This Week in the Law Library …

This week in the Law Library, happy July 4th! We also look at more bar exam resources, new summer legal research tips, and we celebrate Disability Pride Month.

Happy July 4th!

hand_holding_American_flag_and_sparkler

The Law Library will be closed July 4, 2022 to celebrate Independence Day. Law students and faculty will still have their 24/7 access. All of our online resources are also still available 24/7!

Bar Exam Study Resources

Congratulations! You have made it through law school but now the bar exam looms. Don’t worry, the Law Library’s got your back. When you’ve caught your breath and you’re ready to start your bar studying, we have resources that can help. Check out our Bar Exam Research Guide.

The July bar examination will be administered July 26-27, 2022 at the Roberts Centre, 123 Gano Road, Wilmington, Ohio.

5 More Bar Exam Resources

The Bar Exam is not a sprint, it’s a marathon so pace yourself! You can see the previous week’s featured bar exam resources on our June 27, June 21st, June 13th, June 6th, and May 24th posts. Check out this week’s Bar Exam Resource highlights below.

Exam Pro Bar Prep Workbook Revised

Available through the West Academic study aid subscription, this book uses frameworks as a guide to writing a top-notch essay. Based on the premises that the bar exam essay is often different in style, length, and scoring from the law school exam essay and that organization and issue identification can best be achieved by a structured, strategic approach rather than “winging it.” The opportunity to practice techniques allows students to further improve their writing.

Mastering Multiple Choice for Federal Civil Procedure MBE Bar Prep and 1L Exam Prep

Available through the West Academic study aid subscription, this fourth edition (expanded with new questions, new answers, and new explanations) encompasses material reflecting all Civil Procedure Rule amendments through December 2021, along with applicable new case law through February 2022. This multiple choice practice book is designed for: (a) bar exam takers, who are preparing to take the MBE multiple choice bar exam, and (b) 1L law students, who are preparing to take their course examinations. This practice book offers practical, easy-to-follow advice on multiple choice exam-taking strategies, clear suggestions on effective multiple choice practicing techniques, and a robust set of Civil Procedure multiple choice practice questions with answers and explanations (designed to simulate MBE-style questions). Tables help users decode the tested-topic for each practice question.

MPT and MPT Point Sheets

These describe the factual and legal points encompassed within the lawyering task to be completed by applicants for each of the tests and outline possible issues and points that might be addressed by an examinee.
These MPTs and Point Sheets are available online from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Scoring High on Bar Exam Essays

Available in Law Stacks at KF303 .G35 2006, this text provides step-by-step instructions on essay-writing systems and confidence-building practices. A review of the best and worst ways to respond to essay questions is included.

Strategies and Tactics for the MBE 2: Multistate Bar Exam

Available in Law Stacks at KF303 .E46 2013, Strategies and Tactics for the MBE 2 provides 300 additional questions to help you prepare for the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE). It is important to understand the issues of law tested on the exam and to learn how the exam questions are written to test your understanding of the law. With its comprehensive explanations of why one answer choice is the best answer and why the other choices are not, this text helps you gain the ability to select the best answer choice. The 300 questions are organized by subject area (Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Torts, and Real Property). Within each subject area, questions are broken down by subtopic, allowing you to locate and practice questions in your trouble areas.

Summer Legal Research Tips

Previously, we looked at initial steps to take when you get a summer research project, researching secondary sources, the structure and organization of statutory codes and where to find them, and finding and searching within annotated codes. This week we will continue to take a look at updating and validating statutes. Learn more about researching statutes in our Researching Statutes Guide or watch our videos on finding and searching within annotated codes.

How Up-to-Date Is Your Code?

Statutes are constantly changing. Make sure that you are working with the most current version of a statute when researching a current issue. Print and online codes will tell you how up to date they are. Look for these currency statements when viewing a statute. Look for the number of the last session law integrated into the code.

Print codes are updated with annual pocket parts and supplements. Also look for legislative service pamphlets. These updates are published throughout the year and usually include a cumulative list of statutes affected by recently enacted laws and a cumulative subject index. Tables of amendments and repeals published in codes and advance legislative services provide citations to session laws that modify existing statutes. Just be aware that print supplements are often published to slowly for updating purposes so online sources are going to be most current.

Validating Statutes Using Citators

On Lexis, use Shepards to validate your statute and to identify any pending legislation that may impact your statute. In Lexis, when you shepardize a statute, the circle with an exclamation point indicates that a section has strong negative treatment. Such negative treatment would be things like it has been amended or repealed or that it has been declared unconstitutional or void. In Lexis, the upside-down yellow triangle with an exclamation point indicates that there is pending legislation that could amend your statute. In Lexis, the green diamond with a plus sign in it indicates that there is positive treatment of your statute.

On Westlaw, use KeyCite to validate your statute and to identify any pending legislation that may impact your statute. A red flag in Westlaw indicates that a section has been amended or repealed by a session law or that it has been declared unconstitutional or preempted. A yellow flag in Westlaw indicates that the statute has been renumbered or transferred by a recent session law; that an uncodified session law or proposed legislation affecting the statute is available; that the statute was limited on constitutional or preemption grounds; that its validity was otherwise called into doubt; or that a prior version of the statute received negative treatment from a court.

July Is Disability Pride Month!

Disability Pride Flag

Disability Pride Flag. A black flag with a lightning bolt of blue, yellow, white, red, and green. Source: Ann Magill/Public Domain

About Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month is an annual worldwide observance holiday during the month of July. It promotes awareness of disability as an identity, a community, a culture & the positive pride felt by disabled people. It directly challenges systematic ableism and discrimination.

UC Resources

Mikaila Corday, Ableism & Disability Justice, Racial Justice Resources for Activists, Advocates & Allies Guide
Topics in this guide page include ableism 101, ableism podcasts, ableism web resources, accessibility, accessibility resources, disability justice resources, veterans resources, and books.

Accessibility Resources for Students
Accessibility Resources leads the campus community in supporting students with disabilities by fostering an environment that places independence, inclusion and success at its core. They help provide a comprehensive collection of resources related to our office and accessibility for the UC Bearcat community.

Accessibility Resources for Faculty
Information for faculty regarding accessibility for their students.

UC Blue Ash Accessibility Resources
The UC Blue Ash College Accessibility Resources office (AR) seeks to ensure that all students with a documented disability can freely and actively participate in all facets of college life. To that end, Accessibility Resources creates opportunities for and promotes educational experiences, advocacy, and enrichment to persons with disabilities. Finally, AR seeks to increase the awareness and training among the UC Blue Ash College community so that students with disabilities continue to be perceived as people with promise.

UC Clermont Accessibility Resources
The primary purpose of the Accessibility Resources office at the University of Cincinnati Clermont College is to give students with disabilities the opportunity to achieve their academic goals.

Accessibility 101
Resources for e-accessibility.

Katie Foran-Mulcahy, American Sign Language and Deaf Studies
CECH Library guide to support American Sign Language and Deaf studies.

Disability & Accessibility, DEI Book Club at Clermont
Provides resources and support for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives at Clermont College.

Ron Jones, Disability Law
Legal research guide on disability law.

Shannon Kemen, Mental Health Law Research Guide
This guide provides a quick overview of mental health law materials. It covers browsing for materials by call number range, textbooks, treatises, statutory law, administrative materials, and news.

RallyCap Sports
At the foundation, the RallyCap Sports program offers a high quality sports league for children and young adults with special needs to participate in within their community throughout the year.

Kathy Ladell, Sign Language at Clermont
This guide will help you with connecting to ASL resources within the Clermont College Library.

Katie Foran-Mulcahy, Special Education
CECH Library guide to resources including e-books, article databases, online help tutorials, useful websites, and more for researching and teaching special education.

UC Best Buddies
Best Buddies is a club that aspires to transform the lives of both individuals with disabilities, and those without. By forming friendships, Best Buddies further reduces the social space between peers and those with exceptionalities.

UC ASL Club
The UC ASL Club is a safe and friendly organization for students to learn American Sign Language and more about the Deaf Community.

5 Resources on Accessibility & Disability Issues

ABA Wide 21-Day Disability Equity Habit-Building Challenge©

The ABA Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council is proud to launch a 21-Day Disability Equity Habit-Building Challenge syllabus in honor of Disability Pride Month. ABA members and non-members, including non-lawyers, to participate in this Disability Equity Habit-Building Challenge©. Its goal is to assist each of us to become more aware and engaged in the quest for disability equity, and specifically to learn more about the members of the disability community, many of whom are from other marginalized communities, as well as barriers, biases, stereotypes, and discrimination they encounter in everyday life.

ABA & Burton Blatt Institute, First Phase Findings From a National Study of Lawyers With Disabilities and Lawyers Who Identify as LGBTQ+ (PDF)

A new national study by the ABA, in collaboration with the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, finds lawyers who identify as disabled and LGBTQ+ report experiencing both subtle and overt forms of discrimination at their workplaces, with common reports of subtle but unintentional bias.

Kendra Winchester, 10 Books on Disability Justice, Book Riot (Aug. 12, 2021)

This list is a starting place to introduce people to disability justice and its many facets.

The Iris Center, Films: Portrayals of People with Disabilities

This tool represents an attempt to catalogue the representation of people with disabilities in motion pictures. Many of those representations are accurate, many are inaccurate, and some are even offensive. Their inclusion in this tool is intended to stimulate discussion and should by no means be considered an endorsement of their accuracy or appropriateness.

Yo! Ed Roberts 2022 Oral History Project

The Ed Roberts Oral History Project was a youth-led project that began on Ed Roberts Day 2021. Throughout the year over 20 disabled youth volunteers from around the globe interviewed disabled elders who knew Ed Roberts.

Pride Month Resources Recap

June is Pride Month and all of this month we have been highlighting resources to learn more about the history behind Pride Month and LGBTQ+ issues. Below we recap those resources.

Rainbow flag
About Pride Month

Pride Month is commemorated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City. The Stonewall Inn was a popular gay bar that police raided on Jun 28, 1969. The raid resulted in days of protest and the uprising is often cited as a catalyst for LGBTQ+ activism. Read President Biden’s 2022 Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month.

ABA & LGBTQ+ Bar Resources

June ABA 21-Day LGBTQ+ Equity Habit Building Challenge ©

This Challenge is modeled after the “21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge©,” which was conceived several years ago by diversity expert Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. to advance deeper understandings of the intersections of race, power, privilege, supremacy, and oppression. The goal of the Challenge is to assist each of us to become more aware, compassionate, constructive, engaged people in the quest for equity, and specifically to learn more about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and many communities included under the “LGBTQ+ umbrella.” It transcends our roles as lawyers. Non-lawyers are also welcome to participate. The Challenge invites participants to complete a syllabus of 21 daily, short assignments (typically taking 15-30 minutes), over 21 consecutive days, that includes readings, videos, or podcasts. The assignments seek to expose participants to perspectives on elements of LGBTQ+ histories, identities, and cultures. This Challenges cannot possibly highlight all of the diversity of experiences and opinions within the LGBTQ+ community itself, much less substitute for learnings about any other community. This syllabus is but an introduction to what we hope will be a rewarding journey that extends far beyond the limits of this project.

ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity, 2022 Stonewall Award Honorees & Virtual Celebration Video

The Stonewall Award recognizes lawyers, members of the judiciary and legal academia who have effected real change to remove barriers on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the legal profession, the world, state, state/or locale and championed diversity for the LGBT community. Thi year’s honorees are Justice G. Helen Whitener, Shannon Minter, and Jordan Blisk.

ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity & DISCLOSURE, Trans Awareness for Legal Professionals: Why it Matters and Tools to Help

The American Bar Association and DISCLOSURE produced this 2021 webinar for legal professionals during Trans Awareness Week 2021. Participants get a closer look at the toolkit developed by the DISCLOSURE Impact team for lawyers, judges, and others in the legal system, and hear from trans leaders in the field at the Transgender Law Center, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, as well as Alameda County Superior Court.

LGBTQ+ Bar’s Educational Program Series, LGBTQ+ and Black History: A Conversation

In this webinar, historian Zaylore Stout, recent author of “Our Gay History in 50 States,” adds historical perspective to the national dialogue on racial equity. He focuses on how two important January events (Inauguration and first MLK day since George Floyd) fit into our nation’s larger story.

LBTQ+ Bar’s Educational Program Series, Trans Awareness For The Workplace

More than 90% of Fortune 500 companies explicitly embrace gender identity non-discrimination policies (up from 3% in 2002). Therefore, you are more likely now than ever before to encounter transgender people and their colleagues in the workplace. In this presentation, Jamie Rodriguez, Senior Counsel at Holland & Knight LLP, will help us understand how to be aware and intentional in interacting with transgender individuals, how we can be allies to the transgender community, and the unique issues transgender people face in the workplace. In June 2019, Jamie was the first openly trans employee to transition at Holland & Knight LLP. By learning her story and listening to her guidance, we can help create inclusive workplaces and organizations, where transgender people feel supported, empowered, and safe to bring their authentic selves to work.

Selected Archival & Museum Resources

BePress Digital Commons Network, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons

The BePress Digital Commons Network brings together free, full-text scholarly articles from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide. Curated by university librarians and their supporting institutions, the Network includes a growing collection of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, and other original scholarly work.

The GLBT Historical Society Museum & Archives, Pride Archival Resources

Founded in 1985, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Historical Society is recognized internationally as a leader in the field of LGBTQ public history. The GLBT Historical Society collects, preserves, exhibits and makes accessible to the public materials and knowledge to support and promote understanding of LGBTQ history, culture and arts in all their diversity.

Library of Congress, LGBTQIA+ Studies: A Resource Guide

This guide offers an introduction to the LGBTQIA+ collections of the Library of Congress. The Library collects at the research level in the area of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) studies. Library holdings are particularly strong in LGBTQIA+ politics, history, literature and the performing arts.

ONE Archives at the USC Libraries

ONE Archives at the USC Libraries is the largest repository of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) materials in the world. Founded in 1952, ONE Archives currently houses over two million archival items including periodicals, books, film, video and audio recordings, photographs, artworks, organizational records, and personal papers. It is the mission of ONE Archives at the USC Libraries to collect, preserve, and make accessible LGBTQ historical materials while promoting new scholarship on and public awareness of queer histories.

Selected Databases

Gender Studies Database

Gender Studies Database¸ produced by NISC¸ combines NISC’s popular Women’s Studies International and Men’s Studies databases with the coverage of sexual diversity issues. GSD covers the full spectrum of gender-engaged scholarship inside and outside academia. This database includes more than 696¸750 records with coverage spanning from 1972 and earlier to present.

Gender Watch

A mostly full-text collection of newspapers, magazines and journals related to women’s studies, men’s studies, and gender and gay/lesbian issues. A rich collection of articles, editorials, columns, reviews, etc. provides a broad diversity of perspectives and viewpoints.

LGBT Thought and Culture

LGBT Thought and Culture is an online resource hosting books¸ periodicals¸ and archival materials documenting LGBT political¸ social and cultural movements throughout the twentieth century and into the present day. Supported by the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center.

LGBTQ+ Source

LGBTQ+ Source (formerly LGBT Life, formerly GLBT Life) is an index to the world’s literature regarding gay¸ lesbian¸ bisexual and transgender issues. This database contains indexing and abstracts for more than 120 LGBTQ+-specific core periodicals and over 230 LGBTQ+-specific core books and reference works. The product also contains data mined from over 40 priority periodicals and over 1¸700 select titles¸ as well as full text for 50 of the most important and historically significant LGBTQ+ journals¸ magazines and regional newspapers¸ and dozens of full text monographs. The database includes comprehensive indexing and abstract coverage as well as a specialized LGBTQ+ Thesaurus containing over 6¸300 terms.

LGBT Open Access Books

The Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) is a discovery service for open access books. DOAB provides a searchable index to peer-reviewed monographs and edited collections published under an open access licence, with links to the full texts of the publications at the publisher’s website or repository. Researchers can use DOAB to access free to read monographs and edited volumes by searching and browsing the directory.

Selected Statistical Resources

Census Data – Same Sex Couples

All Census Bureau demographic surveys collect information about same-sex couples. The level of detail collected varies, as well as the availability of other characteristics of the partners. This page collates census data on same-sex couples.

Community Marketing & Insights Research Complimentary Downloads

CMI collects and produces marketing research on the LGBTQ community across every demographic.

Selected E-Books

Katherine McFarland Bruce, Pride Parades: How a Parade Changed the World (UC e-book — must authenticate to access)

Pride Parades tells the story of Pride in two parts. In Part I, the author explores how gays and lesbians established the event in the early 1970s as a parade to affirm gay identities. Situating this story at its beginning in mid-1970, the book outlines the scene where approximately 5,000 gays and lesbians (and surely a handful of straight allies) marched through the streets of Manhattan, West Hollywood, and downtown Chicago in the first ever Pride events. The events were a curious mix of protest march and parade – more festive than a typical angry march but with more contention than a typical parade – and were the largest ever public gatherings of out gays and lesbians in history; moreover, these marches were so successful that immediately afterward participants started planning for the following year, thus heralding the beginning of the colorful tradition of Pride. In Part II, the text leaps to 2010 and examines contemporary Pride parades.

Walter Frank, Law and the Gay Rights Story: The Long Search for Equal Justice in a Divided Democracy (UC e-book — must authenticate to access)

In his book, Walter Frank offers an in-depth look at the court cases that were pivotal in establishing gay rights. But he also tells the story of those individuals who were willing to make waves by fighting for those rights, taking enormous personal risks at a time when the tide of public opinion was against them. Chronicling the past half-century of gay and lesbian history, Law and the Gay Rights Story offers a unique perspective on familiar events like the Stonewall Riots, the AIDS crisis, and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Frank pays special attention to the constitutional issues surrounding same-sex marriage. The book explains the legal and constitutional issues involved in each of the major goals of the gay rights movement: a safe and healthy school environment, workplace equality, an end to anti-gay violence, relationship recognition, and full integration into all the institutions of the larger society, including marriage and military service.

Karla Jay, Tales of the Lavender Menace: A Memoir of Liberation (UC e-book — must authenticate to access)

A memoir, serious and hilarious in turn, of the struggles and scandals, politics and personalities that made up the women’s and gay liberation movements of the 1960s and ’70s. Karla Jay, a direct participant in the dramatic history of the women’s and gay liberation movements, brings on stage a dazzling cast of unforgettable characters and gives voice to the sweeping tale of the activists who struggled for their vision of social justice and sexual liberation.

Kyle Morgan & Meg Rodriguez, The American LGBTQ Rights Movement: An Introduction (Open Access)

The American LGBTQ Rights Movement: An Introduction is a peer-reviewed chronological survey of the LGBTQ fight for equal rights from the turn of the 20th century to the early 21st century. Illustrated with historical photographs, the book beautifully reveals the heroic people and key events that shaped the American LGBTQ rights movement. The book includes personal narratives to capture the lived experience from each era, as well as details of essential organizations, texts, and court cases that defined LGBTQ activism and advocacy.

Marc Stein, The Stonewall Riots: A Documentary History (UC e-book — must authenticate to access)

Across 200 documents, Marc Stein presents a unique record of the lessons and legacies of Stonewall. Drawing from sources that include mainstream, alternative, and LGBTQ media, gay-bar guide listings, state court decisions, political fliers, first-person accounts, song lyrics, and photographs, Stein paints an indelible portrait of this pivotal moment in the LGBT movement. In The Stonewall Riots, Stein does not construct a neatly quilted, streamlined narrative of Greenwich Village, its people, and its protests; instead, he allows multiple truths to find their voices and speak to one another, much like the conversations you’d expect to overhear in your neighborhood bar.

This Week in the Law Library …

This week in the Law Library, a reminder that we will be closed for July 4th, more bar exam resources, new summer legal research tips, and more Pride month resources.

Library & Building Hours

hand_holding_American_flag_and_sparkler

The Law Library will be closed July 4, 2022 to celebrate Independence Day. Law students and faculty will still have their 24/7 access. All of our online resources are also still available 24/7!

Bar Exam Study Resources

Congratulations! You have made it through law school but now the bar exam looms. Don’t worry, the Law Library’s got your back. When you’ve caught your breath and you’re ready to start your bar studying, we have resources that can help. Check out our Bar Exam Research Guide.

The July bar examination will be administered July 26-27, 2022 at the Roberts Centre, 123 Gano Road, Wilmington, Ohio.

5 More Bar Exam Resources

The Bar Exam is not a sprint, it’s a marathon so pace yourself! You can see the previous week’s featured bar exam resources on our June 21st, June 13th, June 6th, and May 24th posts. Check out this week’s Bar Exam Resource highlights below.

A Short and Happy Guide to Conquering the MBE

Available through the West Academic subscription, this book will help you with multiple choice questions. The Multistate Bar Exam is intimidating because it covers a wide array of subjects and because it is all multiple-choice questions. Practice multiple-choice questions can serve two purposes. The more common is that they allow you to have some sense of how you are doing–an assessment function. The less common but far more useful function is that they provide a structured study method for review of material. Few students use them that way, but those who do reap great rewards. This small volume will show you how to use practice multiple-choice questions to greatest advantage. That involves changing the way you approach those questions. Conquering the MBE gives you a step-by-step process for attacking every multiple-choice question in every MBE subject, with lots of examples. You will discover that most questions offer review of four concepts rather than just one, and they do so on concrete contexts, not in the abstract. You will also discover that when you do this step-by-step review, one answer, and only one answer, is correct.

Bar Exam Survival

Available through the Aspen Learning Library subscription, this brief, witty book gives examinees a real taste of what the bar exam experience feels like, from the first day of bar prep through the exam days themselves. Michael Stockman provides examples from his own experience taking the NY and MA bar exams in 2010 and 2011. The author shares strategies he devised to manage BarBri, the prep courses he took twice, explaining the strategies that worked for him, from how to get organized to specific advice about condensing notes. He offers study tips and practical advice about test days (such as what to bring) and how to manage stress and anxiety. In addition to a chapter for LLM students, there is a chapter for older test takers and those returning to the law.

Conquering the Bar Exam: Personal Stories & Practical Advice for Overcoming the Final Hurdle to Becoming a Full-Fledged Licensed Lawyer

Available at Law Stacks KF303 .C66 2007. This book provides a compilation of essays detailing real-life experiences and offering advice from lawyers, judges, professors, administrators, and deans. The essays describe what they went through, what worked for them, and the ways they defeated their worries, fears, and failures in order to realize their dreams and become lawyers.

Law School Survival Manual: From LSAT to Bar Exam

Available through the Aspen Learning Library subscription, chapter 14 in this text covers the Bar Exam.

If I Don’t Pass the Bar I’ll Die

Available at KF303 .L3 2008. Stress and worry may have affected your academic performance in the past and will likely affect your performance on the bar exam. This book can prevent that from happening. It includes 73 ways to keep stress and worry from affecting your performance on the Bar Exam.

Summer Legal Research Tips

Previously, we looked at initial steps to take when you get a summer research project, researching secondary sources, and the structure and organization of statutory codes and where to find them. This week we will continue to take a look at researching a statutory issue in an annotated code, covering statutory finding tools. Learn more about researching statutes in our Researching Statutes Guide or watch our videos on finding and searching within annotated codes.

Statutory Finding Tools

There are several useful statutory finding tools that you can use when researching statutes.

Indexes

All print codes and some online codes will contain separate subject indexes. An index is a great finding tool. Topics are listed alphabetically and will refer you to the codified statutory sections pertaining to that topic. Westlaw contains indexes for all of its statutes. Lexis does not generally provide indexes for its state statutes but does for the United States Code Service. HeinOnline contains an index for the United States Code.

Tips for Using Indexes

If you see an index entry for a topic that gives you another term and then states generally this index; generally, post; or generally, ante; it is telling you to search for that other term in the index either in another part of the index, after the entry you are looking at (post), or before the entry you are looking at (ante). If you see a statutory citation in the index that says et seq., this is Latin for “and the following ones.” In other words, multiple sections — it is just giving you the first one.

Tables of Contents

It is always a good idea to see your statutory section in context by looking at the table of contents. This will allow you to find related statutory sections such as preambles, definition sections, etc. With codes, you will often find a table of contents for the different divisions in which the code is organized. For example, in the United States Code, you will get a table of contents for the code, the title, and one for the chapter.

Popular Names

Sometimes a statute will have an official or popular name. If there is a well-known name for the law you are interested in, consult the “Popular Names Table” in one of the code versions. This will provide you with the session law number and the session law citation for the original act, as well as providing references to where the act has been codified. In print sources, the “Popular Names Table” may be a separate volume or be a section within the last volume of the general index. Westlaw contains popular names tables for all of its statutes. Bloomberg Law provides a popular names table for the United States Code HeinOnline provides a popular names table for the United States Code. Lexis does not generally provide a popular names table for its state statutes but it does for USCS.

Parallel Reference Tables

Each code includes volumes that contain tables for parallel references. Locate the session law citation or public law number you are interested in on the table, and it will provide you with the title and section numbers where the statute has been codified. Codes will also contain tables that relate older state codifications to the current code.

Keyword Searching of Statutes

If you don’t have a popular name or citation, you can search for keywords based on your topic of research. This can be difficult. Using indexes instead will often save you time. Statutory language is not always intuitive, and the language used can appear in multiple statutes so it’s easy to pull up references to statutes that are not relevant to your research. If searching statutes by keyword, take advantage of the fields and segments and create a more advanced search. Some useful fields for statutes in Westlaw are: CA, the caption field which includes the section and heading for a statute; and PR, the prelim field which includes headings and chapters assigned to the statute. In Lexis use the section segment which contains the section number and section heading of the statute; and the heading segment which contains the headings and subheadings before the subject.

June Is Pride Month!

Rainbow flag

About Pride Month

Pride Month is commemorated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City. The Stonewall Inn was a popular gay bar that police raided on Jun 28, 1969. The raid resulted in days of protest and the uprising is often cited as a catalyst for LGBTQ+ activism. Read President Biden’s 2022 Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month.

University of Cincinnati Pride Month Events & Resources

University of Cincinnati Alumni, Pride Month

UCBA Library Pride Month Display

5 More Pride Month Resources

Learn more about Pride Month and LGBTQ+ issues by checking out the resources below!

Katherine McFarland Bruce, Pride Parades: How a Parade Changed the World (UC e-book — must authenticate to access)

Pride Parades tells the story of Pride in two parts. In Part I, the author explores how gays and lesbians established the event in the early 1970s as a parade to affirm gay identities. Situating this story at its beginning in mid-1970, the book outlines the scene where approximately 5,000 gays and lesbians (and surely a handful of straight allies) marched through the streets of Manhattan, West Hollywood, and downtown Chicago in the first ever Pride events. The events were a curious mix of protest march and parade – more festive than a typical angry march but with more contention than a typical parade – and were the largest ever public gatherings of out gays and lesbians in history; moreover, these marches were so successful that immediately afterward participants started planning for the following year, thus heralding the beginning of the colorful tradition of Pride. In Part II, the text leaps to 2010 and examines contemporary Pride parades.

Walter Frank, Law and the Gay Rights Story: The Long Search for Equal Justice in a Divided Democracy (UC e-book — must authenticate to access)

In his book, Walter Frank offers an in-depth look at the court cases that were pivotal in establishing gay rights. But he also tells the story of those individuals who were willing to make waves by fighting for those rights, taking enormous personal risks at a time when the tide of public opinion was against them. Chronicling the past half-century of gay and lesbian history, Law and the Gay Rights Story offers a unique perspective on familiar events like the Stonewall Riots, the AIDS crisis, and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Frank pays special attention to the constitutional issues surrounding same-sex marriage. The book explains the legal and constitutional issues involved in each of the major goals of the gay rights movement: a safe and healthy school environment, workplace equality, an end to anti-gay violence, relationship recognition, and full integration into all the institutions of the larger society, including marriage and military service.

Karla Jay, Tales of the Lavender Menace: A Memoir of Liberation (UC e-book — must authenticate to access)

A memoir, serious and hilarious in turn, of the struggles and scandals, politics and personalities that made up the women’s and gay liberation movements of the 1960s and ’70s. Karla Jay, a direct participant in the dramatic history of the women’s and gay liberation movements, brings on stage a dazzling cast of unforgettable characters and gives voice to the sweeping tale of the activists who struggled for their vision of social justice and sexual liberation.

Kyle Morgan & Meg Rodriguez, The American LGBTQ Rights Movement: An Introduction (Open Access)

The American LGBTQ Rights Movement: An Introduction is a peer-reviewed chronological survey of the LGBTQ fight for equal rights from the turn of the 20th century to the early 21st century. Illustrated with historical photographs, the book beautifully reveals the heroic people and key events that shaped the American LGBTQ rights movement. The book includes personal narratives to capture the lived experience from each era, as well as details of essential organizations, texts, and court cases that defined LGBTQ activism and advocacy.

Marc Stein, The Stonewall Riots: A Documentary History (UC e-book — must authenticate to access)

Across 200 documents, Marc Stein presents a unique record of the lessons and legacies of Stonewall. Drawing from sources that include mainstream, alternative, and LGBTQ media, gay-bar guide listings, state court decisions, political fliers, first-person accounts, song lyrics, and photographs, Stein paints an indelible portrait of this pivotal moment in the LGBT movement. In The Stonewall Riots, Stein does not construct a neatly quilted, streamlined narrative of Greenwich Village, its people, and its protests; instead, he allows multiple truths to find their voices and speak to one another, much like the conversations you’d expect to overhear in your neighborhood bar.

This Week in the Law Library …

This week in the Law Library, we’re looking at more bar exam resources, exploring more summer legal research tips, and continuing to learn more about Pride month.

Bar Exam Study Resources

Congratulations! You have made it through law school but now the bar exam looms. Don’t worry, the Law Library’s got your back. When you’ve caught your breath and you’re ready to start your bar studying, we have resources that can help. Check out our Bar Exam Research Guide.

The July bar examination will be administered July 26-27, 2022 at the Roberts Centre, 123 Gano Road, Wilmington, Ohio.

5 More Bar Exam Resources

The Bar Exam is not a sprint, it’s a marathon so pace yourself! You can see the previous week’s featured bar exam resources on our June 13th, June 6th, and May 24th posts. Check out this week’s Bar Exam Resource highlights below.

Pass the Bar!

Available via the LexisNexis Digital Library subscription, Pass the Bar! provides a comprehensive overview of the pre-bar review, bar review, and bar exam process. The authors demystify the bar exam process and take readers through the steps they need in order to succeed.Readers are given specific checklists, exercises, reflection questions; information about what to do during the year before their bar reviews begin; how to set the stage to succeed with their bar exams; how to study and approach practice questions; sample exam questions, and answers; and what additional study methods can maximize their chances of passing their bar exams. Written in a straightforward and practical style, the authors’ strategies are communicated in an informal, reader-friendly way. Their recommendations are grounded in educational and psychological research as well as their personal experiences in designing programs and working with students preparing to take bar exams.

The Zen of Passing the Bar Exam

Available via the LexisNexis Digital Library subscription, The Zen of Passing the Bar Exam offers a comprehensive approach to studying for (and passing) the bar exam, drawing a parallel between how one should approach the bar exam, and how Zen principles teach one to approach life. Each section of the book offers a Zen quote to introduce concepts that can be applied to studying for the bar exam in order to maximize your chances of passing. Zen teaches that in order to reach enlightenment, one must strive to be balanced, know your true self, know your universe, and stay focused on your path. Similarly, in order to reach the ”enlightenment” of passing the bar exam, one must have the attributes of balance (between studying and other aspects of life, as well as balancing your study time between subjects, and between essays, MBE questions, etc.), knowing your true self (what type of essay writer you are, what type of learner you are, what type of exam taker you are, etc.), knowing your universe (knowing the law, how the questions are constructed, what to look for, etc.), and staying focused on your path (when to study, what to do when you are stressed/panicked, what to do when you don¿t know a subject very well, etc.). In addition to offering a comprehensive approach to studying for the bar exam, the book also offers specific, practical advice for doing well on both the essay and MBE portions of the bar exam. The book outlines specific organizational/formatting tips for how to write effective (and efficient) essays under bar exam time constraints. The book provides many exercises, examples, and model answers applicable to any state’s bar exam.

The Bar Exam Toolkit Podcast

Tune in to this podcast for advice on all aspects of the exam, from writing a passing essay to surviving bar prep with your sanity intact.

Bar Exam Wizard Blog

Blog postings on bar exam preparation by Professor Katherine Silver Kelly.

The Extra Mile Podcast for Bar Exam Takers

This podcast with Jackson Mumey, owner of Celebration Bar Review, features episodes that include interviews with successful bar exam students, exam review and analysis and preparation suggestions and tips to help you pass your bar exam.

Summer Legal Research Tips

Previously, we looked at initial steps to take when you get a summer research project and researching secondary sources. This week we will begin taking a look at researching a statutory issue in an annotated code. Learn more about researching statutes in our Researching Statutes Guide or watch our videos on finding and searching within annotated codes.

Statutory Codes

A statutory code is a subject arrangement of the laws of a jurisdiction. There are official and unofficial codes. A code may be annotated (containing editorial enhancements to help with research or interpretation) or unannotated. The advantages of using a code for research include:

  • the fact that codes collate original laws with later amendments,
  • they bring all laws on the same subject together, and
  • they eliminate repealed, superseded, or expired laws.

Annotated Codes

An annotated code is a great research tool because it offers editorial enhancements to help with statutory interpretation. Among the most useful annotated code editorial enhancements are cross references to related statutes and regulations, more detailed historical notes, secondary source references, if it is a Thomson Reuters code you will get topic and key number references to help you find cases, and perhaps the most significant editorial enhancement are the case annotations. These are summaries of judicial opinions that interpret that particular statutory section. Usually, these opinions are chosen by the editors because they add something new to the interpretation of the statute or they are precedent setting opinions. All of these editorial choices are subjective, so your annotations and references are not going to be identical if you have codes for a jurisdiction by different publishers.

Structure and Organization of Statutory Codes

The structure and organization of statutory codes will vary by jurisdiction. The United States Code, the subject arrangement of federal statutes, is arranged by subject into 54 subject titles (title 53 is in reserve and does not yet have a subject assigned to it), with chapter and section subdivisions. In Ohio, the statutes are broadly organized by titles (there are 33) and then further broken down by articles, chapters, and sections. For more information on Ohio codes, see the Ohio Legal Research Guide. Some states, such as California, Maryland, New York, and Texas, use subject words for their broader organization. If you look in Table 1 of the Bluebook or Appendix 1 of ALWD under one of those jurisdictions, they will give you the subject break downs. You include those subjects in your citation.

Where to Find U.S., Ohio, and Kentucky Codes

Federal

United States Code (U.S.C.) – the official unannotated code for federal statutes

U.S.C. on GovInfo.gov

U.S.C. on HeinOnline

U.S.C. on Bloomberg Law

Annotated Codes

United States Code Service – annotated code on Lexis

United States Code Annotated – annotated code on Westlaw

Ohio

Ohio Revised Code – the official unannotated code on the state website

Ohio Revised Code on Bloomberg Law

Page’s Ohio Revised Code Annotated – annotated code on Lexis

Baldwin’s Ohio Revised Code Annotated – annotated code on Westlaw

Kentucky

Kentucky Revised Statutes – unofficial, unannotated code on the state website

Michie’s Kentucky Revised Statutes Annotated – annotated code on Lexis

Baldwin’s Kentucky Revised Statutes Annotated – annotated code on Westlaw

June Is Pride Month!

Rainbow flag

About Pride Month

Pride Month is commemorated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City. The Stonewall Inn was a popular gay bar that police raided on Jun 28, 1969. The raid resulted in days of protest and the uprising is often cited as a catalyst for LGBTQ+ activism. Read President Biden’s 2022 Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month.

University of Cincinnati Pride Month Events & Resources

University of Cincinnati Alumni, Pride Month

UCBA Library Pride Month Display

2022 Cincinnati Pride Parade

5 More Pride Month Resources

Learn more about Pride Month and LGBTQ+ issues by checking out the resources below!

Census Data – Same Sex Couples

All Census Bureau demographic surveys collect information about same-sex couples. The level of detail collected varies, as well as the availability of other characteristics of the partners. This page collates census data on same-sex couples.

Gender Studies Database

Gender Studies Database, produced by NISC, combines NISC’s popular Women’s Studies International and Men’s Studies databases with the coverage of sexual diversity issues. GSD covers the full spectrum of gender-engaged scholarship inside and outside academia. This database includes more than 696¸750 records with coverage spanning from 1972 and earlier to present.

LGBTQ+ Source

LGBTQ+ Source (formerly LGBT Life, formerly GLBT Life) is an index to the world’s literature regarding gay¸ lesbian¸ bisexual and transgender issues. This database contains indexing and abstracts for more than 120 LGBTQ+-specific core periodicals and over 230 LGBTQ+-specific core books and reference works. The product also contains data mined from over 40 priority periodicals and over 1¸700 select titles¸ as well as full text for 50 of the most important and historically significant LGBTQ+ journals¸ magazines and regional newspapers¸ and dozens of full text monographs. The database includes comprehensive indexing and abstract coverage as well as a specialized LGBTQ+ Thesaurus containing over 6¸300 terms.

LGBT Thought and Culture

LGBT Thought and Culture is an online resource hosting books, periodicals, and archival materials documenting LGBT political, social and cultural movements throughout the twentieth century and into the present day. Supported by the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center.

Community Marketing & Insights Research Complimentary Downloads

CMI collects and produces marketing research on the LGBTQ community across every demographic.

This Week in the Law Library …

This week in the Law Library, we welcome our new Circulation Manager, explain Juneteenth, continue to look at more bar exam resources, explore more summer legal research tips, continue celebrating Pride month, and preview Ohio Supreme Court oral arguments.

Welcome Justin Ellis!

This week the Law Library welcomes our new Circulation Manager, Justin Ellis. Justin comes to us from the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and has also worked at the Seattle Public Library.

Juneteenth

Juneteenth marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, TX in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people in Texas were free. Troops did not arrive until two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation! Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia now celebrate Juneteenth to honor the end to slavery in the United States. The University of Cincinnati is closed on June 20, 2022 in celebration of Juneteenth. View Cincinnati Juneteenth events.

Bar Exam Study Resources

Congratulations! You have made it through law school but now the bar exam looms. Don’t worry, the Law Library’s got your back. When you’ve caught your breath and you’re ready to start your bar studying, we have resources that can help. Check out our Bar Exam Research Guide.

The July bar examination will be administered July 26-27, 2022 at the Roberts Centre, 123 Gano Road, Wilmington, Ohio.

5 More Bar Exam Resources

The Bar Exam is not a sprint, it’s a marathon so pace yourself! Check out this week’s Bar Exam Resource highlights below.

ABA Student Lawyer Division, Student Lawyer – Bar Exam Blog Posts

The ABA’s Student Lawyer Division publishes the Student Lawyer blog. You can view their bar exam related posts here.

ABA Student Lawyer Division, Bar Exam Prep: 30 Tips to Survive the Marathon Study Schedule Video (May 23, 2019)

Studying for the bar exam is a marathon, not a sprint. Start conditioning so you can achieve your best performance. New lawyers who successfully prepared for and passed their bar exams will share tips on: study schedules, mindset and attitude, practice tests, exam week, and exam day.

ABA Student Lawyer Division & J.D. Advising, Virtual Office Hours: 8 Essential Tips for First Time Bar Exam Takers Video (Mar. 25, 2022)

Planning to take the bar exam soon? Looking to get ahead and start preparing for the bar exam early? Make sure you are on the right track to pass the bar exam the first time with these easy to implement tips!

The National Jurist – Bar Exam Articles

The National Jurist has published many articles on the bar exam. You can view them all here.

The Law School Academic Support Blog – Bar Exam Preparation Posts

Edited by Steven Foster, Director of Academic Achievement and Instructor of Law at Oklahoma City University, the Law School Academic Support Blog is part of the Law Professors Blog Network.

Summer Legal Research Tips

Last week we looked at initial steps to take when you get a summer research project. Once you’ve identified the resources available to you at your place of summer employment and asked questions, you may need to do background research about your issue before jumping into primary sources such as statutes and case law. Learn more about researching in secondary sources in our Researching Secondary Sources Guide or watch our videos on finding and searching within the various secondary source types.

Use Secondary Sources

A good secondary source can explain the law around your issue and cite you to primary sources. It can save you a lot of time and effort! Which secondary sources should you look at? Read on!

Start with a Research Guide

Yes, you can google but google smartly! Start by searching for a research guide on a subject. Law librarians write guides on researching specific areas of law that will identify good secondary sources, as well as relevant primary sources in that subject area. Here at the Robert S. Marx Law Library, we have over 80 research guides that can help you with a summer project! These guides are available 24/7. If one of our guides doesn’t have the information you’re looking for, type in your legal subject and the terms +research +guide in your favorite search engine.

Types of Secondary Sources

There are different types of secondary sources and some may be more helpful to you than others. Secondary sources can only be persuasive, they can never be mandatory or binding on a court of law. The persuasive value of a secondary source depends on its author. Below are some secondary sources that you might remember from your legal research classes and some tips on when to use them.

Legal Encyclopedias

Legal encyclopedias are great places to start if you need an overview of a legal subject or don’t know much about the subject. There are two general legal encyclopedias: (1) American Jurisprudence 2d (Am. Jur.) and Corpus Juris Secundum (C.J.S.). Many states also have legal encyclopedias. The Ohio legal encyclopedia is Ohio Jurisprudence 3d (Oh. Jur.).

Practice Guides and Handbooks

Practice guides and handbooks are secondary sources that are very practitioner oriented. Often the practice guides and handbooks will include forms and procedural information.

Treatises

Treatises give you more in-depth treatment of subjects than the practice guides and handbooks. Treatises are usually written by experts and scholars in the field.

Law Review Articles

Law review articles are journal articles written by students, practitioners, and scholars. Law review articles are often good resources for cutting edge, controversial, or new developments in the law.

American Law Reports

American Law Reports contain two kinds of material: articles (also sometimes called annotations) and cases. The articles are what you would be interested in for research purposes. Articles cover a topic through cases that focus on a particular point of law. These articles collect the cases from a variety of state and federal courts or jurisdictions and arrange them according to how the courts have ruled. American Law Reports are great to use for researching narrow topics, doing a survey of existing law, identifying trends in the law, and finding persuasive case law.

Restatements

Restatements of the Law are highly regarded uniform statements of the law produced by the American Law Institute (ALI), an organization comprised of prominent American judges, lawyers, and law professors. They are heavily annotated and may be adopted by jurisdictions. Each restatement is arranged first by chapter, then by topic and title, and then by section. Restatement sections generally begin with a “black letter” statement of the law followed by comments, illustrations, and reporter notes. Case annotations to the Restatements can be useful to find how a Restatement provision has been applied by a particular court.

June Is Pride Month!

Rainbow flag

About Pride Month

Pride Month is commemorated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City. The Stonewall Inn was a popular gay bar that police raided on Jun 28, 1969. The raid resulted in days of protest and the uprising is often cited as a catalyst for LGBTQ+ activism. Read President Biden’s 2022 Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month.

University of Cincinnati Pride Month Events & Resources

University of Cincinnati Alumni, Pride Month

UCBA Library Pride Month Display

2022 Cincinnati Pride Parade

5 More Pride Month Resources

Learn more about Pride Month and LGBTQ+ issues by checking out the resources below!

American Archive of Public Broadcasting, LGBT+ Collection

The LGBT+ Collection includes over 500 public radio and televisions programs and original materials contributed to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) by 35 stations and organizations from across the United States. The recordings date from the late 1950s to 2018. The collection documents the representation of the LGBT+ community in public media, including conversations, social and political reactions, and cultural movements associated with LGBT+ history. These topics are presented through interviews, newscasts, lectures, and more.

BePress Digital Commons Network, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons

The BePress Digital Commons Network brings together free, full-text scholarly articles from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide. Curated by university librarians and their supporting institutions, the Network includes a growing collection of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, and other original scholarly work.

The GLBT Historical Society Museum & Archives, Pride Archival Resources

Founded in 1985, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Historical Society is recognized internationally as a leader in the field of LGBTQ public history. The GLBT Historical Society collects, preserves, exhibits and makes accessible to the public materials and knowledge to support and promote understanding of LGBTQ history, culture and arts in all their diversity.

Library of Congress, LGBTQIA+ Studies: A Resource Guide

This guide offers an introduction to the LGBTQIA+ collections of the Library of Congress. The Library collects at the research level in the area of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) studies. Library holdings are particularly strong in LGBTQIA+ politics, history, literature and the performing arts.

ONE Archives at the USC Libraries

ONE Archives at the USC Libraries is the largest repository of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) materials in the world. Founded in 1952, ONE Archives currently houses over two million archival items including periodicals, books, film, video and audio recordings, photographs, artworks, organizational records, and personal papers. It is the mission of ONE Archives at the USC Libraries to collect, preserve, and make accessible LGBTQ historical materials while promoting new scholarship on and public awareness of queer histories.

June Oral Arguments at the Ohio Supreme Court

You can view the live stream of oral arguments on the Court’s website or see them after the arguments take place in the Ohio Channel archives.

Ohio Supreme Court Chamber

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

State v. Lloyd – whether in a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, the presumption of reasonable trial strategy can be rebutted by evidence of trial counsel’s persistent misunderstanding of the elements of the offense charged. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

State v. Brasher – whether a trial court may issue a post-completion-of-prison-sentence supplemental sentencing entry ordering restitution. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

Stewart v. Sols. Cmty. Counseling & Recovery Centers, Inc. – whether mental health providers have immunity from liability under Ohio Rev. Code Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.51 when a patient commits self-harm. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

State v. Gwynne – (1) whether the trial court erred when it sentenced a defendant to consecutive prison terms when the sentence was not clearly and convincingly supported by the record; and (2) whether the defendant’s 65 year sentence for a series of non-violent theft offenses for a first-time felon demonstrated gross disproportionality and violated the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

State v. Martin – whether an appeals courts must consider the “manifest weight of the evidence” when reviewing a juvenile court’s probable-cause determination. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

Willow Grove Ltd. v. Olmsted Twp. Bd. of Zoning Appeals – (1) whether the headings are substantive and must be read as part of the code when a zoning code contains tables of requirements, with headings describing the requirements for specific land uses; and (2) whether the zoning certificate must be granted for the buildings that comply with zoning regulation when included accessory building do not comply with zoning regulations. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

State v. Garrett – this is a death penalty appeal where the defendant raised eighteen issues on appeal, among them that: the trial court improperly ordered the jury to examine mental illness as a mitigating factor; the trial court erred on failing to instruct the jury regarding the lack of prior criminal convictions; the trial court’s order excluding children from the courtroom is plain error; the state improperly used peremptory challenges, resulting in an all-white jury; the admission of crime-scene and autopsy photographs was an abuse of discretion; the trial court erred in denying a motion to supress coercive statements; and the trial court entered a judgment of conviction based on insufficient evidence and against the weight of the evidence. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

Thursday, June 16, 2022

Doe v. Greenville City Sch. – whether the absence of a device or piece of safety equipment constitutes a “physical defect” of a classroom or similar room in a government building under Ohio Rev. Code § 2744.02(B)(4) that triggers an exception to a school’s immunity from liability. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

State v. Troisi – (1) whether the Ohio and United States Constitution require notice of the statute that a wholesale distributor allegedly violated to lose its exemption from drug trafficking laws in order for the State to charge the distributor with drug trafficking; and (2) whether a wholesale drug distributor must be found in violation of a statute in Ohio Rev. Code Ch. 4729 to lose its exemption from being charged with drug trafficking. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

State v. Bortree – whether the statute of limitations for attempted aggravated murder and attempted murder is six years under Ohio Rev. Code § 2901.13(A)(1)(a). Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

This Week in the Law Library …

This week in the Law Library, we’re looking at more bar exam resources, summer legal research tips, and we are celebrating Pride month.

Bar Exam Study Resources

Congratulations! You have made it through law school but now the bar exam looms. Don’t worry, the Law Library’s got your back. When you’ve caught your breath and you’re ready to start your bar studying, we have resources that can help. Check out our Bar Exam Research Guide.

The July bar examination will be administered July 26-27, 2022 at the Roberts Centre, 123 Gano Road, Wilmington, Ohio. There will be a room block available for the attached Holiday Inn.

5 More Bar Exam Resources

The Bar Exam is not a sprint, it’s a marathon so pace yourself! Check out this week’s Bar Exam Resource highlights below.

Acing the Bar Exam

Available via the West Academic study aid subscription, Acing the Bar Exam provides candidates with a complete guide to the bar exam — from pre-planning considerations through bar review and sitting for the exam. It features comprehensive coverage of the Uniform Bar Exam, including an explanation of each component and how to prepare for it. Every aspect of the process is explained in detail and by example. The bar exam is de-constructed, section by section, where candidates are led through the steps they need to follow to succeed. Approaches for learning the black letter law, setting study schedules, and answering essay and multiple-choice questions are combined to maximize the likelihood of success. Each of these tasks is then configured into checklist format to help candidates navigate each step.

Multiple-Choice Questions: Wrong Answer Pathology

This CALI Lesson teaches you how to select the right answer in a multiple-choice question by better understanding how to identify wrong answers, based on nine specific types of wrong answers. If using CALI, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. You can obtain this code from a reference librarian

A Methodical Approach to Improve Multiple Choice Performance

This CALI Lesson teaches a methodical approach for all law school multiple choice questions. The step-by-step approach provides a framework to work through questions so students can more easily eliminate distractor answer choices. The lesson will thoroughly explore each step in this analytical approach. If using CALI, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. You can obtain this code from a reference librarian

Assessing Your Own Work

Although this CALI Lesson references law school exams, students studying for the bar exam will find it useful. Throughout law school, students will be asked to assess their own essays by comparing them to a model or sample student answer provided by their professor. It can often be difficult to distinguish one’s work from the model. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish what a student knows, from what they wrote down. Experienced legal writers understand that subtle differentiation in language changes the meaning of what was written. This lesson will provide students with strategies for self-assessment, so that they can become critical judges of their work, and consequently precise legal writers. If using CALI, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. You can obtain this code from a reference librarian

Metacognition

This lesson focuses upon the concept of metacognition and teaches you how to enhance your understanding about how you learn to better improve your study, organizational, test-taking and self-assessment skills with the goal of improving your performance in law school. The lesson should help you better understand your individual learning process and show you how to use this information to develop study and test-taking skills needed for success. If using CALI, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. You can obtain this code from a reference librarian

Summer Legal Research Tips

Get Up to Speed on What Resources Are Available

Ask question such as:

  • What resources are available and what are you allowed to access?
  • Does your employer have a library and a law librarian?
  • What internal resources such as document templates, document management systems, and brief banks are available?
  • What citation style is used?

Have the vendor help numbers ready to access!

Ask Questions & Ask for Help

Don’t be afraid to ask questions or to ask for help if you need it. Among the questions to ask:

  • When is it due?
  • Are there any cost or resource restrictions?
  • Who else know about or is working on the project?
  • Is there a client ID or billing code that should be used?
  • What type of information would be most useful?
  • How much information is wanted or needed?
  • How is the information going to be used?
  • How much time should you spend on it?
  • What format should the final product be in?

 

If you have access to a law librarian at your place of employment, ask for help when you get stuck! You can also ask local law librarians, most Ohio counties have a law library, and we can help you out too! Often the vendors for products are helpful resources. For example, Lexis and Westlaw have reference attorneys on staff who can help with searching.

Develop a Research Plan

Having a research strategy is the best way to make sure your research is complete and accurate, and it will also make your research more efficient. There is no single correct plan. Your research strategy will change depending on your knowledge and expertise, the complexity of the issue, the resources to which you have access, your budget, your time, and what you discover as you research. If you know the area well, you will not have to look for authorities in as many places and you can zero in on the sources you know are likely to lead you directly to the answer. A good research strategy for a law student researching an unfamiliar legal issue is to plan on consulting secondary sources before moving on to primary sources. A secondary source is about the law and primary source is the actual law itself. Secondary sources can help you learn the basics of a particular area of law, provide you with the vocabulary used in that area of law and what that terminology means, and identify primary sources of law.

Once you have a plan, you will identify the issues and the best resources in which to research those issues. After you have identified the best resources to use, you will need to locate those resources and then evaluate them in the context of your research needs. You will sort and sift through those resources, choosing the material that you will use to solve your problem. As you go through these steps, you will document and update your research and then start the cycle again.

Read more about developing a research plan on our Research Strategy & Documentation guide.

June Is Pride Month!

Rainbow flag

About Pride Month

Pride Month is commemorated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City. The Stonewall Inn was a popular gay bar that police raided on Jun 28, 1969. The raid resulted in days of protest and the uprising is often cited as a catalyst for LGBTQ+ activism. Read President Biden’s 2022 Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month.

5 Pride Month Resources

Learn more about Pride Month and LGBTQ+ issues by checking out the resources below!

June ABA 21-Day LGBTQ+ Equity Habit Building Challenge ©

This Challenge is modeled after the “21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge©,” which was conceived several years ago by diversity expert Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. to advance deeper understandings of the intersections of race, power, privilege, supremacy, and oppression. The goal of the Challenge is to assist each of us to become more aware, compassionate, constructive, engaged people in the quest for equity, and specifically to learn more about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and many communities included under the “LGBTQ+ umbrella.” It transcends our roles as lawyers. Non-lawyers are also welcome to participate. The Challenge invites participants to complete a syllabus of 21 daily, short assignments (typically taking 15-30 minutes), over 21 consecutive days, that includes readings, videos, or podcasts. The assignments seek to expose participants to perspectives on elements of LGBTQ+ histories, identities, and cultures. This Challenges cannot possibly highlight all of the diversity of experiences and opinions within the LGBTQ+ community itself, much less substitute for learnings about any other community. This syllabus is but an introduction to what we hope will be a rewarding journey that extends far beyond the limits of this project.

ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity, 2022 Stonewall Award Honorees & Virtual Celebration Video

The Stonewall Award recognizes lawyers, members of the judiciary and legal academia who have effected real change to remove barriers on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the legal profession, the world, state, state/or locale and championed diversity for the LGBT community. Thi year’s honorees are Justice G. Helen Whitener, Shannon Minter, and Jordan Blisk.

ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity & DISCLOSURE, Trans Awareness for Legal Professionals: Why it Matters and Tools to Help

The American Bar Association and DISCLOSURE produced this 2021 webinar for legal professionals during Trans Awareness Week 2021. Participants get a closer look at the toolkit developed by the DISCLOSURE Impact team for lawyers, judges, and others in the legal system, and hear from trans leaders in the field at the Transgender Law Center, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, as well as Alameda County Superior Court.

LGBTQ+ Bar’s Educational Program Series, LGBTQ+ and Black History: A Conversation

In this webinar, historian Zaylore Stout, recent author of “Our Gay History in 50 States,” adds historical perspective to the national dialogue on racial equity. He focuses on how two important January events (Inauguration and first MLK day since George Floyd) fit into our nation’s larger story.

LBTQ+ Bar’s Educational Program Series, Trans Awareness For The Workplace

More than 90% of Fortune 500 companies explicitly embrace gender identity non-discrimination policies (up from 3% in 2002). Therefore, you are more likely now than ever before to encounter transgender people and their colleagues in the workplace. In this presentation, Jamie Rodriguez, Senior Counsel at Holland & Knight LLP, will help us understand how to be aware and intentional in interacting with transgender individuals, how we can be allies to the transgender community, and the unique issues transgender people face in the workplace. In June 2019, Jamie was the first openly trans employee to transition at Holland & Knight LLP. By learning her story and listening to her guidance, we can help create inclusive workplaces and organizations, where transgender people feel supported, empowered, and safe to bring their authentic selves to work.

This Week in the Law Library …

This week we’re reviewing summer access to legal databases, looking at bar exam resources, providing new building information, continuing our celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and previewing Ohio Supreme Court oral arguments.

Summer Access to Lexis, Westlaw, & Bloomberg Law

Lexis

If you’re already registered for Lexis, you don’t need to do anything else to get Summer Access. Access is unlimited for any purpose.

Westlaw

You can use Westlaw over the summer for non-commercial research. You can turn to these resources to gain understanding and build confidence in your research skills, but you cannot use them in situations where you are billing a client. Examples of permissible uses for your academic password include the following:

  • Summer coursework
  • Research assistant assignments
  • Law Review or Journal research
  • Moot Court research
  • Non-Profit work
  • Clinical work
  • Externship sponsored by the school

Please contact the Westlaw Representative for more information.

B-Law (Bloomberg Law)

If your workplace has a Bloomberg Law account, you are expected to use that, but there are no restrictions on your student Bloomberg accounts over the summer.

Bar Exam Study Resources

Congratulations! You have made it through law school but now the bar exam looms. Don’t worry, the Law Library’s got your back. When you’ve caught your breath and you’re ready to start your bar studying, we have resources that can help. Check out our Bar Exam Research Guide.

The July bar examination will be administered July 26-27, 2022 at the Roberts Centre, 123 Gano Road, Wilmington, Ohio. There will be a room block available for the attached Holiday Inn.

5 Bar Exam Resources to Start You Off

Bar Exam Basics: Discussions in Law School Success (Podcast)

Available via CALI, this podcast provides critical information that you should consider before you begin to study for the bar exam. There is a lot to think about even before you start your bar review, whether that’s meeting deadlines or preparing for hurdles. This podcast offers tips and considerations to help you navigate the process more smoothly. If using CALI, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. You can obtain this code from a reference librarian.

The Bar Exam in a Nutshell

Available via the West Academic study aid subscription, this edition walks you through the entire bar preparation process from getting a head start during your last year of law school to taking the exam. It features comprehensive coverage of the Uniform Bar Exam, including an explanation of each component and how to prepare for it, to the larger question of what “portability” really means for the bar candidate. This edition also provides guidelines for selecting a bar review course, bar planner checklists, advice on how to manage the material you cover in bar review courses, and advice on how to learn the law so you can remember it and use it to answer exam questions. It identifies the basic skills the exam tests and the precise manner in which these skills are tested, showing you how to target your study efforts to maximize results. An Appendix provides practice materials for the MPT and essays, including the MEEs, with “answer de-constructions” to explain why bar examiners chose those answers as “better than average.”

Bar Exam Success: A Comprehensive Guide

Available via the West Academic study aid subscription, this book (there is also an audio version) is written from the perspective of a bar mentor, your “trainer at the academic gym,” with concrete advice on how to handle the many challenges facing today’s law students. There are dozens of self-assessments, tools to help you face very real challenges on every level, and to organize and prepare to pass the bar exam. The book includes trustworthy advice and powerful personal examples from the author’s decades of helping students pass bar exams nationwide. The book is uplifting and positive, while harnessing cutting-edge, scientific learning theories.

The Essential Rules for Bar Exam Success

Available via the West Academic study aid subscription, this book presents a method for teaching students to pass the bar that is easy to learn and implement. Topics covered include learning to study actively rather than passively; choosing study partners who will help, not hinder, your studying; learning to think, read, and write critically; dissecting multistate exam questions; coping with pressure; making the most of the weeks before the bar exam; and preparing for the day of the exam.

Passing the Bar: A Quick Reference Guide For Today’s Law Student

Available via CALI, this e-book (there is also an audio version) is designed to provide guidance to law students as they prepare to embark upon bar study. It covers topics such as how to make a study plan, strategies for successful bar study, tips for attacking each portion of the exam, taking care of your mental health, and preparing your loved ones for bar study. The book also provides weekly tips for use during the bar study period, and for exam day itself. The quick reference format allows students to easily access advice for whatever is most pressing to them at a particular moment. It provides a guide to bar exam preparation for all law students, but with a particular focus on those who aspire to be public interest or social justice attorneys, first-generation law students, those law students who do not come from families of lawyers, or who come from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession. While much of the advice is universal, this book focuses on those students who are about to enter bar study and will not see your communities – or your future clients – represented on the bar exam. You may have found that your law school colleagues have received advice about how to study and navigate law school, when no one was there to advise you. This book aims not just to level the playing field, but to give you an edge when it comes to studying for the bar exam. If using CALI, you will need to create an account (if you have not already done so) using a Cincinnati Law authorization code. You can obtain this code from a reference librarian.

New Building Information

Access

Student access to the current building will end on Friday July 22nd. General access to the new building will commence on Monday August 8th. Students will have 24/7 access to the new building starting at that time.

Location & Parking

The new building is located at the southern side of campus off of Martin Luther King Blvd. The closest parking garages to the new building are the Campus Green garage (which is attached to the new building by a covered walkway) and the Woodside garage which is located across the street from the new building.

May Is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

This month we’re celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month! After decades of celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, Congress finally passed Public Law 102-450 which annually designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. Read President Biden’s 2022 Proclamation on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, And Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

UC College of Law & Campus Celebrations for Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month

UC Alumni Association Celebrates Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

UC Libraries

Melissa Cox Norris, Library resources in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, LiBlog (May 11, 2022)

Library Displays at UCBA, Asian-Pacific Heritage Month

5 Resources to Learn More About Asian American and Pacific Islanders

Asian Pacific American Law Journal (APALJ)

Established in 1991, the Asian Pacific American Law Journal (APALJ) is dedicated entirely to Asian Pacific American issues. APALJ is one of only two law journals in the nation that focuses exclusively on the legal issues affecting APA communities. Run by students at the UCLA School of Law, the Journal seeks to facilitate discourse on issues affecting South Asian, Southeast Asian, East Asian, and Pacific Islander communities in the United States. APALJ plays an important role by providing a forum for legal scholars, practitioners and students to communicate about emerging concerns specific to Asian Pacific Americans and by disseminating these writings to APA populations. The journal welcomes articles from academics and professionals in the field, as well as comments and case notes from law students.

Asian American Law Journal

The Asian American Law Journal (AALJ) is one of only two law journals in the United States focusing on Asian American communities in its publication agenda. Known as the Asian Law Journal until 2007, AALJ was first published in October 1993 in a joint publication with the California Law Review. AALJ’s first independent issue was published in May 1994. AALJ serves dual purposes for the Asian Pacific American and legal communities. First, the journal sets a scholarly foundation for exploring the unique legal concerns of Asian Pacific Americans. Second, AALJ seeks to put that scholarship in action and open the dialogue between those who study law and those who are affected by it. In pursuit of these goals, AALJ strives to provide a forum for the many voices and opinions of the Asian Pacific American community through events such as its annual Spring Symposium and Neil Gotanda Lecture in Asian American Jurisprudence.

Library of Congress Asian American and Pacific Islander Materials: A Resource Guide

This guide serves as a point of entry for researchers seeking materials in multiple formats on Asian American/Pacific Islander studies and related resources at the Library of Congress. The types of resources covered in this guide range from special collections containing photographs, diary entries, and recorded interviews to monographs, reference works, and serials.

National Archives, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

The National Archives holds a wealth of material documenting the Asian and Pacific Islander experience, and it highlights these resources online, in programs, and through traditional and social media.

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center serves as a dynamic national resource for discovering why the Asian Pacific American experience matters every day, everywhere, and all of the time.

May Oral Arguments at the Ohio Supreme Court

You can view the live stream of oral arguments on the Court’s website or see them after the arguments take place in the Ohio Channel archives.

Ohio Supreme Court Chamber

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

McClain v. State – whether a jury trial is available in a wrongful imprisonment lawsuit. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

Estate of Jennings Fleenor v. County of Ottawa – whether counties can only be sued through claims against county boards of commissioners. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

Morey v. Campbell – whether a court must find that circumstances with the child or custodian have changed before it can modify a custody arrangement if the biological parent seeks to regain custody of a child from a nonparent. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

State v. Stansell – whether a sentence that exceeds the maximum for a charged offense can be corrected by a trial court when the sentence wasn’t challenged on direct appeal and the time for an appeal has passed. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

In re D.R – whether the procedures for certain juvenile court hearings described in Ohio Rev. Code § 2152.84 complies with state and federal due process rights. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

Valentine v. Cedar Fair LP – (1) whether offering a season pass imposes a contractual obligation on the pass issuer to open its business during government-ordered closures, making the issuer liable for damages and (2) whether the term “season” ambiguous. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

State v. Messenger – whether the 2018 revision of the law addressing deadly force in self-defense requires using a different standard of review for appellate courts reviewing a conviction where self-defense was claimed but rejected by a jury. Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview

State ex rel. Candy Bowling v. DeWine – whether Ohio Rev. Code § 4141.43(I) compels Ohio’s governor to participate in all federal unemployment compensation programs created by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act? Court News Ohio Oral Argument Preview