It’s easy for a research class to become too abstract. Among the swirl of resource types, database demos, and automated tools, individuals who have played major roles in the content we teach can be overshadowed. Working in colorful stories of the trials and tribulations of historical figures can help bring a change of pace, some …
Last week, I found myself trying to track down an older UK case in a citable form. Today’s post will cover an easy, free way of snagging an official PDF via the ICLR Online. The UK has a storied history of case law reporting. Originally, it was a completely privatized affair, and different court reporters …
You may be familiar with PACER, which provides public access to electronic federal court records. But did you know that the Federal Tax Court has its own case management system? It’s called DAWSON (Docket Access Within a Secure Online Network), and unlike PACER, it’s completely free to use! DAWSON, which launched in 2020, is the …
The law library has just published a new research guide on Preparing for Law School. The guide provides resources to help interested students prepare for law school or decide if law school is right for them. It includes the following sections: Pre-Law Jobs and Internships Test Prep Materials (LSAT and GRE) Law School Application Resources …
Accessing state court dockets has long been a hurdle for legal researchers. In North Carolina, Appellate and Supreme Court decisions back to the year 2000 have been available online via the NC Appellate Courts eFiling site. Researchers looking for trial and superior court documents online have been out of luck. Earlier this year, North Carolina …
Our legal research databases are chock full of helpful secondary sources that greatly increase the efficiency and accuracy of our research. Practical law resources are a particular kind of secondary source that focus on helping lawyers complete specific tasks and work product. These can be of great help when you’re working on a task for …
In certain areas of law, it benefits states to have similar legislative approaches. Sometimes states pass virtually identical acts, known as uniform laws, to reduce the confusion caused by conflicting state statutes. But how do they decide what makes up these uniform laws, and how can we research them? The Uniform Law Commission (ULC) is …
A court case involves more than just the final opinion. Many documents are created during active cases that are useful for research, including briefs, trial transcripts, jury instructions, and more. These can be found in the court docket. The materials in a docket can reveal what arguments persuaded the court and contextualize factual issues that …
LawDroid’s Copilot is a new law-trained large language model (LLM.) It works similar to ChatGPT, but is made specifically for legal research and analysis. It’s now available for free to law students (registration is available here.) To register, you need to sign up using your UNC email to confirm that you are a law student. …
Nothing helps fight the anxiety of a job interview like preparation. If you are interviewing for a job at a law firm, you have a powerful ally on your side: legal analytics. You can use analytics to find helpful statistics on law firms or individual attorneys that can: (1) help you decide if that firm …