Summer 2018 and Post-Graduation Use of Bloomberg Law, LexisNexis, and Westlaw

Wondering which research tools you can use this summer?  We have outlined both summer 2018 access and post-graduation use policies for Bloomberg Law, LexisNexis, and Westlaw below.

Remember that you also have unlimited access to many other legal databases in addition to hundreds of interdisciplinary databases through the ASU Library this summer! The library staff is also here all summer long to help you with research. Call, e-mail, or stop by for assistance during reference hours.

Bloomberg Law
Bloomberg Law provides unrestricted summer access to all law students for any research purpose, whether academic or commercial.  You do not need to take any additional steps to secure summer access to your registered Bloomberg Law account.

Graduating students: Graduating students will automatically have full access to Bloomberg Law for six months after graduation. You do not need to take any additional steps to secure this post-graduation access.

Please contact our Bloomberg Law representative, Tania Wilson, with questions.

LexisNexis
LexisNexis provides unrestricted summer access to all law students for any research purpose, whether academic or commercial.  You do not need to take any additional steps to secure summer access to your registered Lexis Advance account.

Graduating students: Graduating students will automatically have full access to Lexis through the end of December 2018.  You do not need to take any additional steps to secure this post-graduation access.

Please contact our LexisNexis account executive, Alan J. Mamood, with questions.

Westlaw
Westlaw offers full access to Westlaw, Practical Law, Drafting Assistant, and Doc & Form Builder to current ASU law students who are participating in select academic pursuits over the summer. Permissible uses include the following:

  • Summer classes and study abroad programs
  • Law review or journal research
  • Research assistant assignments
  • Moot court research
  • Externship sponsored by the school

You do not need to do anything to gain summer access to these tools. Students with any other type of summer employment must use their employer-provided password for Westlaw access.

Graduating students:  Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law graduates now have 60 hours a month of Westlaw access for 18 months after graduation; this access can be used for either commercial (paid) or educational purposes. Graduating students will need to activate their 18 month password extension within their Westlaw account for this extended access.

Please contact our Thomson Reuters Academic Account Manager, Jeff Brandimarte, with questions.

Prodigious Honor for Ross-Blakley Law Library Director

Dean Victoria Trotta is the 2018 recipient of the American Association of Law Libraries Marian Gould Gallagher Distinguished Service Award. The Distinguished Service Award was established in 1984 to recognize exemplary service to the Association. The Award is given in recognition of a career of outstanding, extended, and sustained service to law librarianship and to AALL. This award is the Association’s highest honor.  We are so happy for Tory and her well-deserved accolade. Tory Award Slide

Steven Perlmutter, LLM & Celeste Robertson ’19 Honored for Exemplary Student Research

The Ross-Blakley Law Library at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law is pleased to announce the 2018 recipients of The Ross-Blakley Law Library Award for Exemplary Student Research.

Steven Perlmutter is the first place award recipient for his paper High Times Ahead: Products Liability in Medical Marijuana. Perlmutter received his JD degree from ASU Law and is now pursing an LLM degree. Celeste Robertson takes second-place honors for her paper When Bitcoins Buy Opioids: Why Amending the Federal Money Laundering Statutes is Necessary to Combat the Opioid Crisis.  Robertson is a 2L. Their papers demonstrate sophistication and originality in the use of research materials, exceptional innovation in research strategy, and skillful synthesis of research results into a comprehensive scholarly analysis.

A review panel comprised of librarians Victoria Trotta and Beth DiFelice and Clinical Professor Kimberly Holst selected the winners from a number of very competitive entries.

To read more about Steven and Celeste’s papers, please follow this link: Announcing the 2018 Recipients of the Ross-Blakley Law Library Award for Exemplary Student Research

Congratulations to our 2018 Winners!

Last Call for Library Student Research Award Submissions

April 2nd will be upon us in just a few days. Submit your paper for the Ross-Blakley Law  Library Award for Exemplary Student Research before the deadline which is Monday, April 2nd at 9am.

The award offers a $500 first place prize and $250 second place prize for a piece of scholarly writing that exhibits exceptional research. To learn more about the award, including eligibility and application procedures, visit:

Ross-Blakley Law  Library Award for Exemplary Student Research 

Law Library Award for Exemplary Student Research

Do you want to win $500?  Would you like to have your work published in the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law Faculty Scholarship Repository?  How about all the pats on the back you will get from family and friends if you win this prestigious award?  You better get to work!  The deadline to enter the annual Ross-Blakley Law Library Award for Exemplary Student Research is April 2nd at 9:00am.

The purpose of the award is to encourage students to focus on practical skills and to refine their research abilities beyond ordinary proficiency to achieve their personal best. We are most interested in your research process. Submissions may be, but are not limited to, papers written for a class or as a journal note.

Two award recipients will be selected.  The first place winner will receive $500.00 and a Certificate of Recognition.  The second place winner will receive $250.00 and a Certificate of Recognition. Winners will be invited to publish their paper in the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law Faculty Scholarship Repository.

A panel composed of two Law Librarians and one Legal Writing Instructor will judge submissions based on how well they demonstrate the following:

  • Sophistication, originality, or unusual depth or breadth in the use of research materials, including, but not limited to, print resources, electronic search engines and databases, primary and secondary legal resources, interdisciplinary resources, and empirical resources
  • Exceptional innovation in research strategy, including the ability to locate, select, and evaluate research materials with discretion
  • Skillful synthesis of research results into a comprehensive scholarly analysis

To learn more about the award including eligibility, acceptable papers, selection criteria and application procedures, please visit: Ross-Blakley Law Library Award for Exemplary Student Research

And remember, if you need help with your research, don’t forget to Ask a Librarian.

Good Luck!

Offline Reading – A New Feature of the West Academic Study Aids Subscription

Two exciting features have been added to the West Academic Study Aids platform:

  • Offline reading via the free West Academic Library Mobile App: this is a free app that is compatible with Apple and Android devices.  You can now read, highlight, and take notes while offline. The ability to download audio lectures will be added in early March.
    YOU CAN NOW STUDY ANYWHERE, ANYTIME.
  • Updated e-Reader: the e-reader has been revamped to make it easier for you to read, take notes, and highlight content.  It’s also compatible with the new mobile app, so annotations automatically sink between platforms.

More information on these new features is available here: SAS Mobile App.

Free Access to PACER Opinions and Orders via CourtListener.com

A new resource for free access to federal court opinions and orders is now available online at CourtListener.com. This resource, known as the RECAP Archive, allows users to search approximately 3.4 million orders and opinions from approximately 1.5 million federal district and bankruptcy court cases dating back to 1960. New opinions are downloaded in to the Archive every night to keep the collection up to date.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) LibGuide

In light of recent events, Ross-Blakley Law Library librarians Tara Mospan and Leslie A. Pardo created a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) LibGuide. The guide has sections on the history of DACA, recent DACA developments, a list of local agencies offering DACA assistance, and a list of national advocacy groups. You can view the LibGuide by clicking on the link below.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) LibGuide

Free West Academic Study Aids Subscription

The Law Library provides ASU Law students with free access to over 500 study aids/course supplements through the West Academic Study Aids Subscription.

  • 24/7 access – you can access the study aids anytime online
  • Full-content searching – a single search generates results from every relevant title
  • Highlight and take notes – you can highlight text and take notes just like in a book
  • Popular titles – Gilbert Law Summaries, Nutshell Series, High Court Case Summaries, Flash Cards, Exam Pro Series, Acing Series, Legalines, and more!

*To create your account:

  • Go to the West Academic Study Aids website
  • Click the “Create an Account” icon in the upper right corner of the page
  • Choose “I am a Student”
  • Complete the form and click “Create Account”

* When you create your account, please do so while you are on the ASU network. Once your account has been established, you will be able to access West Academic from anywhere.

Important Changes to the Library Catalog

ASU Libraries is launching a new library catalog on June 30th .  During the transition from the old system to the new system, a few library catalog features will not be available.

From July 1st through July 5th

YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO:

  • Request materials via the catalog
  • Renew materials
  • Have access to your library catalog record

Please make any requests for books owned by ASU Libraries as soon as possible if you need them before the end of June.  Fines generated from June 27th to June 29th will be waived.  You will still be able to search the library catalog and make requests using the Law Library ILL Form (law affiliates only).

We think you will like the new catalog. It has some features that will make researching easier and more seamless. If you have questions, please call the Law Library at 480-965-6114.