Veterans who need legal advice or legal assistance can visit a free legal clinic on Saturday, August 5, from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., at the Tomball VA Outpatient Clinic, 1200 W. Main Street, Tomball, TX 77375. The clinic is a public service of the Houston Bar Foundation’s Veterans Legal Initiative and will be held in conjunction with a free Veterans Benefits Fair sponsored by the Texas Veterans Commission, the Veterans Land Board and the Department of Veterans Affairs.⠀
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No appointment is necessary. Any veteran, or spouse of a deceased veteran, can receive advice and counsel from a volunteer attorney in any area of law, including family, wills and probate, consumer, real estate and tax law, as well as disability and veterans benefits. Veterans who need ongoing legal representation and who qualify for legal aid may be assigned a pro bono attorney to handle their case.⠀
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For more information on the August 5th clinic and other services for veterans, contact the Veterans Legal Initiative at 713-759-1133 or visit HBA VLI online
American Association of Law Libraries presents Cool Tech Tools
This week, the American Association of Law Libraries is holding its annual meeting in Austin. Librarians across the nation (along with some international guests) will gather to connect with their peers from government law libraries, academic institutions, and private law firms. Information professionals with expert knowledge in the following areas will provide content, inspiration, and plenty of food for thought:
- Leadership
- Marketing
- Advocacy
- Research
- Teaching
- Content management
- Legal technology
One of the highly anticipated sessions each year is the Cool Tools Cafe. Presented by the Computer Science Special Interest Section, this gathering is an opportunity for all interested parties -- from the novice to the pro -- to learn about emerging or existing technologies from experienced tech users. Tech tools for legal research, collaboration, productivity, presentation, and instruction are some of the most popular. Today's blog post will take a look back at two applications that were featured in years past. Microsoft Sway was presented at the AALL Cool Tools Cafe in 2015, and Slack was presented in 2016.
Microsoft Sway is a cloud-based publishing and presentation platform that was launched in 2014. (New and updated features were added in 2017.) One year later, it was rolled out to all eligible Office 365 customers worldwide and quickly became a strong competitor to Prezi, another cloud-based presentation platform. Sway allows you to create and share interactive reports, presentations, assignments, lessons, projects and more. It gives you all the tools you need to design and deliver your content in an unconventional way. Say goodbye to the traditional slide deck and hello to a newer, more dynamic storytelling tool. Drag and drop photos, videos, or files from your computer, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter to build impressive, polished, professional presentations.
Slack is a team communication and collaboration platform that helps you organize your digital interactions and effectively eliminates the need for email. Teams create communication channels which allow for the exchange of information and documents. To make collaboration spaces even more dynamic and interactive, Slack also allows for the integration of apps and bots, such as Skype or Trello, a user-friendly project management tool.
Following this year's AALL Annual Meeting, we'll have new tools to share with you. Stay tuned for updates in future Tech Tuesday installments on Ex Libris Juris.
Monthly Feature: July is Consumer Law Resource Month
July is Consumer Law Resource Month at the Harris County Law Library.
- Visit our Featured Resource Section to see new and updated resources from the National Consumer Law Center.
- Browse consumer law news, sample pleadings and other companion materials in the NCLC databases now available on the Law Library research computers.
- Stay up to date on Texas consumer law with Advanced Consumer and Commercial Law Course books from the State Bar of Texas. Courses through the 10th annual conference (2014) are available.
- Self-represented litigants can find a copy of the HBA Consumer Law Handbook, which features a variety of legal information of interest to consumers, including guidance on buying a car, dealing with debt collection, landlord/tenant disputes, and more. Download a free copy through the HBA's Legal Handbooks website today.
For more information on Consumer Law and Protection, visit these websites:
CANCELLATION & RESCHEDULING: Legal Tech Institute CLE @ Harris County Law Library
Due to Tropical Storm Cindy, The Robot Lawyer CLE program scheduled for June 22 has been canceled and rescheduled for July 20. Details about the rescheduled event are as follows:
Session: The Robot Lawyer: Artificial Intelligence in the Practice of Law
Date: RESCHEDULED: Thursday, July 20, 2017
Time: Noon to 1 p.m.
Location: Harris County Attorney Conference Center, Lower Level, Congress Plaza, 1019 Congress Street, Houston, TX 77002
To register for the July 20 CLE, visit the Legal Tech Institute website by clicking on the image below:
On this Day: Magna Carta and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
On June 15, 1215, the Magna Carta was signed at Runnymede meadow in Surrey, England. View our digital exhibit to learn more about this historic document and its role in shaping our democracy.
Many of the fundamental values we cherish, including liberty, equality, and freedom from tyranny, are direct descendants of the rights established by the Magna Carta more than 800 years ago. These ideals are embodied in our nation's founding documents and embraced by people around the world, even in countries whose governments deny any such protections to their citizens.
Following World War II and the atrocities it spawned, an effort unfolded in the United Nations to codify the inalienable rights of people everywhere. The Human Rights Commission was established in 1946 as a standing body of the UN to draft the defining document. Two years later, on December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted. Nearly every country in the world accepted the 30 articles that comprise the UDHR and integrated them into their bodies of law. The UDHR, which some have described as the Magna Carta of the modern age, remains a powerful instrument today, and its impact continues to be felt all over the world.