The Law Firm Group at Citi Private Bank released its midyear review of law firms. Click here for the article in The American Lawyer entitled Trench Warfare: Citi’s Midyear Law Firm Review.
It is an interesting read. For example, in the first half of 2010 revenue was flat compared to the same period in 2009. Also, it’s notable that firms are accepting alternative billing methods.
What are the rare books librarians at Yale University up to these days? Showing us how much fun archives really can be.
The library has a show on called “Superheroes in Court! Lawyers, Law, and Comic Books.” The exhibit shows images of courtroom drama and congressional inquiries from comic books.
The New York Times wrote about the exhibit here.
Exhibit information: “Superheroes in Court! Lawyers, Law and Comic Books”, curated by Mark S. Zaid, Esq., and on display Sept. 4-Dec, 16, 2010 in the Rare Book Exhibition Gallery, Level L2, Lillian Goldman Law Library, Yale Law School
As a librarian, don’t you just love a “teachable moment?” We all learned a major lesson in library school—beware of internet sources. The internet is a great place to find information, but it must be verified. Well, apparently that’s a lesson Rush Limbaugh and his research staff recently learned. The radio show was profiling Judge Roger Vinson. The judge’s Wikipedia entry had false information in it which was reported on air according to the New York Times article here. The judge took the incident in stride so there was no harm done and everyone learned a valuable lesson on source checking.
Making Our Democracy Work, A Judge’s View, by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer was released yesterday. NPR reviewed the book and supplied an excerpt, click here to read it. The book is a “combination of history and legal philosophy. It argues that there are no easy, color-by-the-numbers answers to many legal questions and that to suggest there are is an illusion.” The book also delves into the difference of legal opinions that Breyer has had with Justice Antonin Scalia.
Interested in learning more about the Supreme Court and their significant cases? Every year PLI holds its Supreme Court Review and publishes the accompanying course handbook by the same name. The 12th Annual Supreme Court review will be published on October 30, 2010. Click here to learn more.
PLI is holding a 1-hour briefing that looks at tax research in the library. This briefing, entitled An Introduction to Tax Research in the Library: The Crossroad between Information and Practice, is free to all who register in advance.
This program reviews what librarians, attorneys, and allied professionals need to know about tax research in order to support tax practice and aid other consumers of library reference services. This course will shed light on sources that will help librarians, attorneys, and legal researchers find and navigate IRS pronouncements, tax news and secondary materials (both print and online, published and unpublished). As an added bonus for the legal librarians who also have their JD and research attorney’s, CLE credit is available.
When: September 29, 2010
When: 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Format: Audio only
For additional information, or to register click here.
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Please note this program has expired. If you are interested in current PLI Library Programs, please visit www.pli.edu/libraryaudiobriefings.
What’s the smartest card in your wallet? For me it’s my library card. Libraries provide a place for children and adults to embark on a journey of lifelong learning. For the first time in a decade, library usage is accelerating. Unfortunately, that acceleration is due to the economic downturn. Many people are using their library as a place to create their resumes, to browse the career books, and to submit online job applications. We cannot ignore the fact that libraries open their doors and play an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed.
Get on out and celebrate by getting your library card and encouraging friends, family, and coworkers to do the same.
And so the tug-of-war between billable hours and flat-fee arrangements continues to make news. Predictions have been made that the billable hours will eventually go away. Not so…or not any time soon, according to the WSJ Law Blog. WSJ looks at how a recent U.S. Supreme Court case contributes to this.
What does this mean to your law firm or research institution?