Blog Archive

Internship, Externship, New Job: Stand Out from the Crowd on Day One

Starting a new internship, externship, or job during law school can be nerve-wracking.  We want our work product to stand out so that we looked especially competent. To help you prepare, the Ross-Blakley Law library has put together a handful of resources from our legal research databases so that you can look your best on day one! 1 –…

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Reliable Sources: Law Librarians Can Help You Identify Sources to Boost Your Article’s Credibility

For the academic researcher working on a law review article, book, or graduate writing requirement, traditional, academic sources continue to have advantages over websites. Namely, they offer more reliable, complete, and professionally vetted information that can be and often is superior to more convenient Internet resources. (please see reference at the end of this post) The Internet…

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The Old Library at Trinity College

Have you seen a picture of this library?  It is one of the most iconic historically preserved libraries in the world.  The Old Library at Trinity College was one of many pictures that I’d downloaded as part of a “Library Wallpapers” image bundle for my computer’s desktop when I started this job years ago.  When…

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Citations have you seeing red? Get clarity on the Bluebook at the law library

The basic rule of abbreviating, ignored by the authors of The Bluebook, is to avoid nonobvious abbreviations. The words of living judicial legend Judge Richard A. Posner in The Yale Law Journal ring out clear in the Uniform System of Citation, which includes dozens of head-scratching short versions of words. Leaving aside the 21st edition’s new rules and abbreviations, the Bluebook has always been…

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Making the Most of Midterms

Midterm season is just around the corner. Too soon, you say? They’re here to help you! Midterms are your crystal ball showing your future exam-taking self, and a window to the essence of your learning style. They may be more important in informing and adjusting your study habits to achieve your academic apotheosis in May…

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Don’t Overlook the MPRE: It’s Your Professional Obligation to Pass

While the MPRE, or Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, is the smaller and less grueling of the two exams required for admission to the bar in Arizona and most other states, failure to respect its significance can cost you valuable time. The MPRE is administered only three times per year, in spring, summer, and fall, so students who miss the…

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Resources Enhance Oral Advocacy

Lawyers and librarians alike have a way with words, spending much of their time with books and internet databases, reading, researching, and writing. But we also must step up and let our voices be heard. Whether law students are undergoing the first-year rite of passage of delivering oral arguments in their finest legal attire or…

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Research and Reference Resources to Support Your Journal Ambitions

At the end of the semester, you will have the opportunity to take a marathon write-on exam to test your Bluebook and writing skills under challenging conditions. The reward could be a staff position on Law Journal for Social Justice, Jurimetrics, Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, Corporate and Business Law Journal, or the Arizona State Law Journal.  Working on a journal…

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Hit the Books (and Databases) to Win Law Library Award for Exemplary Student Research

The Ross-Blakley Law Library Award for Exemplary Student Research is not just any writing competition. As research experts, the librarians are looking for the best examples of effective gathering and synthesis of resources, in print or online. Current Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law 2Ls, 3Ls, MLS students, and LLM students are eligible to submit their entries.…

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