Fall 2009 - Brown Bag Presentation Series

During the 2009 Fall Semester, the O'Quinn Law Library reference librarians will offer a series of lunchtime presentations on legal research topics. Each presentation will be given at 12 noon on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. All presentations will take place in Room 4 BLB.

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Presentation Descriptions

1. Advanced Search Strategies for Lexis and Westlaw

Tuesday, 09/29, 12:00-12:45 (room 4 BLB)
Wednesday, 09/30, 12:00-12:45 (room 4 BLB)

Presented by Lauren Schroeder, Reference and Research Librarian

Knowing how to successfully (and cost-effectively) navigate these ever-growing databases is very important, both in law school and after graduation. This session will provide an understanding of how Lexis and Westlaw are designed, and describe several advanced search techniques to increase precision and reduce search time.

2. Researching Tax Law

Tuesday, 10/6, 12:00-12:45 (room 4 BLB)
Wednesday, 10/7, 12:00-12:45 (room 4 BLB)

Presented by Chris Dykes, Reference and Research Librarian

This presentation will focus on the different sources of tax law including the primary and secondary sources. The availability of certain documents will also be discussed. Key tax law research databases will be reviewed along with the print sources. After attending this program, you will have a basic understanding of tax law resources as well as some familiarity with the databases.

3. Researching Legislative History

Tuesday, 10/13, 12:00-12:45 (room 4 BLB)
Wednesday, 10/14, 12:00-12:45 (room 4 BLB)

Presented by Dan Baker, Reference and Research Librarian

Legislative history research is essential for discerning the intended purpose and meaning of particular statutory language. It is useful both for academic research and legal practice. This session will provide a brief introduction to the federal legislative process, identify relevant legislative history documents, and acquaint students with major print and electronic resources for finding legislative materials.

4. Researching Foreign and International Law

Tuesday, 10/20, 12:00-12:45 (room 4 BLB)
Wednesday, 10/21, 12:00-12:45 (room 4 BLB)

Presented by Mon Yin Lung, Associate Director of the O’Quinn Law Library

This session is to explore strategies of researching in the area of international, foreign and comparative law (IFCL). After a brief overview of various international organizations and the differences between common law and civil law, this session will identify major legal resources for IFCL research.

5. Empirical Legal Research

Tuesday, 10/27, 12:00-12:45 (room 4 BLB)
Wednesday, 10/28, 12:00-12:45 (room 4 BLB)

Presented by Saskia Mehlhorn, Visiting Foreign and International Librarian

The legal system and legal issues do not exist in a vacuum. Lawyers solve problems of the real world; therefore they need to research non-legal facts to support lawyering functions such as: advocacy/litigation, counsel, and lobbying. At this session a student will learn where to find basic non-legal information such as corporate, medical, scientific, credit histories/assets/liens, expert witnesses, patents/trademarks, statistics, and general news.