Do you need a refresher on your legal research skills? Are you curious about life as a summer associate?
Across nine lunchtime sessions from March 18th through April 15th, the Law Library will present a different topic that will help you prepare for summer (or post-graduation) success. All students are welcome to attend regardless of your class year or summer employment status. Student receiving the Summer Public Service Fellowship MUST attend one of these sessions.
Lunch will be provided for those who RSVP; please bring your own drink.
Registration is will open in March at the Reference Desk - sign-up is requested for catering purposes and handouts.
All sessions will be held from noon-12:50pm in Room L30 (with the exception of our Westlaw training, which will be in 114).
Thanks to all who attended. Materials from the 2016 BTG are available below. Stay tuned for next year's programming announcement in February 2017.
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.