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Law Library News for Nov. 6, 2006

Law Library News Archive

Kristy Moon, editor.

Library Lifesavers

by Cheryl Nyberg

This week's installment in the Library Lifesavers series features the ABCs.

A = Attendance. Show up for a half-hour of information on

B = Bloglines, an efficient way to track, sort, and browse postings from blogs to which you subscribe; and

C = CALI, the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction offers more than 600 interactive lessons on 32 legal topics.

Come for the candy; stay for cool tools.

CFR on Hein Online

by Cheryl Nyberg

Hein Online isn't just a great source for PDF images of law review articles. Lots of great legal content is available, including the U.S. Statutes at Large, the U.S. Reports, the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, and Treaties and Other International Acts of the United States of America.

Now Hein Online offers the Code of Federal Regulations, 1938 through 1983. Previously, the earliest CFR edition online was 1981 (LexisNexis).

For historical administrative research, the Hein Online versions in PDF are invaluable. Do you want to track changes in regulations governing banking, environment, labor, tax, or transportation? Use the "Browse by Titles" or "Advanced Search" approach. Looking for the first time a specific word or phrase appeared in the CFR? Use the "Advanced Search" feature.

Although the Law Library has print and microfiche copies of the old CFRs, these online editions can be more easily searched and never disappear from the library shelves.

See the Gallagher guide on U.S. Administrative Law for more great sources.

The Truth about the Billable Hour

Here is interesting reality check from the Yale Law School Career Development Office. Most law firms have minimum or target billable hours for their associates, typically between 1700 to 2300. Informal sources, however, quote much higher numbers. How will the firm’s billable hour expectations affect your lifestyle? Take a look at this realistic scenario. 

Assuming that you take:

  • 1 hour for lunch
  • two 15-minute breaks
  • ½ hour reading general correspondence and legal updates
  • ½ hour attending department meetings, occasional conferences, and doing CLE   

And you do this all year long with:

  • 3 weeks vacation
  • 2 weeks holiday
  • no sick days or personal days
To bill 1800 hours, you’ll be at work 8:00 a.m. – 6:20 p.m. (Monday – Friday) for a total of 2420 hours. But add a ½ hour commute and you’ll be “working” 7:30 a.m. – 6:50 p.m.  With a 1 hour commute, you’ll be “working” 7:00 a.m. – 7:20 p.m.

To bill 2200 hours, assume the same as above but add 1 hour for dinner and 2 additional 15-minute bathroom orcoffee breaks. You’ll be at work from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (Monday – Friday) and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (with 1 non-billable hour) three Saturdays a month (except in Nov. and Dec. when you’ll take a break for the holidays and work two Saturdays a month). You’ll be “at work” for 3058 hours to bill 2200.

These schedules don’t include time for personal calls at work, training or observing, talking with coworkers, serving on a bar committee, writing an article for the bar journal, client development, interviewing an applicant, etc.

For more perspective on billable hours, visit the JD Bliss Blog, "a blog for attorneys seeking career satisfaction, work/life balance and personal growth." Scroll down until you see the “Categories” heading on the left frame. Click on the “Billable Hours” category.

Take a Break from Studying with Some “Good Reads”

by Ann Hemmens

Do you need a break from studying? Maybe just for a few minutes? Browse the “Good Reads” collection in the Law Library. You will find fiction, humor, current events, biography, and history.

Some titles from the “Good Reads” collection:

  • Amicus Humoriae: An Anthology of Legal Humor, compiled by Robert M. Jarvis et al. PN6231.L4 A64 2003
  • Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age, by Kevin Boyle. KF224.S8 B69 2004
  • Beloved: A Novel, by Toni Morrison. PS3563.O8749 B4 1988
  • Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations, by Charles Wilkinson. E98.T77 W546 2005
  • Errors and Omissions: A Novel, by Paul Goldstein. PS3607.O4853 E77 2006. Read a description
  • The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World, by Lawrence Lessig. K1401.L47 2001
  • Gay Seattle: Stories of Exile and Belonging, by Gary Atkins (HQ76.3 U52 S433 2003)
  • Heist: Superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, His Republican Allies, and the Buying of Washington, by Peter H. Stone. JK1118.S74 2006
  • The Mammoth Book of Famous Trials, edited by Roger Wilkes. K540.M35 2006
  • Sorcerers’ Apprentices: 100 Years of Law Clerks at the United States Supreme Court, by Artemus Ward & Davis L. Weiden. KF8771.W37 2006

The Good Reads collection is located on Floor L1 in the low, wooden book shelves facing the Law Student Lounge. Grab a book off the shelf and sit on the comfortable chairs for a few minutes. If you like what you find, check out the book and take it home.