The following recent articles provide advice on searching for legal employment:

Erin Binns, Think Before Using E-Mail to Contact Employers, Student Lawyer, Feb. 2007, at 5. Author discusses the circumstances when it is appropriate to use e-mail in the job search process and provides advice on the content and delivery of such correspondence.

Erin Binns, Good Questions Are Crucial for Info Interviews, Student Lawyer, Jan. 2007, at 5. Author discusses the goals, topics and questions a job seeker should consider in an informational interview at a law firm.

Erin Binns, When Networking, Use the Right Kind of Correspondence, Student Lawyer, Nov. 2006, at 5. How does a job searcher develop networking contacts? This article covers the appropriate content of a networking letter, which the author says should be different from a cover letter.

Erin Binns, References Are Crucial, So Treat Them With Care, Student Lawyer, Dec. 2006, at 5. Article discusses who you should contact for providing job references, the steps that should be followed in obtaining permission from those references as well as how you should prepare them for providing a reference.

Erin Binns, Four Steps Will Lead You Through a Smart Job Search, Student Lawyer, Oct. 2006, at 6. The author points out that only 20 percent of students find employment through on-campus interviewing; the remainder must be proactive in creating their own job searching strategies. The article describes four steps in this process.

Erin Binns, Clarify Your Career Goals With Mentors, Not Job Interviewers, Student Lawyer, Sep. 2006, at 5. Discussion of your long-term life objectives should be avoided when interviewing for a legal position.

Donna Gerson, You Can Have a Meaningful Career Without Practicing Law, Student Lawyer, Apr. 2006, at 5. Author gives advice for law graduates on how to find a non-traditional career. Article also includes short list of resources covering this topic. Donna Gerson, What Can You Do if You Don’t Yet Have a Job?, Student Lawyer, May 2006, at 6. Article provides tips to law students at each stage of their education on what they should be doing to prepare for employment after law school.

Donna Gerson, Say ‘Yes’ to a Job Offer Only if You Mean It, Student Lawyer, Mar. 2006, at 5. Article provides advice on analyzing and responding to job offers.

Donna Gerson, Out-of-Town Job Searches Require Extra Strategizing, Feb. 2006, at 5. Author provides advice on selling yourself in a job market outside your home area.

Donna Gerson, Nail Your Next Job Interview by Preparing, Student Lawyer, Jan. 2006, at 5. Article discusses specific steps to preparing for a law firm interview.

Charles Gillis, Interview Tips From a Hiring Manager, Student Lawyer, Sep. 2006, at 33. Hiring partner at a law firm discusses ways of improving your odds in getting in the door for an interview. Topics include getting past the gatekeeper, knowing your potential employer, avoiding discussion of your weaknesses, preparation for the interview and formulating an interview closing statement.

Rusty M. Messer, How to Build an International Law Resume, Student Lawyer, Jan. 2006, at 16. Article provides specific steps in building a background attractive to international law employers.

Martha Neil, Career Audit: For Your Information, ABA J., Feb. 2006, at 60. Article describes the function of an informational interview and the appropriate means of obtaining one.

Pam Occhipinti, Proving Your Worth: Compensation Negotiation Tips for New Law School Graduates, Tex. B. J., Dec. 2006, at 1052. Article gives advice on how to assess your own needs and goals, the goal of your employer, as well as how to conduct yourself with respect to compensation negotiation.

Hope Viner Samborn, Career Audit: Thanks a Bunch, ABA J., Sep. 2006, at 59. Author describes the importance of typed or handwritten notes to thank interviewers for their time.

Lisa Stansky, Hot Practice: Network Your Way to Employment in Entertainment Law, Student Lawyer, Feb. 2006, at 8. Article discusses the importance of networking as well as possible career paths in landing a career in entertainment law.

The Thurgood Marshall Law Library at University of Maryland School of Law, has created a free Web database of historical publications of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR). A cooperative project between the USCCR, the Government Printing Office, and Thurgood Marshall Law Library, the digital collection is available on the library’s website.

Researchers can find the publications by title, date, subject, or SuDoc number. Users may also search by keyword within each PDF format document. Among hundreds of other publications, the database includes the USCCR’s report on civil rights in Alabama in 1968.

If you are thinking about upgrading your current laptop to Vista, be sure your laptop is ready. It is suggested that laptops have 2GB of memory, a 128 MB Graphics Card, and a dual-core processor. Even if your laptop is listed as Vista capable, it may not be prepared to run Vista smoothly. Be sure to check the specifications before upgrading so that the transition will go well. If your laptop is much older, it may be easier to purchase a new laptop with Vista pre-loaded.

Finding the law of another country can be a daunting task. For old English cases, HeinOnline just made the job much easier. Historically, reporters recorded early English cases in hundreds of unofficial private publications, often of varying accuracy and quality. English Reports, a 176-volume set, is the most comprehensive reprint of these cases. The complete series, covering about 100,000 decisions issued from 1220 to 1865, is now available in an electronic, full-text format on HeinOnline. The publisher adds valuable search and browse functions along with indexes and charts showing where volumes of the old reports appear in the English Reports.

To see the English Reports online, go to the Law Library Research Aids web page and follow the link for HeinOnline. Off-campus access is limited to current Cumberland or Samford students, faculty, and staff. The Law Library’s print version of English Reports Full Reprint is on the Third Floor shelved with foreign materials.

“Scratch almost any lawyer and you’ll find a movie buff.” Alex Kozinski, United States Circuit Judge

Attention movie buffs! For a fascinating collection of movie reviews, check out the following two new books in the Law Library’s collection. Both books are in the Treatises section, shelved by call number on the Second Floor.

Screening Justice - the Cinema of Law: Significant Films of Law, Order and Social Justice edited by Rennard Strickland, Teree E. Foster and Taunya Lovell Banks (William S. Hein & Company 2006) (PN1995.9/.J8/S37);

Reel Justice: The Courtroom Goes to the Movies, revised edition, by Paul Bergman and Michael Asimow (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2006) (PN1995.9/.J8/B47/2006).

Screening Justice contains fifty essays written primarily by law professors who use film in teaching. The eclectic mix includes such diverse movies as the Three Stooges in Disorder in the Court (1936) to the Coen brothers’ Fargo (1996). Look for intriguing analysis of imprisonment and rebellion in Cool Hand Luke (1967), legal ethics in Body Heat (1981), women and the law in Thelma & Louise (1991), and much more.

In Reel Justice, two UCLA law professors review more than 150 courtroom movies. Their rating system ranges from four gavels (a classic) to one gavel (ask for a new trial). Find a handy index by gavel number in the back of the book. Typically, the authors provide an overview of the story, a legal analysis, and often little-known background tidbits. For instance, the main character Elle Woods’ first name in Legally Blonde (2001) was a word play on Scott Turow’s book One L. The professors classify movies from the 1930's to the present in a dozen categories. For example, To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) falls under Courtroom Heroes while Chicago (2002) is under Corruption of Justice.

Movies shape the way we think about law and the legal profession. To enhance your cinema experience, view the films with reviews in hand. So, pull out your library card and update your DVD list. It’s show time.

No matter what brand of laptop or desktop you buy, I always recommend purchasing an extended warranty. From personal experience, I know how important an extended warranty can be -- I have already had my laptop's motherboard and hard drive replaced by the manufacturer.

Some warranties are better than others -- some companies (like Dell) offer options that will cover a laptop in the event it is involved in a fall or liquid spill (CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service). Others (like Apple) do not offer that sort of coverage and suggest that the laptop owner add the laptop to a homeowner's insurance policy.

Be sure that you understand the manufacturer's warranty rules: some may start a two year extended warranty from the original purchase date (HP) whereas others will start it after one year from the date of purchase (Apple).

As for Apple, without the purchase of AppleCare, the warranty will run out in a year and telephone service is only for ninety days. AppleCare technical support will not assist you over the phone after the ninety-day period has passed unless a $50 fee is paid. This is poor support as the computer is still under warranty for one full year even without AppleCare.

I am frequently asked what is the best brand of laptop to buy. My opinion has changed over the years due to what I have experienced with computer manufacturers’ customer service. I have found that Dell, HP, and Gateway are the most helpful. I would list IBM as a fourth -- I just don't see as many IBM laptops as Dells, etc.

Just keep in mind that no one brand is going to be problem-free, never crash, and last forever. They all have the ability to fail. Just be sure to back up all your important documents, music, and pictures frequently and purchase an extended warranty!

For help -- contact Grace Simms, Computer Services Librarian, at 726-2687 or at glsimms@samford.edu.

For more than thirty years, the National Legal Center for the Public Interest (NLCPI) has provided information on key legal, regulatory, legislative, and economic issues. According to its website (www.nlcpi.org), this nonprofit foundation seeks to develop public debate and policy through educational publications and forums. NLCPI also sponsors a legal intern program. Practicing lawyers, corporate general counsel, and others serve on NLCPI’s board of directors and its advisory council.

In a monthly series called “Briefly,” NLCPI covers current topics in legislation, regulation and litigation. Typically, the pamphlets run twenty to eighty pages and offer a business-oriented, conservative perspective on the issues. The latest edition marks the inaugural of a new design with an improved logo and graphics.

For a full listing of the items in the series, run a title search on the online library catalog for "Briefly" (t/briefly). Alternatively, NLCPI provides full-text electronic copies of “Briefly” on its website. The following selected issues in print are shelved on the Second Floor of the Law Library, in call number order.

Fergenson, Arthur. "THERE THEY GO AGAIN": THE TRIAL BAR'S QUEST FOR THE NEXT LITIGATION BONANZA. KF8896/.F35.

Joseph, Bruce G. COPYRIGHT IN THE DIGITAL WORLD: BASICS, LAW, AND POLICY. KF2994/.J55.

Lipton, Martin. DECONSTRUCTING AMERICAN BUSINESS II AND SOME THOUGHTS FOR BOARDS OF DIRECTORS IN 2007. KF1422/.A75/L57.

Vance, Geoffrey A. DROWNING IN ZUBULAKE: THE RULES, PITFALLS, AND BENEFITS OF ELECTRONIC DISCOVERY. KF9650/.Z9/V35.

Virtue, Paul W. AN IMMIGRATION LAW PRIMER FOR THE CORPORATE EXECUTIVE. KF4819.3/.V45.

The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online is now available. This is the largest collection of writings by and about Charles Darwin ever assembled. This site contains Darwin's complete publications, many handwritten manuscripts and much more. The project, designed and directed by Dr. John van Wyhe of Christ's College, Cambridge, is hosted by the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities at the University of Cambridge.

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There is hope ... teens appear to be reading more and buying books at the fastest rate in decades. An article in the March 7, 2007, issue of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer described how teens are buying books in quantities we've never seen before. Librarian Judy Nelson, president of the national Young Adult Library Services Association, says the move reflects the "ever-increasing volume of excellent literature for teens."

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Numerous public libraries in the Cincinnati area were astounded to discover the number of DVDs stolen from them between July and December 2006. They found that the person responsible for the theft had enlisted her children - ages 5, 9, 15 and 16 - in helping obtain the 837 DVDs. They were valued at $16,684 and were taken from 21 library branches, including Hamilton County Library System. An article in the March 16, 2007, issue of the The Cincinnati Enquirer says that it is the worst case of theft that the library system has ever seen.

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Did you know that The Bluebook has not always been the color blue? The Marian Gould Gallagher Law Library at the University of Washington has an interesting article about the title “Bluebook” and how at one time the book actually had grayish-olive, brown, and white covers. If this article is of interest and you are wanting more information on the history of the Bluebook, check out 26 Stetson L. Rev. 53 (1996-1997).

This is the last issue of CHECK IT OUT for this semester. Three issues will be published during the Fall Semester beginning in August 2007. If you have any ideas or suggestions as to ways we can improve, contact Becky Hutto via e-mail at rmhutto@samford.edu. We look forward to the Fall Semester and new issues of the newsletter.