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Law Library News

Law Library News Archive

May 16, 2005.
Kristy Moon, editor.

Early Exams During May 19-21

Final exams for certain law school courses will take place during May 19-21. Please be considerate of those students who may be studying in the library this week for exams. All carrels on L1 will be reserved for law students on May 19 and 20.

 

Summer Use of LexisNexis and Westlaw

--Nancy McMurrer

Your law school LexisNexis and Westlaw passwords are to be used for academic purposes only. So when you clerk in a law office this summer, you may not use your law school LexisNexis or Westlaw ID or password. In fact, both vendors cut off your access during the summer, allowing limited access only to the career databases, although Westlaw grants you two hours per month of free full access until the fall.

However, there are exceptions to this general rule. If you are working on one of the law school journals, working for a law professor, taking summer law classes, serving on moot court, or working in an externship that satisfies your public interest requirement, you can apply to LexisNexis or Westlaw for full access during the summer. When you go to http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool or http://lawschool.westlaw.com, you will see a link for signing up for full summer access. Be sure to sign up before the end of the spring quarter!

By the way, LexisNexis and Westlaw are aware that we are on a quarter system, so you will have full access though the end of spring quarter. Ignore any statements to the contrary; they are aimed at schools on the semester system.

 

Tenth Annual Bridge the Legal Research Gap

The law libraries of Seattle University and University of Washington are once again sponsoring this popular half-day legal research program for all summer associates and law clerks working in the Seattle area this summer.

When

Wednesday, May 25, 2005
8:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M.
Seattle University School of Law
901 – 12th Ave., Sullivan Hall

Program will be repeated:

Tuesday, June 21, 2005
1:00 to 5:00 P.M.
University of Washington School of Law
William H. Gates Hall

Courses

  • Research in the Real World - effectively manage research assignments and do cost-effective research
  • Legislative History Research - for federal and Washington State
  • Administrative Law Research - for federal, Washington State, and municipalities
  • Advanced Internet Legal Research - public records, Internet archives, Google toolbar, email newsletters, etc.
  • Lawyer's Practice Materials - for federal and Washington State

Cost

Program is FREE! Light snacks will be provided.

Registration

An online registration form is available at http://lib.law.washington.edu/btg/2005/register.htm

Directions / Parking

For SU, go to http://www.law.seattleu.edu/directions?mode=standard

For UW, go to http://lib.law.washington.edu/hours/hours.html#direct

Bring your lunch and laptop. Contact Ann Hemmens if you have any questions (206-543-7672 or hemmens@u.washington.edu). We hope to see you there!

 

Summer Job Tips (Part 2): Etiquette

--Kristy Moon

With summer employment starting in about a month, this is a good time to be brushing up on business etiquette. Even if you already feel confident of your business social skills, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded, especially if you want good references or a job offer at the end of the summer.

“Like Yeah, Manners Really Count” appeared in The National Law Journal on May 31, 2004, and the author (and etiquette trainer) Ann Marie Sabath gave advice specifically tailored to law firm summer associates (the complete article is available on LegalTrac, LexisNexis, and Westlaw). Here are the highlights:

  • If you’re on time, you’re late.
    It’s better to arrive at meetings a few minutes early. It shows that you have time-management skills and gives you a chance to network with other early arrivals. Smart summer associates know that it’s better to be kept waiting than to be the one who makes others wait.
  • Banish slang from your vocabulary.
    Delete “yeah,” “but,” and “think” from your lips and replace them with “yes,” “however,” and “recommend/suggest.” Also, eliminate “you know,” “uh-huh,” “go figure,” “whatever,” and “like” (when used, like, all the time, as an all-purpose connector – it’s OK to like your job!).
  • Begin conversations with a greeting and a connector.
    Do you begin a conversation by jumping right into the business at hand? What if you took a minute to first acknowledge the person with a greeting (“good morning”) and a connector (“how was your client dinner last evening”)? A connector is asking a question about a topic mentioned by the person the last time you two spoke.
  • Pause for two seconds to avoid interrupting others.
    The two-second pause will help you establish a reputation as an effective listener rather than an “interrupter.” One mouth, two ears.
  • Dining differs from eating.
    The purpose of a business meal is to interact with others in a more relaxed setting and to eat – in that order. Did you know that there are three ways for holding and using a fork and knife?: the American style, the Continental style, and “no” style. And just because the firm is paying for the meal doesn’t mean you can “order anything.”
  • Receptions are not feeding troughs.
    Remember that you are “on” at all times. Your name tag should be worn on your right side so that others can glance down at your name as you shake hands.
  • Send thank-yous.
    Send a thank-you to anyone who spends more than 15 minutes helping you. After face-to-face interactions such as a lunch, send a note written on high-quality stationery. An email thank-you is OK for thanking a summer associate or acknowledging a helpful telephone call.

Summer Job Tips Part 3 will appear next week. For Part 1, see http://lib.law.washington.edu/news/2005/May9.html.