Always be sure that your computer has the most recent updates as well as current virus protection. If you don’t have virus protection or your subscription is about to run out – Samford provides free McAfee for PCs and Virex for Macs.

Don’t open an attachment in an e-mail or an instant message from someone you don’t know. Don’t download an attachment if you aren’t expecting one.

Always back up your important documents, pictures, and music. Purchase an external hard drive to store large files. You never know when a crash may happen and you’ll need access to your files.

Be careful when using wireless at coffee shops, restaurants, and other locations that offer free wireless. Don’t pay bills or make online purchases while using public access wireless.

Install spyware protection such as Microsoft Defender, Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware, and Spybot.

For help with any of the above tips – please contact Grace Simms, Computer Services Librarian, via e-mail at glsimms@samford.edu, ext. 2687, Law Library 251-A.

Last month’s issue of Check It Out, listed several writing competitions open to law students. Many of these contests offer cash awards, the opportunity to publish in prestigious journals, and free trips to professional association meetings.

For more information, check the bulletin board outside Room #224 in the law school. If a topic catches your interest, ask Mrs. Janice Brantley, Room #224, for a copy of the posting. Recent notices include the following contests:

(1) Association of Securities and Exchange Commission Alumni, Inc. writing competition on securities law awarding $5,000 first place ($3,000 second and $2,000 third) plus travel expenses up to $1,000 for the annual dinner in Washington, D.C. (deadline November 15, 2006);

(2) ABA and the Grammy Foundation’s writing competition on a compelling legal issue facing the music industry awarding a $5,000 scholarship ($1,500 each for four runners-up) plus round trip airfare and hotel accommodations in Los Angeles to attend the Grammy Awards Show and MusiCares Person of the Year Dinner (deadline January 5, 2007);

(3) Jackson Lewis LLP and Chicago-Kent College of Law’s Institute for Law and the Workplace writing competition on the law governing the workplace awarding $3,000 for first place, $1,000 for second and third, and publication on the Institute’s website (deadline January 16, 2007);

(4) American Indian Law Review’s writing competition on any issue of American Indian law awarding $1,000 plus publication in its journal for the first place winner, $500 for second place, and $250 for third (deadline January 31, 2007);

(5) Trandafir International Business Writing Competition on any topic of contemporary international business or economics awarding $2,000 plus publication in Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems, a journal of the University of Iowa College of Law (deadline February 1, 2007);

(6) American Immigration Law Foundation’s 24th Annual Edward L. Dubroff Memorial Writing Contest on any aspect of American immigration and nationality law awarding $1,000 (deadline March 12, 2007);

(7) American College of Trust and Estate Counsel’s contest on trusts, estates, or related taxation with $5000 first prize, $3000 second prize, and $1000 third prize (deadline May 1, 2007);

(8) American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers’ writing competition on copyright law open to third-year (and selected second-year) law students with local and national prizes ranging from $250 to $3,000 (deadline June 30, 2007).

[The full text and illustrations of this article can be found at: http://lawlib.samford.edu/cio/ciooct06.pdf.]

Now produced by Thomson Gale, LegalTrac is an online index to legal periodicals. For many years, searching the product’s relatively simple interface retrieved a quick list of journal articles. Today, however, users must beware of changes in the product.

In particular, LegalTrac now sorts results under different headings for Academic Journals, Magazines, News, and more. The merits of making such a distinction are questionable. Researchers looking for information about a particular legal topic are just as likely to be interested in articles from bar magazines as from academic journals. To complicate matters, the database editors sometimes mistakenly classify journals as magazines.

Another problem with the current version of LegalTrac is that a basic keyword search will not look for words in the title of a publication. In fact, if you enter the publication title as keywords, you are likely to omit all of the desired results. Why? The software assumes a Boolean AND for terms within a certain proximity. Thus, all of the keywords in the search query must be found to qualify a citation entry as a “hit.” Keywords from the publication title may not appear in any of the fields searched by default.

In summary, some current features of LegalTrac may unduly complicate a product that traditionally provided quick, easy searching. Efficient use requires an understanding of how the software operates and what defaults may come into play. Ask for a reference librarian if you need help using LegalTrac, or just want a brief demonstration of the product.

Interested in a unique movie marathon for the weekend? If so, check out David Berg’s DVD and book called The Trial Lawyer: What it Takes to Win. Mr. Berg is a member of the bar in Texas and New York and a founding partner of Berg & Androphy. A practicing lawyer for approximately forty years, he is well known for his litigation skills.

The two-DVD set is full of practical tips, “war stories,” and trial demonstrations. Mr. Berg is often entertaining as well as instructive. Law students can use the DVD to learn successful strategies for voir dire, cross examination, opening and closing argument, witness preparation, and more.

A printed book accompanies the DVD. In the book’s foreword, Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center suggests that Mr. Berg “practices the kind of law young people dream about when they go to law school.” Lamenting the “culture of settlement,” Mr. Berg states that his goal is “to motivate trial lawyers, especially younger ones, to become more willing and able to try cases.”

Look for The Trial Lawyer: What it Takes to Win at call number KF8915/.B448/2006 on the Second Floor of the Law Library. Library patrons may check out the DVD and book for seven days. Alternatively, law students may view the DVD in the library. The computers in the Lower Level and Westlaw Labs include DVD drives as do the laptops available for checkout at the Circulation Desk. For group viewing in the library, ask at the Circulation Desk for a TV, DVD player, and conference room.

This is the last issue of CHECK IT OUT for this semester. Three issues will be published during the Spring Semester beginning in January 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 Spring Semester and new issues of the newsletter.