Oregon Legal Research BlogTeach civics, evidence, or whatever rocks your boat, to students at:
PUGS (Portland Underground Graduate School: “dedicated to Lifelong Learning for Thinkers, Dreamers and Doers in Portland”)
Do you like to teach intellectually curious people?
Articles Posted in Legal Self-help Community
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UPL and Oregon’s New Public Law Library Employees
New public law librarians (MLS & MLS/JD) and new public law library employees usually have to tackle questions of Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL) and the dreaded “Forms” questions very early in their employment (or careers, if they are in it for the long haul*).
(Non-Oregon new public law library employees reading this blog post can locate similar resources within their own state’s public law librarian world.)
FIRST AND FOREMOST:
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Foreign Language Services for non-English Speakers at Oregon Public Libraries
Multnomah County Library (MCL) patrons know that materials, signs, events, and librarians bring multi-lingual expertise to their patrons, but did you know that the Multnomah County Library and other public libraries around Oregon (and likely other states) also provide “language line” service to their patrons.
I recently asked MCL if they still have the service and here was their response:
“Thank you for contacting Multnomah County Library about the “Language Line” service. We do still use telephone interpretation services to help us assist patrons who may not be fluent in English. I’m sorry that information isn’t readily available on our website–I will suggest that it be added.
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Resources for Women Seeking Information about Running for Political Office
Volunteer, apply for paid positions, engage. Look for local, state and national opportunities that match your skills and your bliss. For example:
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“Vote” 365 Days of the Year: Talk, Talk, Talk to your Elected Representatives
We can “vote” 365 days of the year, not just on election days, at least as long as our U.S. Constitution remains intact:
Every Day is “Call Government Switchboard Day” or “Talk to Your Elected Representatives Day”:
Congress (use this one for contact info and this one for Congressional activities and documents), or:
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Project on Predatory Student Lending
Did you know there was a Project on Predatory Student Lending? This one is at the Harvard Law School Legal Services Center.
And don’t forget about the federal Consumer Financial Protection Board (at least for the next few days) and your state’s consumer law resources at the Department of Justice or maybe other departments. Your own state’s legal services organizations and your own school’s legal services office may also have free information and legal assistance for you.
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Teaching Students That Judge Judy Is Not a Supreme Court Justice (NYT)
It’s not new news that most U.S.-born American citizens who’ve been through and even graduated from our educational institutions could not pass the Naturalization Test with anything close to barely-passing scores on the first try – so is this story any surprise?
“Teaching Students That Judge Judy Is Not a Supreme Court Justice,“ by Elizabeth A. Harris, New York Times, Nov. 9, 2016
We all aim to do a better job learning about our country’s and the world’s history and laws and maybe also support, volunteer for, or participate in Oregon’s Classroom Law Project and others like it around the country. Maybe the next generations will do better – at least we can hope they will try.
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Criminal Law: How to Think Like a Lawyer (Nov 2016, PUGS, Portland, OR)
PUGS (Portland Underground Graduate School) offers this November 2016 class – and many others:
“Criminal Law: How to Think Like a Lawyer:
LEARN THE BASICS OF CRIMINAL LAW IN THIS 4-WEEK MINI-LAW SCHOOL COURSE. YOU’LL LEARN HOW TO BRIEF A CASE, EXPERIENCE THE FAMOUS “SOCRATIC METHOD” & GET AN UNDERSTANDING HOW THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM REALLY WORKS. “
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Freelance isn’t Free: Nonpayment is Theft (Bitch Media)
“FREELANCERS REJOICE: A HISTORIC NYC LAW HELPS FREELANCERS DEMAND PAYMENT,” by Victoria Law, Bitch Media, October 28, 2016:
Excerpt:
“On Thursday, October 27, freelancers throughout New York City had cause to celebrate. By a unanimous vote, all 51 members of the New York City Council passed the Freelance Isn’t Free Act. It’s the nation’s first legislation protecting freelancers from non-payment….
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Inaugural Stand-Alone SRLN Equal Justice Program Scheduled for February 2017
The Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) is an organization for Access-to-Justice (A2J) professionals, lawyers, judges, law librarians, law professors, law students, and others who believe that everyone has a right to free or affordable legal assistance and access to courts.
The “2017 SRLN Conference will be held February 23 -24, 2017 at the California Judicial Council building in San Francisco.”
The Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) is “establishing a permanent Conferences Committee as part of the Strategy and Outreach Working Group….” Locate SRLN members where you work to find out how you can contribute.