by Sarah Prosory
25. January 2011 12:23
Today President Obama will give the annual State of the Union Address. Here's some trivia about the address:
- Article 2, Section 3 of the United States Constitution describes the President's duty to give the State of the Union Address.
- Did you know that one member of the President's cabinet is absent for the address in case of emergency to maintain the line of succession?
- This year the White House's website will be providing an "enhanced viewing experience" to those who choose to watch the address online.
- "Enhanced experience" means you will get to see charts and graphs as President Obama gives his speech.
- Be sure to visit the State of the Union White House website.
- Also on the website, check out the list of upcoming live events following the event. For example, on Thursday President Obama will answer your questions live via YouTube.
- Did you know the current White House Director of Speechwriting is Jon Favreau? Not the same as the actor and director of Elf and Iron Man, Jon Favreau...
Watch this awesome video all about the making of the State of the Union Address:
Will you be watching the State of the Union address? It will be on tonight at 7pm here in Arizona.
by Sarah Prosory
24. January 2011 09:39
Attention all incoming 1L's! We have a workshop especially for you! (And any other students who wish to brush up on study skills!) The Law Library wants you to be successful, so we've created a new workshop...Tips & Tricks for Success!
This 30 minute workshop will introduce you to searching effectively with the Law Library's catalog, and show you how to register and use AudioCaseFiles (listen to your cases!!) and CALI (online quizzes to help with your studies!).
A librarian will be available to help you with any other questions you may have (help with Westlaw or Lexis perhaps?) following the workshop.
Join us (click on the dates to RSVP):
An RSVP is helpful but not required. We hope to see you there!! 
As always, if you have any questions feel free to contact us by email or (602) 682-6898! For upcoming workshops this semester visit www.phoenixlaw.edu/libraryworkshops and www.phoenixlaw.edu/librarycalendar.
Good luck with your classes!
by Sarah Prosory
21. January 2011 12:53
When you don't have a law library that subscribes to Westlaw, LexisNexis, or other databases, Google Scholar is on the path towards being your friend in these times of need.
Read all about Google Scholar's Advanced Search improvement (from Legal Blog Watch).
What other free online sources do you use that are helpful? Comment below!
by Sarah Prosory
21. January 2011 12:15
Have an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch? Want to stay aware of breaking legal news and the latest in specific legal areas? Rather than have multiple apps provide the legal news, this app has it all in one. Now available in the iTunes store is the LexisNexis Legal News app. The app is free but the subscription is $75 for 3 months or $275 for 12 months.
Now if they only had an Android app... 
Hat tip to ResourceShelf!
What other legal apps do you use on your iPad or smartphones? Share in the comments below!
by Sarah Prosory
17. December 2010 08:49
This morning I saw this Slashdot.org article about a mistrial declared in Florida because a juror searched Wikipedia for a term that was unknown to her. She was "just looking up a phrase". Despite numerous warnings from the judge to jurors to not research the case, the juror brought what she found on Wikipedia to the jury room.
This is nothing new. Back in January of 2010, a murder case was thrown out because a juror looked up a definition on Wikipedia as well. The Washington Post wrote a very good article about how technology has caused more trouble for jurors who need to refrain from using it while serving on a jury.
My pondering is... will jury rules need to change to adjust to our technology-filled world? Should lawyers provide definitions/more information to confused jurors, so that jurors don't need to feel that they should look things up themselves? All it takes is a Google search on a smartphone and they have their confusion resolved. Give your comments below!
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