Since the Newtown school shootings on Dec. 14, 2012, the text of the Second Amendment has been viewed 436,795 times on our web site.  That is an increase of nearly 800% over the comparable period of time right before the shootings.…

From time to time, there is an awful lot of highfalutin’ talk about the “principles of open access to law” or the “free access to law movement”.  I don’t think of myself as belonging to a movement (and if I did, I would probably…

Scott Greenfield has written a rather scathing critique of Clay Shirky’s talk at the 2012 Law via the Internet Conference.  From where I sit, it is a companion piece to an earlier e-mail he sent me,  questioning my good taste in inviting…

Derogating legal scholarship has become something of a sport for many, including federal judges. Chief Justice Roberts, for example, recently opined that "because law review articles are not of interest to the bench," he has trouble…

Bob Lawless (Ill.) asked me to post the following Call for Papers for the 2013 MLEA, and I am delighted to do so. University of Illinois College of Law will host the conference and the deadline for proposals is August...

A recent post by David Schwartz (Chicago-Kent)--wondering whether empirical legal scholars should shoulder "special ethical responsibilities"--ignited a fascinating (and timely) discussion over at Concurring Opinions. Two reasons…

The ABA has a new opinion out, No. 463, which isn't so much an ethics opinion as an attempt to reconcile the loyalty and confidentiality provisions of the Model Rules with the 2010-issued Voluntary Good Practices Guidance for Lawyers to...

Article. (This article could be useful for PR profs, especially if they're not familiar with opinion letter practice.) Abstract: At some point during their years of practice, most corporate or transactional lawyers will be asked to work on a…

Article. Abstract: This paper considers a non-consequentialist argument raised by opponents of alternative litigation financing (sometimes called third-party litigation financing). The objection is that, apart from any effect that this method…

As our readers know, at exam time each semester we offer a pet visitation event.  Our pet guests come to us courtesy of Cornell Companions, a pet visitation service sponsored by Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine.  The…

Cornell law students may be wondering whether they can use Westlaw, Lexis, or Bloomberg this summer.  Here’s some information to get you started: Students may use Westlaw for academic-related work.  Otherwise, you may not use…

The Cornell Law Library is pleased to announce the 2013 recipients of The Cornell Law Library Prize for Exemplary Student Research: First Place: Libor Integrity and Holistic Domestic Enforcement, by Milson C. Yu, 3L Milson Yu crafted a…

For decades, words have been lawyers’ tools of trade. Today, we should no longer let tradition force us to think inside the text-only box. Apart from words, there are other means available. It is no longer enough (if it ever was) to…

Take a look at your bundle of tags on Delicious. Would you ever believe you’re going to change the law with a handful of them? You’re going to change the way you research the law. The way you apply it. The way you teach it and, in…

[Editor's Note: We are pleased to publish this piece from Qiang Lu and Jack Conrad, both of whom worked with Thomson Reuters R&D on the WestlawNext research team. Jack Conrad continues to work with Thomson Reuters, though currently on…