Getting Ready for the Spring Semester with the HLS Library

The Harvard Law School Library is here for you as you prepare for a new semester! In this blog post, you’ll find a list of key resources available to HLS clinicians. If you ever have questions about library services and resources, email or call us at research@law.harvard.edu; 617-495-4516. 

We encourage you to share these resources with your clinical students this semester and refer them to us with any questions they may have.

New Resources

• Check out the new and improved Tip of the Week YouTube series to learn about a variety of topics in bite-sized videos.
• The Prepare to Practice: Advancing Your Legal Research guide introduces advanced research concepts including: 50 state surveys, legislative history, federal regulation, court dockets, sample forms, and current awareness.
• HLS has moved to WestLaw Precision. You can explore the platform’s new features here.

Guides 

The Library has over 80 research guides that may be of use to you this semester.  

• View all of the law research guides here. 
• The librarians can work with you to create an individual research guide for your clinic’s subject matter, such as this Health Law research guide.  
• We even have a guide to the clinical library services! Find your clinic’s library liaison, check out the research training calendar, browse a list of selected teaching resources and blogs, and more. 

Videos 

• The Library’s YouTube channel has a variety of videos that may be of professional or personal interest. Check out introductory videos for topical research, such as the newly updated Human Rights Research: An Introduction or Tax Law Research Sources; step-by-step guides on everything from How to Request State Statutes to How to Cite Online Sources; and highlights of treasures from the library including the Nuremberg Trial Documents and Medieval Manuscripts. 

More Resources 

• HotShot: Sign up for your own account to Hotshot! This product offers courses on a range of legal and business topics, including Finance and Accounting, Civil Litigation Basics, Commercial Lending, Depositions and much more. Want to be an expert with Word docs?  View the 26-minute tutorial, Word Basics for Lawyers. Or learn about how to prepare for trial with their 17-minute video Preparing for Trial.   
• For HLS affiliates only. Individual login required. Please register for account access with your HLS email. http://id.lib.harvard.edu/alma/990152154410203941/catalog 
• Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE): MCLE OnlinePass provides total access to a fully-searchable electronic database containing all of MCLE’s books, forms, live and archived webcasts and practice-area professional development plans.  It includes material for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Access is controlled by HLS IP address and is limited to the Harvard Law School community. Off-campus access is controlled by HLS Account username and password. In order to access the lessons, please register on-campus. 

You can follow the HLS Library on social media at @hlslib on Twitter, @hlslibrary on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with news and events.