Oregon Legal Research Blog

Published on: February 6, 2008

Writing and Legal Writers (Readers too) Update

By Laura Orr

The following legal writing blog has come to my attention: Set in Style.

The number of legal writing blogs and web sites is growing. Take a look at Set in Style’s sidebars to see just how many. Here is another good place to turn, Evan Schaeffer’s legal-writing posts.

There is money (and winning) in good (legal) writing and there is joy. Of course, for those law students who have not yet been initiated, there is also Fred Rodell, who wrote: “There are two things wrong with almost all legal writing. One is its style. The other is its content.”

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Published on: February 6, 2008

Who or What is JSTOR?

By Laura Orr

JSTOR, in a nutshell, is just another database of scholarly articles on a variety of topics. You could also say it’s a storage place for journals, thus JSTOR. (See, even scholarly sorts can’t spell 🙂

For the most part, only academic libraries and large public libraries subscribe to JSTOR, but if an article you are seeking pops up in a search engine with a JSTOR location, ask at any library reference desk. Librarians Know Things and, more to the point, know how to find things.

P.S. A database can be much more than a collection of articles. If you want to know more about databases, without screaming, visit here and here. If it helps, online library catalogs can be databases, mailing lists can be databases, but they can also be … no, I won’t make you scream. (But I will whisper spreadsheet, field, file structure, ….)

Published on: February 5, 2008

Oregon Law Schools: Law Reviews and Journals

By Laura Orr

Articles from Willamette Law School law journals can be found here, here, and here.

Articles from law journals from Lewis & Clark Law School are highlighted at BoleyBlogs.

Articles from law journals from the University of Oregon Law School are highlighted here, and here, and here.

Published on: February 5, 2008

Maryland, People’s Law Library and the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By Laura Orr

This Maryland’s People’s Law Library isn’t Oregon, but I can dream, can’t I? (Another favorite is this Wisconsin Legal Topics web page.)

Evaluating legal websites: Separating the “Good from the Bad and the Ugly” is also excellent.

Published on: February 5, 2008

Offender Registries: DWI, Sex, Meth, Domestic, etc.

By Laura Orr

The ever alert Tamara Thompson at PI Buzz alerts us to offender registries popping up around the country: sex offenders, domestic violence offenders, methamphetamine offenders, DWI offenders, and more.

We get a lot of requests from people wanting to know if official records exist online for everything from divorce to death to dog fighting to drugs. They seem disappointed when I say “yes and no.”

Published on: February 4, 2008

Lemons v. Bradbury Opinion: Oregon Family Fairness Act

By Laura Orr

Here’s the link to Judge Mosman’s opinion. You can find it also from here (link may move over time). This is a transcript of the judge’s ruling from the bench rather than a formal written opinion.

The subject of the lawsuit was the Oregon Family Fairness Act, 2007 HB 2007.

Published on: February 1, 2008

Oregon Law: Law Commission, Paternity, Contracts, Ethics, and More

By Laura Orr

The latest issue of the Willamette Law Review (vol.44, #2, Winter 2007) is chock full of articles on Oregon:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Oregon Law Commission: Bridging the Gaps Between Islands of the Legal Profession, by Jeffrey C. Dobbins

The Oregon Law Commission at Ten: Finding Vision for the Future in the Functions of the Past, by David R. Kenagy

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Published on: January 31, 2008

Man Arrested for Painting Crosswalk

By Laura Orr

I’m not the only Portlander (or pedestrian) reading this story, Man Jailed for Creating Crosswalk, Vows More, who thought it might have originated in “my own” neighborhood. But this is an Everywhere problem. Let s/he who hasn’t been tempted to do the same as Mr. Stump step off the sidewalk first. (Dare I make the point that Portland is also known as Stumptown?)

Excerpt from the news story:

“Whitney Stump didn’t like watching drivers ignore the stop signs at the intersection outside his home, so he asked the city to paint crosswalks there.

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Published on: January 31, 2008

Justice Bedsworth Survives January, Dips Toe into February

By Laura Orr

Visit Justice Bedsworth here A Criminal Waste of Space.

Some archives are here, if you want more.

Published on: January 31, 2008

The Challenge of Multi-Author Blogs

By Laura Orr

Personal Bee Law Library Buzz points us to this story, “The Challenge of Multi-Author Blogs,” which is a logical follow-up to my posts about lawyers blogging (aka blawging), here, here, and here. (Personal Bee also links to this, from Stark County Law Library.)

Excerpt from the Daily Blog Tips post:

“There are a growing number of multi-author blogs being launched, and many blogs that once featured only a single author are changing to include more writers. Many of you probably read a number of multi-author blogs, including Daily Blog Tips, Freelance Switch, Performancing, and others. Some of you probably own or write for a multi-author blog as well.

If you are considering starting your own, or changing a single-author blog to include other writers, there are some challenges that you should be aware of. While I do not own any multi-author blogs, I do write for a few on a regular basis, and I’ve written for even more on a one-time basis. Here are some of the challenges that are evident from my experience….”