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.

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