Carolina Academic Press publishes the Legal Research Series, a collection of books focused on “essential elements of legal research in each jurisdiction.” Each book provides an overview of state and federal law for a particular jurisdiction: currently the series consists of 33 states and one volume on Federal Legal Research. The series is a resource for practicing attorneys, students, paralegals, and others interested in legal research. It focuses on concisely explaining legal resources and research methods, rather than providing in-depth bibliographies. The series was created by Suzanne E. Ro ..read more

Sunday, October 16th was World Food Day. Created to commemorate the founding of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization in 1945, World Food Day is celebrated across 150 countries. In honor of World Food Day, this post is dedicated to learning more about food law and locating food law resources in the United States and worldwide. Food law is the broad collection of laws and regulations dedicated to food and beverages. Food law can range from the laws and regulations around food production, distribution, and consumption to intellectual property rights and food policy. In the United ..read more

At UNC, we have access to a wealth of resources on legal research and pedagogy, both in print and through our many digital collections. However, there are books that we find ourselves reaching for again and again, either as we answer reference questions or prepare for instruction. When it comes to these titles, our law librarians prefer to have a print copy on hand for easy access. Here’s a list of the titles that many of our instructional law librarians keep in their offices, including brand new additions. What are your must-have titles? LEGAL RESEARCH Examples & Explanations for Legal R ..read more

If you are taking an RWE class this semester, enrolled in one of UNC’s dual degree programs, or an externship, you may need to complete some non-legal research. Luckily, UNC libraries provide a plethora of helpful resources to help you complete research in any field. First, don’t forget to take advantage of the law library’s resources! That includes one-on-one consultations with law librarians and using interlibrary loan and campus delivery to get materials from other libraries. There are four types of resources you should be sure to look for when completing interdisciplinary r ..read more

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging  the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”  First Amendment, U.S. Constitution September 21st is First Amendment Day here at UNC! Hosted by the Center for Media Law and Policy, First Amendment Day is a UNC tradition that started in 2009 and is “designed to celebrate the First Amendment and explore its role in the lives of UNC students—from social media us ..read more

If you’ve taken a legal research class, you have probably heard a professor discuss the importance of state legal encyclopedias as a research tool. Why? They include jurisdiction-specific coverage of a wide range of legal topics. The information contained in an encyclopedia may be brief, but it will point you to the primary law on point for your state jurisdiction. If you practice within a particular state, you are likely familiar with the state’s encyclopedia. When I ask for an example of a secondary source on day one of Advanced Legal Research at UNC, “Strong’s North Carolina Index” is the m ..read more

With classes beginning this week at the law school, there is one thing on everyone’s mind: the Bluebook! Especially for first year students, the Bluebook can feel labyrinthian and intimidating. Luckily, members of the UNC law community have access to many helpful resources for brushing up on citation writing. First, here are some helpful training programs that provide practice problems and guidance: Lexis+ – Interactive Citation Workstation This extensive program includes lots of practice problems for the Bluebook. It is accessible via your Lexis+ account.  LexisNexis Digital Library – In ..read more

When you’re writing a law review comment or note, one essential part of the process is keeping aware of developments in your topic area. You’ll want to know about any game-changing news or legal developments so that your work isn’t outdated on arrival. Luckily, there are ways to automate current awareness. This post will cover two helpful resources – Bloomberg Law and Law360 – that will send relevant legal news and updates right to your inbox. Bloomberg Law You might already be familiar with Bloomberg Law as a legal research database, but it is also a great current awareness tool because of it ..read more

September 25th was First Amendment Day! Observed during National Banned Books Week, First Amendment Day is meant to commemorate the First Amendment and its promise of the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. September 25th marks the day the First Federal Congress of the United States proposed the Bill of Rights to the state legislatures. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is celebrating its twelfth First Amendment Day on September 29th. The UNC Center for Media Law and Policy, headed by Co-Directors David Ardia and Amanda Reid, is presenting a campus-wide ..read more

April Fools’ Day is rapidly approaching and while most simple shenanigans go ignored on this day, quite a few also land the pranksters in hot water with the law. This blog post will share a few of those cases and point you in the direction of searching for more! While the history of April Fools’ Day is a bit of a mystery, it is also a day where pranks are typically expected and pranksters often push the limits of what they can get away with in the name of practical jokes. Those jokes sometimes go a little too far and the recipients get their own revenge in the form of a lawsuit or in even wors ..read more