CSU Law Library Blog

Looking for a class to add to your schedule for Fall 2016?  Consider taking LAW 677 Advanced Research and Technology for the 21^st Century.  In the 21st Century, legal research platforms and law practice technology are constantly changing and new attorneys must be able to keep up. In this course you will strengthen your understanding of the sources of law and learn advanced legal research skills, including techniques for using Lexis Advance, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law and cost effective research strategies. You will also be introduced to methods of evaluating law office technology that enable attorneys to maintain time, and prepare discovery.

This is a hybrid course with most of the coursework to be completed online.  The course will be taught by Lauren M. Collins, the Director of the Law Library and Associate Professor of Law.

Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, with AmericanLawRadio.com and the Law Office of David B. Malik, invite all law students to participate in the 2015 CMBA Ethics and Professionalism Essay Competition. The first place winner will receive $1,000.00. Additionally, the CMBA will publish the winning essay in an upcoming Bar Journal. The second place winner will receive $500.00.

The topic for the 2015 competition is: Best ethical practices for using social media to develop a legal practice. The deadline for submitting an essay is February 17, 2015. Each essay should be no more than 1600 words and must be the student’s original work with proper citations to quoted sources. Winners will be announced April 28, 2015.

The competition is open to all full- or part-time students enrolled in a JD or LLM program at an ABA-accredited law school.

Have you heard of Solo Practice University? Well if not, and you are interested in solo practice as a career option you should check out their offerings. Parts of the website are free and some cost money. The website offers lectures on specific topics (mostly free) and more in depth classes with numerous lessons (mostly for pay). Another great feature of Solo Practice University is it allows you to network with experienced and new solo practitioners. The website also has a blog.

Are you interested in being a solo practitioner or interested in finding more information about opening your own practice?  If so, check out myShingle.com.  The blog/website is run by Carolyn Elefant out of Washington DC and has been around for 12 years.  Users will find a vast array of information on issues related to solo and small practice lawyering.  In a short visit to the site, I found a free 2-hour course on starting your own practice , a YouTube video on the myths of solo practice and of course many blog posts from Ms. Elefant.

Here’s the latest guide to keep you up-to-date with everything techie. The 2013 Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide: Critical Decisions Made Simple [Find it] gives you an overview of just about every possible technological aspect of your practice. Chapters cover the following topics: