable food items to pay your fines. One food item equals one dollar toward your fines and there is no limit on the number of items you may donate. This offer cannot be used to pay for billed or lost items.
Posted 3/15/13
Lexis Certification March Madness--$15.00 Amazon card for everyone who gets certified!
March 11, 12, and 13, 2012 we will be offering multiple Lexis Certification Training at the University of Akron.
Everyone who completes certification will receive enough points for a $15.00 Amazon Gift Card. You also will be entered to win prizes in numerous other raffles.
There will be training available for day and evening students. The trainings offered at 12:20 will include a pizza lunch. We will also offer pizza at the 5pm training on Wednesday, March 13th.
You must complete two short tutorials PRIOR TO ATTENDING THE TRAINING. To complete the short tutorials/videos and to pick the class day and time, follow these instructions.
1. Go to www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool
2. 1L students please click on "interactive tutorials" and take "Statutory Research" then from the box on the left find, watch and take the quiz for the "Spring Spotlight Tutorial"
3. 2L/3L/4L students click on 2l/3L tab and then choose "interactive tutorials." Take the "Shepardizing with Lexis Advance" tutorial and any other tutorial that interests you.
Once you complete the tutorials, sign-up for the date and times of the class you want to attend. Go to this google dochttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1_BZqCkGMObxwTNiqpVgkbip1Y9YG7XBZZ62RBuCo1S0/edit?usp=sharing(you may need to copy and paste the link into your browser) and pick the class day and time that you want to attend. If you have trouble, contact me jennifer.durkin@lexisnexis.com
After the class, I will give you a link to take the certification exam. Once you pass it, you can include certification on your resume and your name will appear on a National Registry of Certified Students. The national registry is used by countless employers to verify the research skills of students and applicants.
Want to know more about why you need Lexis Advance certification?
Lexis Advance® is already in more than 80% of The Am Law 100®. Lexis Advance is also in more than 70% of Am Law 200® firms—along with countless other firms of every size. Government agencies, including the DOJ and the U.S. Supreme Court are among the largest and most prominent organizations that have Lexis Advance. You NEED to know how to use Lexis Advance.
This summer in your employment, you have UNLIMITED use of your Lexis Advance ID. You need to know how to complete the research your employer will expect you to do.
Next fall, you will no longer have access to Lexis.com (classic Lexis) PLUS Lexis Advance WILL continue to offer FREE UNLIMITED PRINTING to all students.
Contact our Lexis Account Manager Jennifer Durkin with any questions!
Jennifer.Durkin@lexisnexis.com
Posted 3/9/2013
Unlimited Access to Your Lexis Advance ID this Summer
For the first time ever, law students are permitted to use their Lexis Advance law school access for their employer this summer. Note: This is just for the summer.
Here is the notice from Lexis:
We are happy to announce that your law school Lexis Advance ID will remain active during the summer and that you will have unlimited access to the content available to you in law school to be used for your academic, as well as any summer associate or internship/clerkship purposes. Whether working in a firm, government agency, any of the courts, or brushing up on your cost effective research skills, you will have unlimited access to Lexis Advance.
We understand that as a law student, your legal education does not stop during the summer. In fact, some of your most valuable and practical legal education occurs during your participation in summer associate and internship or clerkship programs. In recognition of this, for the months of June, July and August of this year, we are expanding the permissible uses of your law school Lexis Advance ID to include use by you in these programs, including all research or other work you perform for the firm, agency, or court. You simply need to be registered for Lexis Advance.
Registering for Summer Access
- If you're already a registered Lexis Advance user, you don't need to do anything else to get Summer Access. Your current ID is all you need.
- If you aren't a registered Lexis Advance user yet (or aren't sure), click here for assistance from your Account Executive.
Support throughout the Summer
Your school's LexisNexis® Account Executive is available to you during the summer for training and support. Feel free to contact him or her early to let them know your summer research goals.
You also have access to 24/7 customer support for help with Lexis Advance, summer access or research questions at 1-800-45-LEXIS (53947).
Enjoy your "All Access Pass" to Lexis Advance this summer!
The LexisNexis Law School Team
Posted 3/9/2013
Student photocopier now scans to email!
The student photocopier in the Law Library scans to a USB drive or to your email address. This is a wonderful improvement! For instructions see the new posters above the copier.
Posted 3/9/2013
e-Flash Cards now available from Westlaw
The e-Flash Cards have launched within the West Study Aids Subscription.
- The two content sets that are available are: Torts and Contracts. More topics will be added later.
- You can access the e-Flash Cards by clicking on the “Latest West Study Aids” tab after logging into the West Study Aids Subscription area.
- West suggests that you use either Firefox, Safari or Chrome.
Posted 3/4/2013
Plagiarism, as defined on the University of Akron Office of General Counsel web page, “is the intentional or unintentional use of the words or ideas of another without acknowledging their source.” Deliberate and accidental plagiarism are treated the same by the University and the School of Law. The University places the responsibility on the students to know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
Law students caught plagiarizing will be violating the Law School’s Student Disciplinary Code and will be subject to proceedings under the Code. Consequences can be severe and may include dismissal from the University.
More information about plagiarism:
- Law Library Plagiarism Guide – find out what does not need citing, the purpose of citations and the many different categories of plagiarism.
- CALI Lesson: Plagiarism – Keeping Out of Trouble - This lesson will explain what constitutes plagiarism, how to avoid plagiarizing, and offers opportunities for students to test their understanding of plagiarism.
Thank you,
Lynn Lenart
Assistant Law Librarian for Reference Services, Office- room 269, llenart@uakron.edu
Posted 2/26/2013
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