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Bridge the Gap

Every spring, the Muse Law Library puts on a series of lectures and panels designed to help students "Bridge the Gap" from law school to their summer or permanent employment. Use to research guide to access lectures and materials from past sessions.

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Thanks to all who attended. Materials from the 2016 BTG are available below. Stay tuned for next year's programming announcement in February 2017.

Bridge the Gap 2016 Schedule

Our annual Bridge the Gap sessions will be held in the library from March 28th through April 15th, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 12:00-12:50. Lunch and snacks will be served (bring your own drink). 

Monday, March 28th (Room L30) – Judicial Clerkships with Virginia Supreme Court Senior Justice Elizabeth Lacy

Join us for a Q&A session with S.J. Lacy about research, writing, and preparing for a judicial clerkship. Moderated by Ryan Speray.

Wednesday, March 30th (Room L30) – Secondary Sources and Practice Materials with Profs. Janto and Klepfer

Need to brush up on a specific area of law before your summer job? Want to know how to find the major treatises or practice manuals in your field? Profs. Janto and Klepfer will discuss finding treatises, practice guides, and other handy practice tools online, in print, and in commercial databases.

Friday, April 1st (Room L30) – Introduction to Fastcase with Fastcase CEO Ed Walters

Fastcase is a free legal research tool provided by the Virginia Bar Association to its members. Smaller firms and non-profits that do not have access to expensive commercial databases rely heavily on this free resource, as well as firms that want to keep costs down – come learn how it works!

Monday, April 4th (Room L30) – Alerts and Current Awareness with Prof. Fetzer

Getting—and staying—up-to-date on legal news and ongoing cases can seem like a daunting task. Prof. Fetzer will go over the tools available to law students to sign up for automatic news updates and to track cases or dockets that you’d like to follow.

Wednesday, April 6th (Room L30) – New Technology in the Law with Assoc. Dean Skalbeck

Technology is changing the way lawyers find cases and expand their research. New legal research tools, such as Ravel Law and Casetext, have been working on innovative—and free—ways to analyze and deliver legal documents. Join us for an overview on how to use these new research tools.

Friday, April 8th (Room 114) – Cost Effective Legal Research in Westlaw with Westlaw Rep. Kyla Stone

The cost of commercial databases varies by firm; come hear tips and tricks for searching in Westlaw that will keep your costs down and you in good graces with your employer.

Monday, April 11th (Room L30) – Cost Effective Legal Research in Lexis with Lexis Rep. Shelley Duncan

The cost of commercial databases varies by firm; come hear tips and tricks for searching in Lexis that will keep your costs down and you in good graces with your employer.

Wednesday, April 13th (Room L30) – Transactional Tools with Prof. Zarin

Students have access to a variety of tools to help with transactional law practice. Prof. Zarin will discuss databases and resources that support banking, tax, and corporate practice.

Friday, April 15th (Room L30) – Student Experiences in Employment Panel with Shane Frick (MeyerGoergen), Anne Reid (3L), and J.P. Brown (3L)

Join us for a Q&A session with students who have gone through the summer associate process and made it out alive! Our panelists have had a wide variety of jobs: big law, judicial clerkships, small firms, and nonprofits. Prof. Janto will moderate the discussion and allow time for questions.