Free Online Access to Study Aids/Supplements

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”

* Returning 2L and 3L students: There is a new platform for the study aids subscription this year.  You will no longer access the study aids through your Westlaw account, but rather through the West Academic Study Aids website.

HeinOnline Android App Now Available


The HeinOnline app is a great tool for accessing the wealth of information on HeinOnline via your mobile device, and the app is now available for Android users!  Using either the Android or iOS app, you can browse the many HeinOnline collections that the Ross-Blakley Law Library subscribes to, run a keyword search, retrieve documents by citation, and even download image-based PDFS to your device.

Note on HeinOnline access via the app:  ASU utilizes IP authentication for students, faculty, and staff access to HeinOnline, so in order to IP authenticate using the HeinOnline app, you must be on campus. The authentication will be good for 30 days.  After 30 days you will need to once again authenticate on campus.

Robert Skousen ’17 and Simon Goldenberg ’17 Honored for Exemplary Student Research

The Ross-Blakley Law Library at the Sandra O’Connor College of Law is pleased to announce the 2016 recipients of The Ross-Blakley Law Library Award for Exemplary Student Research.

Robert Skousen is the first place award recipient for his paper, Redefining New Water: Inland Surface and Groundwater Desalination and Simon Goldenberg earned second-place honors for his paper, Considering Abusive Marriages in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Community and Ways for Agunot to Escape. 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 the very competitive entries.

In addition to receiving a monetary award, the winners are also invited to publish their papers in the Law Library’s digital scholarship repository and to feature their papers in the Law Library Display Case.

Congratulations to our 2016 Winners!

Summer use of Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law

Wondering which research tools you can use this summer?  We have outlined summer access policies for Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law below.  Remember that you also have unlimited access to hundreds of other legal databases and interdisciplinary databases through the Law Library and ASU this summer!

Westlaw
Westlaw offers limited summer research access – up to 40 hours a month for June and July.  Full access is available to students who are participating in select academic pursuits over the summer. If you will be doing any of the following, you can apply to extend your full access to Westlaw by using the Summer Extension link inside Westlaw:

  • Summer law school classes and study abroad programs
  • Law review and journal – including write-on competitions
  • Research assistant
  • Moot court
  • Unpaid internship/externship

Students with any other type of summer employment must use their employer-provided password for Westlaw access. Full academic access resumes to returning students on August 1, 2016.

Graduating students: Westlaw’s Graduate Elite program allows you to apply for limited Westlaw access for 6 months after graduation.  Use the Grad Elite link within your Westlaw account to apply for the program.

Lexis
Lexis 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 November.  You do not need to take any additional steps to secure this post-graduation access.

Bloomberg Law
Bloomberg Law also 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.

Deadline Approaching: Ross-Blakley Law Library Award for Exemplary Student Research

Do you want to win $500?  How about $250?  Would you like to have your work displayed in the Faculty Publications Display Case?  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 1st.

The purpose of the award is to encourage students to focus on practical skills and to refine their research skills beyond ordinary proficiency to their personal best.  The award also serves as a means to showcase extraordinary student research.

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 and winners are further invited to showcase their writing in the Faculty Scholarship Display case located in the Law Library lobby for public exhibition during the year following receipt of the award.

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

The deadline for submission is April 1, 2016.

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

Good Luck!

Ross-Blakley Law Library Award for Exemplary Student Research

Do you want to win $500?  How about $250?  Would you like to have your work displayed in the Faculty Publications Display Case?  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 1st.

The purpose of the award is to encourage students to focus on practical skills and to refine their research skills beyond ordinary proficiency to their personal best.  The award also serves as a means to showcase extraordinary student research.

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 and winners are further invited to showcase their writing in the Faculty Scholarship Display case located in the Law Library lobby for public exhibition during the year following receipt of the award.

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

The deadline for submission is April 1, 2016.

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

Good Luck!

Free Access to Electronic Study Aids and a Promo Code

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The Ross-Blakley Law Library is pleased to provide you with online access to hundreds of study aids to help you prepare for your upcoming exams through West Academic.  Our subscription to these study aids allows you to view hundreds of electronic books 24/7, as well as highlight text, take and save notes, and even print content.

Through January 31, 2016 West Academic is also offering ASU students 25% off any print study aids product ordered through the West Academic Store (store.westacademic.com). Use promo code: UPANDRUNNING

We wish you all the best this exam period!

Discussion with Robert McWhirter: Just What’s So Exceptional About America? Rights, People, and the Bill of Rights

Robert McWhirter is an award-winning, internationally recognized speaker and author on trial advocacy, immigration law, and the history of The Bill of Rights. He is a supervising attorney at the ASU Alumni Law Group, a teaching law firm providing training for new lawyers from the Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, and serving clients of modest means. He recently published the book: Bills, Quills and Stills: An Annotated, Illustrated, and Illuminated History of the Bill of Rights.

Robert McWhirter will lead a discussion on Just What’s So Exceptional About America? Rights, People, and the Bill of Rights at Changing Hands bookstore in Tempe on Saturday, November 14th at 7:00p.m.

For more information, please visit: http://www.changinghands.com/event/mcwhirter-nov2015

How Harvard Law Library is Improving Access to Justice

Harvard Law Library’s Free the Law project aims to digitize the entire body of U.S. case law and make it available to the world in an open-access database.  All American case law will be free to search, download, and read.  If you would like to read about this astounding project, click the link below to a New York Times article.

Harvard Law Library Readies Trove of Decisions for Digital Age