ZiefBrief

Avoiding the One Research Platform Trap

Greg Lambert over at 3 Geeks and a Law Blog brings up a very good point about the importance of being able to research across different platforms (Lexis, Westlaw, Bloomberg, etc...):

[D]on't let students fall into the vendor's trap of only learning one platform. The law student[s] that . . .  haven't activated their Lexis IDs because they like to use Westlaw better (or vice-versa) have played into the hands of the vendor at the expense of their own experience. Those students that go to their Summer Associate jobs this year and use their Bloomberg passwords to do firm work (which apparently Bloomberg is allowing them to do), are making a tactical error in their understanding how the law firm works, recovers costs, and tracks expenses of the work performed. Students should take the opportunity to learn a broad variety of resources while in school because never again will they have access to so many platforms with no pressure to think about the cost of the product.

One of the biggest mistakes I made as a law student was to do most of my research on one platform.  When I went to a firm that didn't use that platform at all and that didn't offer intensive research support from paralegals or librarians, it was stressful.  I managed, but I sure wished that I had been a more flexible researcher in law school when cost didn't matter!

WestlawNext Tip: Folder Descriptions

WestlawNext now allows users to add descriptions to folders -- from the latest newsletter:

You can now add descriptions—up to 250 characters each—to folders, subfolders, and saved documents in WestlawNext. While viewing your folders, hover your mouse over the folder or document name, click the Add Description icon that is displayed, type a description (e.g., leading cases—cite in Johnson brief!) in the text box, and click Save.

Are You Using Bloomberg Law Yet?

A few weeks ago, all USF Law students received an email containing an individual username and password for Bloomberg Law. If you haven't started using Bloomberg Law, here are a few reasons why you should start exploring this new database:

• Access to federal and state court documents. While Lexis and Westlaw supply some court documents to academic users, the coverage is more comprehensive on Bloomberg Law.  Bloomberg Law also provides federal court documents to our users at no charge.  If we retrieve the same documents on PACER, the federal government's court document retrieval system, the library has to pay a ten cent per page document charge. 
• Access to detailed company financial data and news.  If you're doing any research that requires access to public company financial information or litigation data about a public company, Bloomberg Law is an excellent resource.
• Access to statutes, case law, and regulations.  For those of you who do not have Lexis and Westlaw access this summer, you can use your Bloomberg Law account to access federal and state case law, statutes, and regulations. Unlike Lexis and Westlaw, Bloomberg Law does not restrict summer access for law students.  You can keep using Bloomberg Law all summer with no restrictions.

We anticipate that an increasing number of California workplaces will adopt Bloomberg Law over time, so it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the interface now so you are ready to use it in the workplace after graduation.

If you'd like a quick tutorial on how to use Bloomberg Law, talk to a research librarian.  You can also contact our Bloomberg Law representative, Tracey Broadhead Frith, at tbroadheadfr@bloomberg.net to find out when she will be providing on-campus research training.

WestlawNext Tip: Search Folder Content

The WestlawInsider blog features a post this week about how to search WestlawNext folder content, complete with helpful screen shots to walk you through the process. If you're reading this post and wondering how the WestlawNext folders work, then this is the post for you.

USF Students May Make Research Appointments Online

USF law, graduate, and undergraduate students may now make individual research appointments with a Zief Law Library research librarian. (Appointments with Zief Law Library research librarians are only available to current USF students. Other authorized Zief Library users with research questions may visit the research desk in person, or call 415-422-6773.)

The major advantage to making a research appointment is that you will have the librarians un-divided attention and it is far less likely that you will be interrupted during your consultation.

Please use the link next to the names of the librarians - note that the URLs are case sensitive:

     Suzanne Mawhinney: www.goo.gl/wF0v5

     Lee Ryan: www.goo.gl/lZyCV

 

     John Shafer: www.goo.gl/KEu3k

     Amy Wright: www.goo.gl/Ms4v1

Google Introduces "Verbatim"

Google has introduced a new search option, Verbatim, for power searchers who want Google to search the exact words entered in the search box. If you don't use Verbatim, Google routinely will do all of the following: 

• suggest spelling corrections; 
• personalize your search by using information about sites you’ve visited before (many patrons are surprised when librarians' Google search results are different from their search results when the same search is entered, but Google uses your past searching behavior to customize results);
• include synonyms of your search terms;
• automatically search for grammatical variations of words, like including search results containing the word, "employing," when you enter the search term "employ."

To use Verbatim, click "more search tools" on the left side of any search results page, then click "Verbatim."  Type your Verbatim search into the search box and hit "enter."

HeinOnline App for iPhone & iPad

HeinOnline announced the arrival of its free iPhone/iPad app, which allows researchers to access HeinOnline content on these devices. The app allows you to view PDFs, access HeinOnline content by citation, browse by volume, navigate a volume's table of contents, and use advanced search. I experimented with the app on my iPad and found it very easy to use. One caveat: you do need to be on-campus and logged on to the campus network to access content. 

WestlawNext Power Searching Tips

Westlaw Insider regularly publishes WestlawNext searching tips, and today's tips are particularly useful.  Did you know you can type in commands like:

kc: 26 usca 501

to quickly KeyCite a case, statute, or other authority?  You can also restrict your search to a particular area of law by typing the area of law followed by a colon in the search box:

family law: custodial parent relocation

Follow this link to view the full list of advanced shortcuts.

Mastering Summer Assignments

What could be so difficult about taking on a new assignment when you're working as a summer associate?  In my experience, the most difficult part for law students working their first or second legal job is remembering to ask the right questions when they receive a new assignment. They listen to what the supervisor says, take notes, and walk out of the office.  Thirty minutes later, they're panicking -- "Am I supposed to write a memo? Which matter number am I supposed to use? Am I allowed to use Lexis and Westlaw?" Fortunately, it's easy to prevent these moments of sheer panic by preparing for these assignment intake meetings. Frank Kimball has some great tips on how to avoid making mistakes during your summer job, including a comprehensive list of questions to ask when you receive assignments from supervisors.

State Court Materials Online? It Depends.

The Stanford Law Library blog, Legal Research Plus, recently posted about online access to trial court documents at state courts across the country.  Rachel Samberg concludes that "we found too many gaps in coverage for anything to be considered 'consistently' available online." Rachel also notes that "the quality of available dockets varies dramatically because state court clerks exercise no uniformity in document description.  It is difficult to compile a collection of complaints if various clerks label documents 'pleading' or 'misc. filing.'"

USF law librarians regularly interact with patrons who are shocked that they can't access all California trial court filings from every county online.  We explain that there is no PACER equivalent in California.  Some California state courts provide online access for free (SF County Superior Court), some provide online access but charge researchers for searching and/or downloading documents (LA County Superior Court), and some don't provide any online access at all (San Diego County Superior Court).  As far as we can tell, there is no web resource that provides a county-by-county summary of online availability of court records.  Your best bet is to visit the state court website - links to all state court websites can be found on the California Courts website.