Research

Zief’s New Career Services Collection

Posted on by Steffi Ando

Zief’s New Career Services Collection

What is the Career Services Collection?

Grey notebook with "Let's Get Started" printed in small font. This summer, in collaboration with the Office of Career Services, Zief Research Librarians curated a collection of materials and resources to best help you prepare for your legal careers. From landing a job interview to navigating your first workplace conflict, the Career Services Collection can be a source of advice for your future legal professional journey.

Where is it located?

The print materials are currently available on the first floor of Zief Law Library, near the research librarians’ offices.

Newest additions

Here are some of the newest titles added to the Career Services Collection:

  1. Roadmap: the law student’s guide to meaningful employment by Neil W. Hamilton
  2. The introverted lawyer: a seven-step journey toward authentically empowered advocacy by Heidi K. Brown
  3. The all-inclusive guide to judicial clerking by Abigail L. Perdue
  4. Big law confidential: the comprehensive guide to the large law firm work experience in the U.S. by D.W. Randolph

Office of Career Services

For individual career counseling, speak to the Office of Career Services, located in Kendrick 335 and 336.

For help finding resources on a specific area of legal practice, talk to your Zief Research Librarians.

 

 

Summer Access to Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg

Posted on by Mike Muehe

Hi all! Summer is upon us, and you’re probably gearing up to tackle your summer internship placements. As an important reminder, there are certain limitations on using certain research platforms over the summer. Here, we’ll take a look at the big three  – Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg – and run through what you’ll be able to use them for. And don’t forget, your librarians are also here to help support you throughout the summer

Westlaw

Westlaw can be used over the summer for non-commercial research — you can’t use it in situations where you are billing a client. Examples of permissible use include: Continue reading “Summer Access to Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg” →

Tax Day

Posted on by skmawhinney

In observance of Tax Day, on April 18 this year, Zief Library takes a brief look at the legal history of our federal income tax system and highlights Zief tax research resources and opportunities for further study.

Federal Income Taxes: A Brief History:

Did you know the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) came into existence on July 9, 1953?  Its main function is to determine, assess, and collect internal revenue in the United States.

A few other facts about the IRS and the modern federal income tax system:

  • The first U.S. Congress created the Department of the Treasury in 1789. It has the authority to administer and enforce the internal revenue laws of the U.S.
  • Modern individual income taxes are largely a result of the Revenue Act of 1913, which President Woodrow Wilson signed into law. The act restored federal income taxes and lowered tariff (taxes on imported goods) rates, which President Wilson considered to be unfair taxes.
  • Earlier Revenue Acts had given Congress the power to tax personal income, including the first, The Revenue Act of 1861, which was signed by President Lincoln (to pay for the Civil War). It lacked an enforcement mechanism and was later repealed. A flat rate Federal income tax was enacted in 1894, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional because it was a direct tax not apportioned according to the population of each state.
  • The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution resolved this issue when it was ratified in 1913. It granted Congress “the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes,…, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration”.
  • The IRS came into existence in 1953 after President Harry S. Truman called for a reorganization of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, created after the Civil War.
  • Congress gave the Treasury Department the authority to administer and enforce the internal revenue laws of the U.S. in 1954, and that authority is governed by Internal Revenue Code Section 7801. The IRS is organized to carry out the responsibilities of the U.S. Treasury Secretary.
  • The first Form 1040 was introduced in 1913, and the standard deductions on Form 1040 were created in 1944.
  • Filing & Payment Dates: Although April 15 is the official annual individual federal income tax filing deadline, the date varies due to weekends and holidays. This year the deadline is Tuesday, April 18 for most Americans. Federal income taxes were originally due on March 1 after the passage of the 16th Amendment in 1913, but the deadline was changed five years later to March 15. The tax system was overhauled in 1954 with the passage of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 and the date was again moved to April 15.

Research Resources:

Many of the legal research databases and other resources you are already using provide access to tax-related research materials. A few, however, are worth mentioning for their special focus on tax materials:

Checkpoint Edge: Thomson Reuters Checkpoint Edge provides access to information on U.S. federal and state tax laws, regulations, and cases. USF Law students and faculty can access it from on campus.

Lexis Tax: Lexis Tax, which is part of your Lexis+ subscription, allows you to run single searches across multiple tax resources in one of three subjects: Federal, State & Local, or U.S. International Tax law. These include primary sources and specialized secondary materials, including tax analysis, tax commentary, tax news and other information required to practice tax law. By putting all tax materials in one place, Lexis helps you simplify your search process.

Zief Federal Tax Research Guide: For help finding federal tax related materials, check out the library’s handy research guide on federal tax research.

Interested in Pursuing a Career in Tax Law?

Did you know USF offers graduate programs in tax law for students who have already earned a law degree? Many students who want to focus their careers in tax law enroll in one of these programs after earning their JD’s. Check out the USF’s LLM and Graduate Tax Programs for more information.

Beyond Lexis & Westlaw: CEB

Posted on by skmawhinney

In our continuing series introducing you to legal research databases that we recommend you try, this month we’re taking a look at the CEB legal research platform and highlighting some of its unique features. CEB – short for Continuing Eduation of the Bar – provides valuable research resources for California law students and attorneys.

What is CEB?

Founded in 1947 as a nonprofit program of the University of California to educate veterans returning to legal practice after serving in World War II, CEB today offers access to a range of materials, including: primary sources; practice guides; practitioner materials; daily news alerts; and continuing legal education (CLE) materials for practicing California attorneys.

CEB Logo

How is CEB Different from Westlaw and Lexis?

Unlike Lexis and Westlaw, CEB is designed specifically to help the California legal community and therefore focuses on California law. It includes cases (California Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and U.S. Supreme Court), statutes, and California Rules of Court. It also includes a large collection of California practice guides and other practitioner materials, as well as legal news and continuing education materials for California attorneys. These resources can also help you as a student in your clinical, internship, or externship experiences.

These are the CEB features and tools worth exploring:

  • Advanced Search Filters for Case Law Searches: CEB allows you to narrow your case law search results using advanced filters. For example, you can narrow your results by specific cause of action (e.g., harassment, fraud, discrimination), procedural posture (e.g., demurrer, motion for summary judgment, motion for change of venue), and disposition (e.g., reverse, affirm, grant). These filters allow you to find cases analogous to your own, and not just those with similar search terms.
  • Secondary Sources: CEB includes about 180 unique, searchable practice guides written by and for California lawyers, covering California law on 20 broad topics. Each practice guide also includes these helpful finding aids: table of contents, table of statutes, table of cases, and an index.
  • Practitioner Materials: CEB provides helpful practitioner materials including workflow charts, how-to guides, strategy notes, charts and checklists, and standard documents with referenced authorities. They cover the following six legal topics (each divided into subtopics): Business Entities, Business Litigation, Employment Law, Litigation Practice & Procedure, Real Property, and Trusts & Estates.
  • Daily News: CEB provides California legal news updates in 31 practice areas to help you stay up-to-date with daily law alerts and articles on the latest developments in your research or practice area.

How can I access CEB as a Student?

CEB is accessible to current USF law students and faculty in two ways:

CEB’s OnLaw Logo
  • Via its classic interface CEB OnLaw, which does not require registration (from off campus or on campus); or

 

 

 

CEB OnLawPro Logo
  • Via registration for its updated interface, CEB Pro. Please contact one of your Zief librarians for CEB Pro registration information. If you have already registered, visit research.ceb.com to sign in. Students who sign up for CEB Pro before they graduate will continue to have free access for 18 months after they graduate. For more information about how you can incorporate CEB’s resources into your research, stop by Zief and chat with your research librarians.

“Research Tips from an Old School Librarian” — the Restatements

Posted on by shaferj

Many law students think of the Restatements of the Law as nothing more than the brief excerpts included in their case books. This week, in his special column, “Research Tips from an Old School Librarian,” research librarian John Shafer will show you why you may want to dig deeper into the Restatements.

What are the Restatements?

The Restatements of Law, published by the American Law Institute (ALI), are a valuable resource for law students, legal professionals, and scholars alike. These authoritative and influential legal treatises aim to clarify, simplify, and modernize various areas of common law in the United States.

By distilling and restating the general principles and rules derived from case law, statutes, and legal scholarship, the Restatements provide a clear and comprehensive summary of the current state of the law. They serve as a reference for judges, lawyers, scholars, and legislators, guiding courts in areas where the law may be ambiguous or inconsistent. Although not legally binding, the Restatements often act as persuasive authority in judicial decision-making, shaping the development and evolution of the law.

The Restatements, along with their accompanying examples, illustrations, and annotations, are invaluable tools for law professors and students. Professors often draw from the examples and illustrations to create the hypotheticals they use in lectures and examinations, designing engaging and challenging problems that test students’ comprehension of legal concepts and principles. You, as a student, on the other hand, can employ these examples and illustrations to prepare for exams, enhance readiness for being called on in class, and deepen your understanding of the Restatements.

The annotations that accompany the Restatements are also helpful for locating case law that cites specific Restatement sections. By examining these annotations, you can identify relevant legal authority to support your arguments and enrich your research, as well as observe the practical impacts the Restatements have on the development and evolution of the law.

Accessing the Restatements:

In Print: The Zief Law Library has a fairly complete collection of the Restatements in print. They are located behind the Circulation and Reserve Desk and can be checked out for use in the library. The Ignacio library catalog shows a list of our current Restatement holdings:

Online: The full text of the Restatements is not freely available on the internet due to copyright restrictions. However, you can access the complete Restatements through legal research platforms, such as Westlaw, LexisNexis, HeinOnline, and Bloomberg Law (BL has a subset of all the Restatements available). Links to each of those services appear below — you will need to use your personal academic password or identify yourself as a USF Law student in order to use them:

In conclusion, the Restatements of Law are a valuable resource for law students seeking to strengthen their understanding of common law principles. By examining the Restatements and their accompanying examples, illustrations, and annotations, you can develop problem-solving skills, boost your confidence in class, excel in exams, and better prepare for your future legal career.

“Research Tips from an Old School Librarian” – Researching Model Laws

Posted on by shaferj

By now you’re likely familiar with model laws, like the Model Penal Code or the UCC, but what do you do if you need to research a model law? This week, in his special column, “Research Tips from an Old School Librarian,” research librarian John Shafer introduces us to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and the Uniform Laws Annotated and why you might consider using them in your research.

The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL), a non-partisan non-profit organization, is one of the most successful efforts to update, harmonize promote uniformity of the law through the creation of a wide-ranging body of model laws. Founded in 1892, NCCUSL works with legal experts, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to develop these model laws, designed to address emerging legal issues and promote the efficiency and fairness of the legal system.

The NCCUSL developed many model laws, including the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), the Uniform Probate Code (UPC), and the Uniform Trust Code (UTC), among others. Many states, including California, adopted these model laws in whole or in part. You’re likely familiar with these model codes, since they are frequently referred to in law school classes and casebooks today.

While you can learn a lot about many different model laws through the NCCUSL, all serious researchers should also know about another important resource for model laws – the Uniform Laws Annotated (ULA). The ULA is published by Thomson West and is available in Zief (in print) and on Westlaw. The ULA offers several research features in both the print and digital versions, including:

  1. Full text of model laws: The ULA contains the complete text of model laws, including the UCC, the Uniform Business Organizations Code, the UPC, the Model Penal Code, and others, along with any revisions or amendments made over time.
  2. Annotations: The ULA includes detailed annotations explaining each provision’s purpose, history, and interpretation through official and editorial comments. The annotations also include references to relevant cases and other authorities that interpreted or applied the model law.
  3. Comparative analysis: The ULA provides a comparative analysis of model laws, showing comparisons across the United States.
  4. Cross-references: The ULA includes cross-references to other model laws, to relevant U.S. Code sections, and to other sources of law.

However, missing from the ULA’s digital Westlaw version are the extensive indexes included in the print version. If you’re instead using Lexis+ for your research, you’ll find the ULCLAW – Uniform Law Commission Model Acts, but it lacks much of the content and many of the features found in the ULA.

So, if your research involves one of the many Uniform or Model Laws, you might want to consider using one of these model law resources.

UN World Day of Social Justice 2023

Posted on by Mike Muehe

This week, ZiefBrief celebrates the UN World Day of Social Justice and reflects on our commitment to social development, well-being, equity, and equality. As part of the USF community, Zief Law Library shares in the university’s and law school’s Jesuit mission towards creating a more just world for everyone, which requires pursuing social justice from multiple angles and perspectives. Here, we take a look at how the law library contributes to social justice work, and invite you to consider how you might pursue social justice causes too.

What is the World Day of Social Justice?

In 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted Resolution 62/10, declaring February 20th as the UN’s World Day of Social Justice, recognizing, among other things, that “social development and social justice are indispensable for the achievement and maintenance of peace and security within and among nations and that, in turn, social development and social justice cannot be attained in the absence of peace and security or in the absence of respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms.” Building on the 1995 World Summit for Social Development, which recognized social justice, equity, and equality as major development goals, this resolution ultimately invites the UN Member States to promote concrete national activities and greater international unity towards eradicating poverty, promoting work opportunities and gender equality, and increasing access to well-being and justice.

This year’s theme, “Overcoming Barriers and Unleashing Opportunities for Social Justice” aims at strengthening global solidarity and trust in government,  and initiating conversation on “actions needed to strengthen the social contract that has been fractured by rising inequalities, conflicts and weakened institutions that are meant to protect the rights of workers.” It hopes that this dialogue results in greater investment in decent labor opportunities for young people and in green, digital, and care economies.  It poses the following questions to consider:

  • What are the key bottlenecks and challenges to overcoming rising inequalities, decent work deficits, including lack of access to social protection, digital exclusion and disruption of trade?
  • What are the opportunities in the green and digital economy to reduce inequalities and promote social justice, in particular for youth?
  • What actions are needed by governments, the UN system, international financial institutions, employers’ and workers’ organizations, civil society and other stakeholders to increase investments for social justice?

Social Justice at USF, USF Law, and Zief Law Library

The USF Community, home to the Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice and multiple public interest legal opportunities, is no stranger to social justice work. The law school’s clinics, for example, allow students to participate in social justice-related legal work across various practice areas, such as racial justice, immigration, and human rights. While Zief Law Library supports that work by maintaining research resources, the librarians – and indeed many other law librarians – incorporate social justice across many aspects of our work with students, faculty, and the public, whether it’s in the classroom, in the library, or even behind the scenes. Looking toward the year ahead, the Zief librarians and staff already have more exciting social justice-related ideas to put into action, but some highlights from this past year include:

  • creating a diversity, equity, and inclusion resource guide for law school faculty and staff;
  • incorporating more critical legal research-related discussions into our legal research instructional sessions, reflecting on power dynamics represented in legal systems and research tools and access to justice;
  • creating and revising instructional learning materials with accessibility at the forefront;
  • participating in creating a harmful language statement for USF Gleeson and Zief libraries to recognize potentially harmful materials and outdated descriptions;
  • maintaining knowledge about and promoting access to free and low-cost legal research resources;
  • expanding our collections of legal research materials, including social justice-related books, media, and databases; and
  • attending law librarian workshops, conferences, and panels where we share ideas and learn from other social justice-focused law librarians.

With all of the opportunities to further social justice through our work in the law library, it’s hard to imagine setting aside only one day for them all. So, while the UN’s World Day of Social Justice may only be just one day out of the year, Zief Law Library hopes you’ll join us in celebrating social justice every day.

 

Blockchain Resources at Zief

Posted on by skmawhinney

You may have heard the good news that Professor Michele Neitz has joined the USF School of Law faculty and brought the Blockchain Law for Social Good Center and a seminar on Blockchain Technology and the Law with her. This week, we take a quick dive into what blockchain is and highlight some blockchain research resources available to you through Zief Law Library.

What is Blockchain Technology and Why Should Law Students Care About It?

In general, blockchain technology helps decentralize the movement and management of data and digital representations of assets or other value. It enables transaction authentication and settlement without centralized intermediaries or authorities. Importantly, there are many evolving applications for blockchain technology, including cryptocurrencies, online voting, medical records, insurance policies, property and real estate records, copyrights and licenses and supply chain tracking. In “smart contracts,” blockchain technology embeds payouts between the contracted parties and automatically executes when the parties meet their contractual conditions. Continue reading “Blockchain Resources at Zief” →

“Research Tips from an Old School Librarian – Words and Phrases”

Posted on by shaferj

Need to find case law that helps define a certain word or phrase? Luckily there’s a resource designed to help with just that! This week, in his special column, “Research Tips from an Old School Librarian,” research librarian John Shafer introduces us to this invaluable resource, how to use it, and how to access it.

One of the very useful classic research tools is a multi-volume set titled Words and Phrases, by Thomson West. First published in 1940, it has been the go-to source for judicial definitions of words and phrases, from multiple jurisdictions, drawing on cases from 1658 to the present. And these aren’t exclusively legal words or phrases, the set includes cases that provide judicial definitions of words such as “time” and phrases such as “happy camper“.

You can use the search bar, as shown here, to input words and phrases and find helpful judicial definitions.

Even though the set Words and Phrases is still in print and kept up to date by West editors, today, you can also find it on Westlaw, included under Secondary Sources in the “Tools & Resources” panel (pictured below). Alternatively, you can type in “Words and Phrases” into the search bar to be taken directly to the content page. Even more directly, you  can search words and phrases by using a special field search. For example, if you go to California State & Federal Cases and enter into the search box WP(“yellow-dog contract”), you will find a California Supreme Court case that you can cite that defines exactly what such a contract is. Any terms included in parenthesis after the letters “WP” will search for your terms in the words and phrases field.

In Westlaw’s “Secondary Sources” database, you can find “Words & Phrases” under the additional Tools & Resources on the right side.

While the Zief Law Library no longer has the print version of Words and Phrases available for browsing, you can still access this great resource and same information through Westlaw today. Try it out!

 

Beyond Lexis & Westlaw: Bloomberg Law

Posted on by skmawhinney

You’re probably familiar with Lexis+ and Westlaw Edge (soon to be Westlaw Precision) and have used them to find primary and secondary legal research resources. As we told you in our post about HeinOnline last month, there are other research tools that we recommend you try. This month we’re taking a look at Bloomberg Law and highlighting some of its unique features.

What is Bloomberg Law?

Bloomberg Law is a legal research platform that combines the latest in legal technology with workflow tools, news, primary and secondary sources, and business intelligence. Sixteen Practice Centers (e.g., Bankruptcy, Labor & Employment, and Tax) group Bloomberg Law resources by areas of legal practice, providing resources for that practice area: primary sources, dockets, news, treatises, practice tools, and Practical Guidance. Continue reading “Beyond Lexis & Westlaw: Bloomberg Law” →

New Election Law Resource from LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation

Posted on by Mike Muehe

In celebration of the upcoming Election Day, Zief Law Library presents a brand new, publicly-available voting law resource created by Lexis. Whether you have a deep interest in election law or simply want to keep abreast of legislative changes that might affect voting rights, the LexisNexis® U.S. Voting Laws & Legislation Center by the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation is a robust tool to keep you in-the-know. This week, we take a look at some of its helpful features. Continue reading “New Election Law Resource from LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation” →

Beyond Lexis and Westlaw: HeinOnline

Posted on by Mike Muehe

You’re probably familiar with Lexis+ and Westlaw (soon to be Westlaw Precision) and have used them to find legal research resources, like cases, statutes, regulations and secondary sources. But legal research sometimes requires more than those – and there are other research tools that you can – and should – consider using to help find materials. Here, we’ll dive into HeinOnline, a multidisciplinary legal research platform, and highlight some of its newest database offerings in LGBTQ+ Law, Civil Rights and Social Justice, and Water Law. Continue reading “Beyond Lexis and Westlaw: HeinOnline” →

New Materials: September 2022

Posted on by Randall Seder

Covers of new titles added in September.

The Zief Law Library added new materials to its collection in September! Check out some of our new titles, with topics including: East Asian politics, civil rights, and legislation; global economic conditions; project management; terrorism and the law; and US administrative procedure. Here is a list of some of our new items, but explore our monthly New Materials at Zief Law Library page for the full list of new arrivals!

Tech Tip: Digital Knowledge Management Tools to Organize Your Life, Studies, and Law Practice

Posted on by Steffi Ando

Being exposed to so much information, in school, work, and life, can feel overwhelming and chaotic, so managing and organizing the information we gather is critical for our own sake; but, it will also be expected from clients and supervisors. Whether it’s collecting information on a favorite hobby in your free time, gathering sources for an upcoming seminar paper, or capturing your experience and documents after successfully representing a client, knowledge management (“KM”) systems, tools, and practices help us stay organized and produce great outcomes. Continue reading “Tech Tip: Digital Knowledge Management Tools to Organize Your Life, Studies, and Law Practice” →

Research Help From the Zief Librarians

Posted on by Mike Muehe

Hi Dons!

Need help with your research assignments? Your research librarians are just a click away! Whether you’re navigating a 1L LRWA memo, tackling an upper-division or directed research paper, or even completing an assignment for a clinic, externship, or internship, the librarians have one-on-one research consultation appointments available to you.

Credit: Scott Graham for Unsplash.com

Having also been through law school, the research librarians know how tricky research planning can be, especially if you’re diving into an area of law that you’re unfamiliar with. Plus, there are lots of resources in our databases, our catalog, and across the internet that can be really overwhelming to navigate alone. So, you can book a research consultation with Suzanne, John, and Mike at the beginning or even throughout your project, to make sure you’re staying on target and getting to the sources you need (or didn’t know you needed). Plus, we’re available to meet in Zief or on Zoom, so you can make an appointment whether you’re on- or off-campus!

Need other research help but don’t necessarily need a full consultation? The librarians also hold regular hours for live reference assistance. You can stop by the library to see us or send us a question via instant message or email! Visit our Zief Research Help page for more information and instructions!

See you then!