Launched last year, the CalSouthern Law Library contains a wealth of legal research and writing resources organized across five categories.
The Legal Research section contains dozens of research databases. Of course, you’ll find the legal community’s two most widely used subscription legal databases—Westlaw and LexisNexis—as well as a collection of tips and tricks for using these invaluable tools. There’s also access to CALI, the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, a non-profit consortium of law schools that provides, among other things, a wide variety of comprehensive online tutorials on an array of legal subjects. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg: helpful links to professional associations (including the State Bar of California), access to other legal research directories, law journals, and other tools are available, encompassing California, all-state, federal, and international law.
A Citation Resource section contains a variety of citation lessons and guides, bibliographic management tools, and familiar to any law student, the ubiquitous Bluebook citation manual.
The Legal Writing area of the Law Library contains tools to help Learners hone their writing skills, whether you’re looking to more effectively brief a case, write a legal memorandum, compose a law review article, or even draft motions for a trial court judge.
The final two sections are absolutely essential for law students. The Law School Exam area contains tips for preparing for and successfully writing law school essay exams, techniques for successfully taking multiple choice exams, and even subject outlines and study guides published by LexisNexis. Click on Law School Survival for a variety of useful advice ranging from time-management tips to dealing with law school stress, whether you’re a 1L or a 4L student with the bar exam in your sights.
In addition to the resources and tools described above, you’ll also find reference tools such as the popular Zimmerman’s Research Guide (the leading online encyclopedia for advanced legal research), Durhaime’s comprehensive and easy-to-search legal dictionary, and another invaluable resource: Cardiff’s Index to Legal Abbreviations.
The most valuable feature of the Law Library, however, may be our gifted certified librarian and researcher Jennifer Hill, MSI. Not only is Librarian Hill conscientious and thorough (she’ll give you all the personalized assistance you need to meet any legal research issue you face), she’s also extremely responsive: email her with a question during standard business hours and she’ll typically respond to you within the hour. Of course, she’s also available by phone.
We’re always looking to enhance our library services to better meet your needs. We encourage law students to contact us at [email protected] to let us know what you think about the Law Library and how we can make it an even more effective resource. Also, be sure to regularly stop by the library blog for the latest news regarding the library and other web resources, research tips, and free trials and other great offers from research partners and vendors.
And, as always, if you have questions regarding any aspect of the CalSouthern Library, please don’t hesitate to contact Librarian Hill at (714) 882-7833 or at [email protected].
© 2017 California Southern University
