The Supreme Court issued three opinions this morning. The first is Maples v. Thomas (10-63). Maples was convicted of murder in Alabama and sentenced to death. He sought post-conviction relief in Alabama state courts as represented by two pro bono…
Posts Tagged ‘jurisdiction’
Legal Research Fantasies: Finding the Answer and Saving Time
24
Aug
On 3 Geeks, Greg Lambert takes exception to what Rich King, TR CTO, says at the 42 second mark in the below video. King states One page from one jurisdiction may be exactly what that attorney is looking for that…
Justia Offers Daily Case Notifications
28
Jun
Justia announced that it will supply daily opinion summaries for cases from the U.S. Supreme Courts, the Circuit Courts of Appeal, and all 50 state Supreme Courts. Summaries are sent via email and can be customized by jurisdiction and topic….
Supreme Court End Of Term – First Amendment, Jurisdiction, And A Smidge More
27
Jun
The Supreme Court ended its term this morning by releasing some of the most anticipated rulings of the year. Let’s start with Brown v. Entertainment Merchant’s Assn. (08-1448). That case concerned a law passed by California that restricted the sale…
Confessions of a Lawyer
08
Oct
A lot of people think that law school teaches everything there is to know about being a lawyer. In truth, almost everything practical I learned about being a lawyer, I learned in practice after I graduated. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t knock my law school experience. Law school taught me critical thinking skills that I use on a daily basis. But most of what I learned about the nuts and bolts of practicing law I didn’t get sitting in a class room. Also thought me to have a estate lawyer near me, because there is always some problems with properties.
Law school can’t possibly teach all you need to know. There are so many unique issues in legal practice, so many variations from one jurisdiction to the next, so many local rules, so many differences in the way different court rooms operate. So when a new issue comes my way that I don’t know how to deal with, what do I do? How do I get started?
I research. I read. I ask around. As a lawyer getting started (and even to this day), I spent time in the library (both law library and public library) and online. I always find myself asking fellow lawyers what to do about situations. This is not a bad thing. Any lawyer who doesn’t do these things is committing malpractice.
I find that one of the best ways to familiarize myself with an area of the law is to use quality legal self-help materials. These are practical guides that teach about legal issues. These guides won’t teach you everything. You also have to review relevant statutes, case law, and local rules that apply to your case, but it is certainly a great place to start.
Nolo is a great resource for legal self-help materials that I have used on numerous occasions. Link to them below to see if they have materials for your legal issue.
