March Madness Scavenger Hunt

Sports and the law intersect constantly - from understanding the legal issues of youth sports to negotiating NBA contracts. This month, the Law Library will provide you with clues to locate materials discussing the intersection of law and sport. Answer the weekly question correctly and be entered into a drawing for a fabulous prize. The questions get harder each week and the prizes get bigger!

The contest starts tomorrow, March 1! Stop by the reference desk to pick up the questions for Round 1!

Are new phone apps helping drivers fight speeding tickets?

One Driver seems to think so. Mr. Katta , a driver in California, was pulled over and ticketed for driving 40 mph in a 25 mph zone. He couldn't believe it so Mr. Katta decided to challenge his speeding ticket by using the history from his My Track app. An android application that allowed him to record and track his vehicle's activity before the stop. According to Mr. Katta his phone indicated he never exceeded 26 mph. So he presented his cellphone's GPS tracking records to prove his case. The verdict: Mr. Katta was unsuccessful on the merits but his case was dismissed and he did not have to pay the fine. Mr. Katta apparently made some legitimate points to the the court otherwise his case would not have been dimissed. What do you think?

If you are interested in reading this article go to www.tomsguide.com/us/mytracks-gps-tracking-speeding-ticket,news-10248.html.

Justice Sotomayor suggests that law students "stop and breathe."

Lately, the NCCU Law librarians have been trying to reduce the anxiety and stress levels of our students. However, it appears as though stress levels are at all-time high.

Since some of you won't listen to us, we hope you'll consider taking the advice of a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

In an interview earlier this month, Justice Sotomayor said that she "fears law students today are missing that experience because they don’t unplug and suffer from information overload."

When asked how students can improve their chances of obtaining a Supreme Court clerkship, Justice Sotomayor responded “I want passion. I don’t look at the kid who has 1,000 things on their resumé. Do you ever just stop and breathe? Do you ever go to a movie?”

We concur.

Click here to read the article featured in the ABA Journal.
Click here to read the article featured in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Free Webinars!

Interested in learning more about basic searching with HeinOnline? This Thursday, Hein is offering two free webinars! HeinOnline provides access to thousands of pages of law journals, government documents, and more - all in easy to read PDF format. For more information about the FREE webinars and registration, click here.

Want extra help with the Bluebook?

If you want to become one with the Bluebook, you will need to practice, practice, practice. Here are three sources that can help you learn the Bluebook.

*CALI – Citation Form for Briefs and Legal Memoranda. Wharton, Flory, & Downs IV.
*Cite Station. Westlaw.
*Interactive Citation Workstation. LexisNexis.

25 Greatest Fictional Lawyers

In 2010, the ABA Journal compiled a listing of the 25 Greatest Fictional Lawyers. Since many of our law students are often heard quoting legal movies/television shows, we thought you all might be interested in finding out if your favorite "nonattorney" made the list.

1. Frank Galvin, The Verdict
2. Paul Biegler, Anatomy of a Murder
3. Perry Mason, Perry Mason
4. Charles W. Kingsfield Jr., The Paper Chase
5. Henry Drummond, Inherit the Wind
6. Lawrence Preston, The Defenders
7. Jack McCoy, Law & Order
8. Horace Rumpole, Rumpole of the Bailey
9. Chief Judge Dan Haywood, Judgment at Nuremberg
10. Sir Wilfrid Robarts, Witness for the Prosecution
11. Alan Shore, Boston Legal
12. Vincent "Vinny" Gambini, My Cousin Vinny
13. Lt. Daniel Kafee, A Few Good Men
14. Arnie Becker, L.A. Law
15. Arthur Kirkland, And Justice for All
16. Hans Rolfe, Judgment at Nuremberg
17. Mitchell Stephens, The Sweet Hereafter
18. Ally McBeal, Ally McBeal
19. Sandy Stern, Presumed Innocent
20. Patty Hewes, Damages
21. Michael Clayton, Michael Clayton
22. Jake Brigance, A Time to Kill
23. Rusty Sabich, Presumed Innocent
24. Forrest Bedford, I'll Fly Away
25. Jonathan Wilk, Compulsion

Did your favorite not make the cut? Share their name with us via our Facebook page!

As some of you may notice, Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, is not listed. Why? The ABA Journal thought that it would be better to withdraw his name because he's so highly regarded.

Want to know who the Reference Librarians favor?

Prof. Cosby - Lilah Morgan, Angel
Prof. Dickerson - Vincent "Vinny" Gambini, My Cousin Vinny
Prof. Harrison - Jake Brigance, A Time to Kill
Prof. Raiford - Kay Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell Novel Series

A New, Green File Format

Those of you concerned about the amount of paper used in law schools might be interested in a new file format developed by the World Wildlife Fund. The new format, .wwf, is a pdf format you cannot print out. Currently, users can download the software for free from Save as WWF for both Mac and PC. Once you've downloaded the software, you'll be able to save documents as .wwf files from the print menu - reminding you there is an alternative to printing documents. Users can apply the .wwf file format to emails, websites, and other documents. So if you are interested, give .wwf file format a try. You'll help the WWF Think Before You Print campaign and maybe even save some trees.

Welcome to Space: The USC Expands to 51 Titles

Thanks to Out of the Jungle and the Gallagher Law Library Blog for pointing this out.

A new Title has been added to the United States Code. Title 51 is called National and Commercial Space Programs. Title 51 is currently only available on LexisNexis. Click USCS then click Browse Table of Contents.

For more background information on this change, please click here.

Traffic Tickets and Library Resources

3L's your first case will most likely be a traffic ticket.

Don't you want to be prepared???

Join us for lunch and learn about a variety of resources you can use for your practice.

When: February 23, 2011 from 12:00-12:50pm

Where: Library Conference Room

(Signup Sheet at the Front Desk)

Super Bowl Leads to Lawsuits

Steelers' fans weren't the only people upset on Super Bowl Sunday. Approximately 400 ticket-holders were disappointed when they were denied their seats in a section that failed to meet the fire marshal's approval.

The NFL has made two offers to these fans: 1) $2,400 plus a ticket to next year’s Super Bowl or 2) one free ticket, plus round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations, to a Super Bowl of their choosing.

However, these offers have not stopped lawsuits from being brought against the NFL. One suit, filed in federal court in Texas, seeks at least $5 million in damages and alleges breach of contract, fraud, breach of good faith and violations of Texas’ deceptive trade practices law.

To read more, see this article in the ABA Journal.

Trouble with the WebVPN?

Some of you are having difficulty accessing our Law Library's electronic resources from off-campus. Please note that this is a WebVPN issue and our ITS Department is currently working on a resolution.

If you are unable to use the WebVPN, please contact Paul Jackson, Technology Support Analyst, at 919.530.7178 or pdjackson@nccu.edu.

In addition, please see a reference librarian regarding alternative methods for accessing our electronic databases remotely.

Everyones needs a nap sometimes...

Law school is exhausting - late nights reading and outlining and early mornings prepping for class. Students rarely get enough sleep. One way to combat that middle of the day lull is to take a nap. However naps, like everything else in law school, have rules. Well, rules if you want to take a quality nap that will get you ready to tackle the rest of your day. If you want to learn the art of the nap give this short article a read, and go ahead - take that nap. Just don’t take it in class.

Need Quick Tax References? There's an App for that Thanks to BNA

BNA has created a Quick Tax Reference app for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry devices. You can get information for 2009, 2010, and 2011 including mileage rates, individual tax rate schedules, retirement plan limits and much more. Great for a quick reference while you are out and about and for those interested in tax in general. Attorneys and accounts alike can benefit from this app. For more information about the BNA Quick Tax Reference App click here.

Casemaker Workshop

Casemaker, in partnership with the North Carolina State Bar Association and 27 other state bars, provides users with access to an expanded library of federal legal research materials, case law and codes for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Interested in learning more about Casemaker? Join us for a workshop!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011
12:00 – 12:50 p.m. OR 6:30 – 7:20 p.m.
Law Library Conference Room

Due to limited space, please sign-up via the NCCU Law Library TWEN page
or at the Library’s Circulation Desk.

No Groupons for NC Lawyers!!!!

The Groupon craze is the fastest growing internet marketing tool sweeping the nation. Groupons are so popular because they offer groups of consumers deep discounts on all types of goods and services. And Attorneys are jumping at the opportunity to reel in some new clients. However, an ethics subcommittee of the North Carolina State Bar is telling North Carolina Lawyers, "hold your horses", you can't participate. Why? Because Groupon advertising allows the Advertiser to market the lawyer's goods and services for a percentage of the profits. And according to the ethics subcommittee that arrangement is a violation of NC Rules of Professional Conduct 7.6 which clearly states that lawyers cannot share fees with a nonlawyer.

So Legal Eagles if you plan to go solo remember that groupons are a no,no!

If you are interested in reading this article go to :

http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/proposed_n.c._ethics_opinion_says%20lawyers_can.

Judging the Bluebook

Recently, Judge Richard Posner of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals saw his second Bluebook bashing law review published. In his article The Bluebook Blues, Posner compares the book that haunts the dreams of law students to a cancer that destroys the body. It just grows and grows. Judge Posner hates the Bluebook so much he doesn't even use it. If you have a few minutes, perhaps you'd like to give one of Judge Posner's articles a read. Maybe if you argue convincingly enough - you can get out of using the Bluebook too!

Goodbye to the Bluebook, 53 U. Chi. L. Rev. 1343 (1986).
The Bluebook Blues, not yet available in resources like HeinOnline, but you can find a link to it here.