ZiefBrief

Fortieth Anniversary Edition of The Paper Chase

USF Law has long enjoyed a close association with John Osborn, the author of The Paper Chase, the quintessential story of life as a first year law student at Harvard in the 1970's. As a professor of law and Distinguished Scholar in Residence  he has taught on wills and estate planning as well as a very popular course on the law in literature. To mark the Fortieth Anniversary of publication, The Paper Chase is being republished in a new edition with a brand new preface by the author. While much has changed in law schools and legal education in the last four decades, this book should still resonate with anyone who has lived through the rigors of an American legal education.

Though it hasn't been easy to find a new copy of The Paper Chase the last few years, this new edition is available in both a high quality trade paper back print edition as well as a digital edition readable on you Kindle, iPad or other compatable e-readers.

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

West Study Aids Online Subscription

If you are a fan of study aids published by West, such as Gilbert's Law Summaries, the Exam Pro series, and Nutshells, you may want to consider West's online study aid subscription option for law students. A three-month subscription is $75.00 and gives law students access to the following materials:

An online library of over 300 study aids for law students featuring case briefs, outlines, overviews and exam preparation titles from West, Foundation Press and Gilbert. Available to law students by subscription, it offers a new cost-effective way to study. Series include: Acing Series, Black Letter Outlines, Exam Pro Series, Gilbert Law Summaries, High Court Case Summaries, Nutshell Series, Sum & Substance Quick Reviews and Turning Point Series.

The study aids are searchable, and you can also take notes and highlight text.  The big downside -- you can't export to an e-reader. And yes, the law library has looked into purchasing a subscription for the entire law school community, but the cost for an institutional subscription is jaw-dropping.  

Advice for First-Years

Paul Horwitz has a useful post on PrawfsBlawg today, offering some pointers to OneLs.  My favorite points:

• "You are enrolled in 'Job Hunting and the Law'" - Horwitz encourages students to prioritize career planning and networking as highly as they would enrolled courses and to set aside some time each week to tackle long-term career planning tasks.
• "Legal Research and Writing is your most important class." You've all probably heard this statement a thousand times already, but it bears repeating.  Do not ignore this class.  As a former member of a law firm recruiting committee, I can tell you that your grade in first-year legal writing and research will be noticed.  If it's low, your application will probably move to the bottom of the pile.

 

Kindle Textbook Rental Service Now Available

Tired of carrying heavy textbooks around?  Now some law textbooks are available for rent through Amazon’s Kindle rental service.  You don’t even have to own a Kindle to use the service. You can simply download a free Kindle reading app for any of the following: PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android Windows Phone 7, Blackberry or Kindle. 

According to Amazon, you can save up to 80% off the list price of the printed version of the textbook.  Further, you can typically rent a textbook for between 30 and 360 days.  If you begin with the minimum you can always extend your rental for additional days if you’d like and you pay only for the time you need to rent the book.  You also get to keep any highlights or notes you make even after the rental period expires. 

To find a book, you just search in Amazon’s Textbooks Store and search for the book you want, either by title or by browsing the Law section.  Then look in the Formats section to see if a Kindle edition is available for rent and specify your rental dates.  Be careful, though, as some Kindle editions are only available for purchase.  Make sure you don’t accidentally buy something.  Also, before renting, be sure to compare the price of the Kindle rental to that of a new or used print version of the casebook just to make sure you’re getting the best deal. 

So far many legal textbooks do not have an electronic version available. However, Amazon’s Kindle rental program is a good start.  Hopefully, Amazon will offer more electronic versions of textbooks in the future.  For more details about the Kindle rental service, visit Amazon. 

What You Say On Facebook Can And Will Be Used Against You.

ZiefBrief has commented in the past on the pitfalls of Facebook and other social networking sites when it comes to becoming a lawyer. Now the incomparable Bruce Schneier's blog at Schneier on Security has uncovered a new service calling itself Social Intelligence Hiring. It seems that the good folks at S.I.H. will prepare a full dossier on a subject drawing from "Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs, and 'thousands of other sources'." They then render their research down into categories like  "Poor Judgment," "Gangs," "Drugs and Drug Lingo" and "Demonstrating Potentially Violent Behavior." Click here for more about Social Intelligence and their pre- and post-hiring monitoring programs.

So the lesson for all of us is to think twice about what we post about ourselves on the web. Recently, Google's CEO Eric Schmidt predicted that the day will come when you will have the option to clean you digital slate and start over as a new digital entity. But for the time being, remember what goes on the web probably stays on the web.

Law School Survival Manual

Over at the law professor blog, The Faculty Lounge, Professor Laura Appleman recommends the recently published, Law School Survival Manual, by Nancy Rapoport and Jeffrey Van Niel, for OneLs and the law professors who advise them.  Many books that advise on how to survive law school tend to be overly earnest and serious, but Professor Appleman assures us that this book is both funny AND useful. We've ordered a copy for the law library collection, and it should arrive soon.

Rent a Casebook from West

If your professor assigns a West-published casebook for your class, you may have the option of renting the casebook and saving a bit of money.  According to West, you can write and highlight in your rented casebook, and you won't be penalized for doing so.  Renting the casebook also gives you access to an electronic version of the casebook for the duration of the semester.  BUT you can only access the electronic version on a PC or Mac - no Kindle, iPad, or Nook access exists at this time. To find out more, visit the West FAQ page on the rental program.

The Bricks-and-Mortar Zief Library: A Self-Guided Tour

For the new USF law students who want to get acquainted with the layout of the Zief Law Library, we offer a simple PDF self-guided tour. Download it now, and if you find yourself nodding off over your casebooks, pick up the tour and learn about the library while you stretch your legs.

Everyone Wants to Help You Get Through Law School

Oh, maybe not everyone.... But lots of blogging law professors do, and Paul Caron of the TaxProf Blog has helpfully collected their posts in his post, Advice for the Incoming Law School Class of 2009.

Your own professors would like to help, too. If they aren't the Web 2.0 kind, visit them during their office hours and ask them for their law school survival tips.