Monthly Archives: November 2014

Study Room Reservations & Library Hours for Reading/Exam Period

studyroomDuring the reading and exam period, you must make a reservation to use a library study room.  Mandatory study room reservations will begin on Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 8:00am; at that time all study rooms will be locked and you must go to the first floor circulation desk to charge out the key to the room at the time of your reservation.  The link to the study room reservations is on the library homepage under Related Links.

Study Room Policies:

  • Study rooms are for the use of groups of two or more students
  • Study rooms may be reserved for the current day and two days ahead
  • Study rooms may be reserved for periods from 30 minutes up to four hours
  • Students are permitted to reserve a room for no more than four hours per day
  • Reservations violating these policies will be deleted
  • Instructions for making reservations and a list of rooms available are on the study room reservations page

Library Hours for the Reading & Exam Period:

  • Thursday, December 4 – Thursday, December 18:  8:00am – 2:00am
  • Friday, December 19:  8:00am -10:00pm
  • December 4 – 18, the circulation desk closes at Midnight; no books can be checked out after Midnight.

Reminders:

  • Please limit all conversations in the library; remember that your colleagues are studying too.
  • There is no eating in the library; please go to the student lounge or dining hall for snacks and meals.
  • Do not leave valuables unattended.  If you step away from your study table or carrel, take anything of value to you with you.

Good Luck on Your Exams & Happy Holidays!

Brooklyn Ascendant in DC

As supplement to the November 17 post, readers may want to look at the November 24 issue of the New Yorker which has an article called More Brains by Jeffrey Toobin. In it the author  discusses the nomination of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta Lynch to run the Department of Justice. The article also mentions the rivalry between the prosecutors of the Eastern District, often seen as a kind of junior varsity with respect to their colleagues in the Southern District, across the East River. U.S. District Judge John Gleeson, a former prosecutor in the Eastern District and a former adjunct professor at BLS, is quoted as saying “I get the Hertz-Avis reputations of the two offices. But I honestly don’t feel any kind of inferiority complex. Maybe there’s some more humanity over here, some different attitudes. Loretta is a modest prosecutor.” Toobin goes on to say “Even before Lynch’s nomination, the Eastern District brand was ascendant in Washington. There is already a considerable Brooklyn mafia (so to speak) in prominent positions in the Justice Department.” He quotes Gleeson as saying, “Everyone knows Brooklyn is cooler now than Manhattan. My law clerks all want to live in Brooklyn, but they can’t afford it. They have to live on the Upper East Side.”

Law Library of Congress and HeinOnline Team Up to Offer Free Access to Historical Federal Primary Law

The Law Library of Congress and Willaim S. Hein & Co., Inc. recently announced that they will partner to to offer free online access to historical U.S. legal materials, including the United States Code, U.S. Reports, Code of Federal Regulations, and the Federal Register.  Legal researchers and the public can access these Hein libraries through the Law Library of Congress legal research portal, Guide to Law Online: U.S. Federal. The following collections of historical primary law are available:

While not as comprehensive nor as easily searched as the BLS Library HeinOnline Subscription Databases, these collections help to make important historical legislative, judicial, and executive branch publications freely available to the public.  Most of these collections are available on the federal government website FDsys, but coverage only goes back to the mid-1990s.  Generally, the free Hein libraries begin with the first edition of the publication in question, and end when free access via FDsys begins.

For assistance with using the Guide to Law Online links or the BLS Library HeinOnline Subscription Databases, ask a Reference Librarian.

Happy 225th Anniversary to “Mother Court”

from Third Branch News Blog –

A 225th anniversary ceremony honoring the first-ever federal court session held court2under the U.S. Constitution and Judiciary Act, was held Nov. 4th in the ceremonial courtroom of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The ceremony honored a court session held Nov. 3, 1789, in the Royal Exchange Building in Manhattan.  The session, conducted by Judge James Duane, occurred three months before the U.S. Supreme Court also met in the Royal Exchange, which no longer exists. The 1789 session gives the Southern District of New York claiming rights as the nation’s “Mother Court”—although the first sitting was not momentous, adjourning immediately without hearing any cases.

The Library recently acquired the book, The Mother Court: Tales of Cases That Mattered in America’s Greatest Trial Court. It is the first book to chronicle the history of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the most influential District court in the United States. It gives first-hand insight into the evolution of our justice system where it has been, where it is now and where it is going. It provides an anatomy of what a trial is all about in an American courtroom, featuring the most famous trials of the period in the greatest court in the nation.

 

 

 

 

Small Business Legal Academy

On Wednesday, November 19, 2014, from 9am to 3pm, Brooklyn Law School will host, in its Subotnick Center on the 10th Floor, the second annual Small Business Legal Academy (SBLA) bringing together corporate law firms, civil legal services organizations, financial services consultants, City and State agencies and other service providers to strengthen New York City’s vibrant and diverse small-business community. During the one-day event, small businesses in need of consulting services will be able to learn about starting and managing a business or nonprofit, and uncover solutions to the legal and financial challenges facing their organizations. The SBLA is a comprehensive one-stop shop for small business. The first annual event was held last year at Harlem’s Apollo Theater, where over 200 entrepreneurs received free legal counsel from volunteer attorneys representing nearly 35 top NYC law firms.

This year’s SBLA is expecting nearly 100 attorneys to volunteer in addition to the legal service providers, financial consultants, and City and State agencies that will be providing free services to the fledgling businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs who may otherwise not have the means to receive expert counsel. SBLA is sponsored by the Association of Pro Bono Counsel (APBCo) together with nearly a dozen non-profit public interest law firms and Brooklyn Law School’s Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship (CUBE). Registration is available at this link and walk-ins are welcome.

LasserThe BLS Library recently added to its collection an E-book titled J.K. Lasser’s Small Business Taxes 2015: Your Complete Guide to a Better Bottom Line. Fully updated for 2014 tax returns and 2015 tax planning, this detailed guide provides concise, plain-English explanations of tax laws tailored to business owners who are experts in their field—not in taxes. A complete listing of available business expense deductions includes comprehensive information on dollar limits and record-keeping requirements, allowing business owners to quickly recognize the deductions for which they qualify and make tax-savvy business decisions year round. Sample forms and checklists allow small business owners to organize their preparation, and clear instruction on tax form navigation helps them get it right the first time. Small business owners have a full plate. Indeed, just keeping the business going is a more than full-time job. But when tax time rolls around, they still need to file—correctly, on time, and without making errors or leaving money on the table. This book simplifies the process, breaking down tax laws and the filing process. It has expert insight on every step of the process, from organizing paperwork to sending the check.

Lawyering Skills Quiz

The November 2014 edition of the ABA Journal, available in print at the Brooklyn Law School Library Circulation Desk, has a quiz to test whether you have the skills, traits and values of a good lawyer. The 10 question quiz, designed to let you know what skills are needed to be a great trial lawyer. Give it a try and see how well you score on the quiz which is also available online.

good lawyerIt is based on the book The Good Lawyer: Seeking Quality in the Practice of Law by University of Missouri at Kansas City Law Professors Douglas O. Linder and Nancy Levit (Call #K115 .L56 2014). The 360 page book published by Oxford University Press is a must-read for law students and prospective law students, new lawyers, and seasoned professionals. It is organized in ten chapters titled The Good Lawyer Is Empathetic — The Good Lawyer Is Courageous — The Good Lawyer Has Ample Willpower — The Good Lawyer Values Others in the Legal Community — The Good Lawyer Uses Both Intuition and Deliberative Thinking — The Good Lawyer Thinks Realistically about the Future — The Good Lawyer Serves the True Interests of Clients — The Good Lawyer Pursues Justice with Integrity — The Good Lawyer Is Persuasive — Seeking Quality in a Rapidly Changing Profession.