Today is the first day of the California Bar Exam! I’m sorry I haven’t had time to post more, but preparing for the bar exam has left me so busy that I haven’t had much time to blog about it. However, I did want to share with you this sign that somebody posted in the elevator here:
There are worse send-offs than that, I suppose. Here we go!
1 comment July 29th, 2008
Cavutto commented on one of my field guide pictures on Flickr, so I clicked over to his photos and saw this law librarian pumpkin. Cute, huh?
Add comment November 4th, 2007
So some of you may be aware of the lolcat phenomenon, but do you know of the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats? Adam “Apelad” Korford has been posting them on Flickr for some time, and they are remarkably adorable, easily as much as my own addition to the lolcat oeuvre. Well worth a look.
I have also made a loljurist picture:
Add comment September 28th, 2007
Here is a simple civil procedure tip for all you law students out there who are confused about the proper forms for service of process.
Right:
(Or you could just send it to them through the mail under Rule 4(d), which is much easier and cheaper for all concerned. But don’t do this–)
Wrong:
I found this on the sidewalk south of Market while I was walking back from a trip to Costco. Here’s the same picture, from a wider angle, which suggests that the legal colloquialism for a form of service that is unlikely to reach the defendant on time or at all–”sewer service”–might be uniquely appropriate here.
I am not certain whether Darrel A. appeared, or indeed to which court he was being summoned, why, or by whom.
Add comment September 25th, 2007
When I started law school, I found the law library a little bewildering–I had no idea what all these books were, which ones I would use when, or even what they all looked like. In order to help out future 1Ls (and curious civilians) who find themselves in a similar position, I’ve prepared this photographic field guide to the law library. For each series of books, I’ve included the title, a photograph, a brief description including circumstances in which you might want to use it, and the Bluebook (18th edition) citation rule to use.
American Law Reports (ALR)
ALR is a series of articles on the approaches different courts have taken to a legal issue. The current series is ALR 6th. There’s also ALR Federal, focusing on federal law; it’s in its second series. Great for getting a broad, multi-jurisdictional perspective on a legal issue.
Cite per: R16.6.6, p. 145.
Corpus Juris Secundum (CJS)
American Jurisprudence (AmJur)
CJS and AmJur are legal encyclopedias. They present overviews of the law, organized by topic, with references to controlling authority. A good place to start if you want to learn exactly what the law is on a certain point, and to get ideas for further research.
Cite per: R15.8(a), p. 135.
West’s Annotated California Codes
Deering’s California Codes Annotated
These contain the text of the current California statutes, information about their legislative history, and headnotes and references for decisions interpreting or relying on the statutes. Start here if you know what statute is applicable and want to see what courts have said about it.
Cite per: R12, p. 101 et seq.; Table T.1, p. 201.
West’s California Digest
A “digest” is a compilation of headnotes from past decisions, organized by subject. Occasionally the digest publisher will close a digest and publish notes from later decisions in a new series. The current edition is the second, bound in green. Use this to find decisions of California courts on a particular point.
California Reports (Cal.)
This is the official reporter for decisions of the California Supreme Court. Recent decisions appear on “advance sheets,” which are paper-bound books with the same pagination and numbering as the permanent volume will eventually have. The current series is Cal. 4th.
Cite per: R10, p. 79 et seq.; Table T.1, p. 200.
California Appellate Reports (Cal. App.)
This is the official reporter for decisions of the California Courts of Appeal. Advance sheets for this reporter appear in the same volumes as those of the California Reports. Current series is Cal. App. 4th.
Cite per: R10, p. 79 et seq.; Table T.1, p. 200.
West’s California Reporter (Cal. Rptr.)
This is the unofficial reporter for all California courts, including West’s headnotes for the cases. Be sure you don’t confuse this with California Reports. Also, note the text near the bottom of the spine, which tells you which volume or volumes of the official reporter correspond to this one. Current series is Cal. Rptr. 3d.
Cite per: R10, p. 79 et seq.; Table T.1, p. 200.
California Jurisprudence (Cal Jur)
Witkin
More legal encyclopedias, these focusing on California law. Cal Jur collects everything in one series of books, but Witkin has several, including Summary of California Law, California Criminal Law, and California Procedure. Use these like AmJur or CJS if you’re looking for California law.
Cite per: R15, p. 129.
Shepard’s Citations
Shepard’s lets you see what treatment your authorities have received since they were released. There are versions for federal and state decisions, ALR, statutes, model codes, and other sources. Tutorials on Shepardizing are available here and here (PDF).
United States Code Annotated (U.S.C.A.)
United States Code Service (U.S.C.S.)
These are annotated versions of federal statutes and the Constitution, with West (USCA) or Lexis (USCS) headnotes from decisions relying on or interpreting the law. Start here if you want to investigate a federal statute or constitutional provision.
Cite per: R12.3, p. 104.
West’s Federal Practice Digest
Another series of digests, this time for federal decisions. The fourth is the current series. Start here if you want to know what federal courts have decided on a given point of law.
United States Reports (U.S.)
Supreme Court Reporter (S.Ct.)
Lawyer’s Edition (L.Ed.)
These reporters collect the opinions of the Supreme Court. U.S. is the official reporter, S.Ct. is West’s, L.Ed. is Lexis’s.
Cite per: R10, p. 79 et seq.; Table T.1, p. 193.
Federal Reporter (F.)
The Federal Reporter collects the opinions of the federal Courts of Appeals (the circuit courts). The current series is F.3d.
Cite per: R10, p. 79 et seq.; Table T.1, p. 193.
Federal Supplement (F. Supp.)
The Federal Supplement collects the opinions of the Federal trial courts (the district courts). The current series is F. Supp. 2d. Be careful not to get this and the Federal Reporter mixed up.
Cite per: R10, p. 79 et seq.; Table T.1, p. 195.
Federal Rules Decisions (F.R.D.)
Another series of district court reports, these focusing on cases interpreting the federal rules of procedure and evidence.
Cite per: R10, p. 79 et seq.; Table T.1, p. 195.
General Digest
Decennial Digest
These are the broadest digests in the West system, containing headnotes for all reported federal and state cases, nationwide. The General Digest contains headnotes from cases reported after the last Decennial Digest was released. The Decennial Digest used to be released every ten years, as its name suggests. However, it was starting to get unwieldy, and so West started publishing it in two parts, five years apart. There’s also the Century Digest, which has headnotes for cases reported before the Decennial Digests began. West has a chart explaining the structure of the digest system here (PDF).
Words and Phrases
Something of a cross between a law dictionary and a digest. Words and Phrases collects headnotes and references for decisions that interpret words and phrases in a legal context. A good place to start if you want to know exactly what a piece of language means.
5 comments March 13th, 2007
I haven’t written about JPG Magazine here yet! I should probably fix that.
The idea, as I put it, is that since digital cameras have democratized photography, JPG exists to democratize photography magazines. They pick three themes for every issue and have people submit and vote on photos for those themes. At the end of the submission period, the editors pick from the top photos, add a few other stories, do all the layout, and send it to print. It’s a lot of fun–if you (or anyone else) think you have some cool photos, send them in.
This post has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I have recently submitted some photos, which may or may not be visible on this site’s sidebar or my JPG user page, nor with the fact that if you were to see any such photos, I would appreciate it if you were to vote for them.
Add comment February 16th, 2007
I’m considering filing a Section 1983 lawsuit against LexisNexis. Why, you ask? Well, see here–they have abridged my Constitutional rights!
(Yes, I know the statute isn’t really on all fours here. I plead comedic necessity.)
Add comment January 28th, 2007
Don’t know exactly how it happened (I guess I must have walked into something with it in my pocket), but my old cell phone’s screen got smashed on Monday, with the surprisingly pretty result shown above. Alas, it was not nearly as practical as it was beautiful, and so I went off to check CNet‘s reviews and then to the Verizon store to upgrade to the LG VX8300. I was thinking I’d change carriers, but a thread on the Metblog a while ago seemed to reach a consensus that Verizon had the best reception in SF, and I wanted to get a new phone as soon as possible. It’s been working out fairly well. My main complaint is one endemic to all Verizon gear–they lock out a whole bunch of interesting and useful stuff, with technologies like BREW and crippled Bluetooth implementations. But there is hope for the tinkerer who wanders in the strange land of CDMA: BitPim.
BitPim gives you read/write access to all the data on the phone, letting you transfer pictures, add ringtones, add contacts, and browse the filesystem, all via USB or Bluetooth. I’ve only started playing around with it, but it looks very promising indeed. Now all somebody needs to do is hack BREW so anyone can write apps for it.
3 comments September 26th, 2006
So I took this picture of one of the BNE stickers and blogged it a while ago, but apparently it’s caught someone’s attention: ABC used it in a report. I Metblogged it here–kinda cool, huh?
1 comment September 23rd, 2006
Y’see, it’s “a salt and battery sale.” Yeah. Sometimes I worry about the bookstore people, all trapped in that basement all the time.
1 comment August 16th, 2006
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