Good Friday is a county holiday in Harris County. In observance of the holiday, county offices, including the Harris County Law Library, will be closed on Friday, April 19. Find more information about countywide holidays on the Harris County website.
Expanding a Special Collection - The Law of Coahuila and Texas
We were pleased to welcome Dr. Jesús F. de la Teja, author, professor, and CEO of the Texas State Historical Association, and David A. Furlow, Executive Editor of the Journal of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, at the Harris County Law Library on Friday to mark the donation of two new volumes to the law library’s special collection - The Law of Coahuila and Texas, or La Ley de Coahuila y Texas.
Photo from left: Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan, Dr. Magdalena de la Teja, Dr. Jesús F. de la Teja, David A. Furlow, Law Library Director Mariann Sears, Law Library Deputy Director Joseph D. Lawson
Actas del Congreso Constituyente de Coahuila y Texas de 1824 a 1827
Dr. de la Teja signed the donated two-volume work entitled Actas del Congreso Constituyente de Coahuila y Texas de 1824 a 1827: Primera Constitución bilingüe, or Acts of the Constituent Congress of Coahuila and Texas, 1824–1827 : Mexico’s Only Bilingual Constitution, which he coauthored with Judge Manuel González Oropeza, former magistrate for the Federal Electoral Commission of Mexico. The work provides the text of the document and analysis of the pivotal role it played in the transition of Coahuila and Texas from joined states of Mexico to states separated by an international border. Given the content of the work, Dr. de la Teja’s inscription is apt:
For the Harris County Law Library,
With great appreciation for your efforts to preserve and promote ties with our sister republic,
/s/Jesús F. de la Teja
4/5/2019
The Law of Coahuila and Texas, an historical resource collection
La Ley de Coahuila y Texas, una colección de recursos históricos
The two-volume set is now a part of the Law Library’s collection of materials focused on the legal history of Southeast Texas and Northeast Mexico from Spanish colonization to statehood. It includes historical volumes of texts containing some of the region’s earliest laws to modern analysis that provide context and finding aids for modern researchers. Marking the end of the collection’s chronological scope is a reproduction of Captain William Emory’s survey of the U.S.-Mexico border issued in 1859. The three-volume set contains firsthand accounts of surveyors and illustrations of the region’s topography, flora, and fauna.
Digesto Constitucional Mexicano: Historia Constitucional de la Nacion - De Aguascalientes a Zacatecas: 1824-2017
On behalf of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, Mr. Furlow also donated the scholarly treatise entitled Digesto Constitucional Mexicano: Historia Constitucional de la Nacion - De Aguascalientes a Zacatecas: 1824-2017. This work, written by Judge Manuel González Oropeza, provides extensive insight into the historical evolution of constitutional law in an area of Mexico not previously covered by the Law Library’s collection. We appreciate the donation and are thrilled to make these resources available to all at the Harris County Law Library.
Women's History Month at the Harris County Law Library
March is women’s history month and the Harris County Law Library marks this important commemoration with an exhibit celebrating the contributions of Camille Elizabeth Stanford Openshaw. Among her many accomplishments, Ms. Openshaw was the first woman to serve on the Law Library’s oversight board and helped shepherd the institution through the Great Depression. All who benefit from access to legal information at the Law Library today can thank Ms. Openshaw for doing her part to ensure access to the Law Library for all.
To learn more about Ms. Openshaw, please visit the Harris County Law Library’s downtown location, where an exhibit honoring her accomplishments will be on display throughout the month of March. An accompanying digital exhibit can be viewed on the library’s website.
New CLE Course from the Legal Tech Institute: Harris County Law Library Tech @ 2:00 pm on Thursday, January 24, 2019
We at the Harris County Law Library recently announced the publication of our Legal Tech Institute 2019 Course Catalog, which includes five new programs on a variety of legal tech topics. The first new class, Harris County Law Library Tech, will be offered this Thursday at 2:00 pm the Law Library’s Legal Tech Lab. Texas attorneys will earn 1.0 hour free CLE credit for attending.
For details and to register, please visit the Hands-on Legal Tech Training Events page. While you’re there, take a look at additional upcoming programs including the following:
Digital Legal Research Refresher
Fastcase & Casemaker
Microsoft Excel for Legal Work
Android for Legal Work
The Harris County Law Library offers Hands-on Legal Tech Training every Thursday at 2:00 pm in the Law Library’s Legal Tech Lab. A number of other learning opportunities are available, including on-demand CLE videos, which can be viewed at any time from the comfort of your home or office.
We hope to see you this Thursday, January 24, 2019, at 2:00 pm for Harris County Law Library Tech!
Texas Bar Journal Short Story Contest 2019
Anton Chekhov wrote The Bet in 1889. Franz Kafka authored Before the Law in 1915. And more than 100 years later, Rosann Gordon penned The Protective Order, the winning entry in last year’s Texas Bar Journal Short Story Contest, an annual opportunity to showcase the creative talents of Texas lawyers.
Attorneys are naturally adept storytellers. They are also keen observers of human behavior and good with a turn of phrase. Combine these qualities with a knowledge of the law, and perhaps you, too, have a prize-winning work of short legal fiction to share with the world. Craft a compelling narrative with convincing characters who engage in conflict and seek a resolution. Add a little intrigue, action, drama, comedy, romance, or some combination thereof, and package the whole creation into 2,000 words or less, and you may be the next award-winning author! To enter the contest, click here. Submit your completed entry by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 4, 2019.
Not a Texas lawyer? Don’t fret! The ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction will accept entries for their competition through June 1, 2019.
The Lawyerist.com has, in years past, has held its own Legal Short Fiction Contest, and previous winning stories are available for reading and inspiration here.
Good luck! Happy writing and reading from the Harris County Law Library.