Recently on the Conglomerate Christine Hurt mused about whether it was necessary for law students to learn how to do book-based legal research since Lexis Nexis and Westlaw are now so ubiquitous.
True, Lexis and Westlaw make legal research convenient. Not having to go anywhere to find the answers you need is convenient. On the other hand, each service has its own cumbersome qualities, and it takes some learning and practice to be able to use them efficiently and effectively. Moreover, they are expensive. As students we get lulled into the complacency of having full, free access to these massive archives of information. As graduates, however, we have to pay. A lot.
So book research ends up being as important as computer research because unless you've got a situation where someone else is paying (an employer?) it may be the only way to find what you need.
But that leads to another problem. At school you always know where a law library is - it's built-in. What about when you graduate? I never really thought about this. I never thought there even were law libraries floating around out there at all.
Turns out there are. Counties have them, often attached to the court system, and law schools may share theirs with the public doing legitimate research.
Good to know.
Comments (1)
You might be interested in Eight Reasons Solo Lawyers Should Use Law Libraries, http://www.llrx.com/extras/shorttakes12.htm. (I wrote it at the request of Carolyn Elefant at myshingle.com.)
Depending on where you work, you might have a library of your own -- larger firms have libraries, as do government agencies and some corporate law departments. Wherever you are, be sure to use the help of the librarians -- they are experts at research and the resources available at your firm or organization.
-- Mary
Posted by Mary Whisner | November 7, 2006 10:29 AM
Posted on November 7, 2006 10:29