Recommended reading for anyone who thinks more tech, online forms, and better legal design will substitute for professional legal services, i.e. People Need Lawyers (and lawyers in public service need more support):
“They Had Access, But They Didn’t Get Justice: Why Prevailing Access To Justice Initiatives Fail Rural Americans,” by Michele Statz, Hon. Robert Friday, and Jon Bredeson, published in:
Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy, Volume XXVIII, Number 3, Spring 2021, 321
The Oregon State Bar (OSB) is requesting feedback on their proposal on licensing paralegals:
“… to provide some legal services that currently only lawyers may provide….”
Read the OSB summary of the proposal, view the video, and link to the questionnaire:
“Oregon advances alternative routes to becoming a licensed lawyer” (OSB article, 1/17/2022)
See also:
OREGON STATE BAR ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS TASKFORCE COMMITTEE REPORT & RECOMMENDATIONS (undated report, circa 2021)
Librarians advocate reading widely, especially outside one’s usual fields of interest or even research. (This is the opposite of what most “social media” (aka anti-social media) forces on their customers.)
I came across the phrase “blinded by guilt” in a lighthearted mystery novel and when I did a random search for the phrase, I came across the following article in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. (The “Butt-dialing the devil” article was just a bonus, listed in the “recommended articles” sidebar. Remember this rule: Always Read the Whole Screen.”
Litigators, civil and criminal, and litigants might find some value in the research, if only to store away for future reference.
The Washington County Law Library now offers eBook access to a variety of legal titles, including some key Oregon legal research materials. The pilot project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of Oregon.
County residents can sign up for access to the eBooks via the Law Library’s website and can contact the Law Library’s “Virtual Information Desk” with any questions. After the initial sign up, the Law Library’s eBooks may be accessed online or by using the LexisNexis Digital Library app from the app store.
Located in downtown Hillsboro, the Washington County Law Library strives to enhance equal access to justice by making sure legal information, resources and tools are available and accessible to everyone. As stated by Law Librarian Lee Van Duzer, “We’re really pleased to be able to make these materials more available to the public. Now people have another way to find the resources they need to be successful in whatever legal challenges they’re facing.”
Our matchless Oregon Classroom Law Project (CLP) has a handout on how to link remotely to live courtroom hearings. The document was written in 2020 (and may be updated as CLP prepares for 2022, so check the Classroom Law Project website regularly, from their homepage and from their Courthouse Experience Teacher Resource page.
You may also need to link directly to the specific courthouse website for updated information. Use a search engine for those URLs.
The American Museum of Tort Law has opened up a virtual tour option. The tour will make you a little dizzy and it’s not as user-friendly as one might want, but it’s not bad. I recommend starting with an exploration of the Tort Museum’s website, then clicking on the Online Tour link, and then trying out the Virtual Tour.
Among other tort law history exhibits at the museum, you can read about the “Hot Coffee” case, its persistent myth, and the documentary “Hot Coffee,” which I blogged about in 2011.
In honor of Halloween and the need for scary stories, I recommend this June 2021 article from “The Atlantic” for anyone and everyone who wants to believe that information can be found online 1, 5, 50, or possibly 500 years from now. (Hahahaha)
Note: “The Atlantic” is a subscription service, but may still allow a few free article downloads. You can also check if one of your library databases (academic or public) includes access to “The Atlantic.”
“The Internet Is Rotting: Too much has been lost already. The glue that holds humanity’s knowledge together is coming undone,” by Jonathan Zittrain
Do the journalists, bloggers, and talking heads who refer endlessly to “Title 42” when speaking or writing about immigration and border issues (usually the U.S. Mexico border) know what Title 42 is? Can those “reporters” cite the exact law? Have they read the so-called “Title 42?”
Saying “Title 42” is about as useful as hearing a radio or podcast host say “it’s Tuesday and it’s 20 minutes past the hour” (which Tuesday and what hour?!), or a subject line that says “Don’t miss today’s meeting!” (“today” has no meaning online, without a date!), or the so-called market reports saying “yesterday, the market ended up 13%” (what market, up from or to what?!). It’s meaningless, which listeners and readers know, but seemingly not the talking heads. Sigh.
Back to “What is Title 42?”
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has a publicly accessible, free VINCheckⓇ service. Click through services may not be free.
What is a VIN? It’s an acronym for Vehicle Identification Number.
