April is National Poetry Month, and the Harris County Law Library is celebrating. We're shining a spotlight on the Poetry of the Bench and Bar with an exhibit featuring poetic judicial opinions and poems written by and about attorneys. Visit the Law Library all month long to view the exhibit.
Women's History Month: Camille E. S. Openshaw
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Harris County Law Library is paying tribute the life and accomplishments of a remarkable woman, Camille Elizabeth Stanford Openshaw. At a time when women’s educational and career options were very limited, Ms. Openshaw excelled not only as an attorney but as a leader in the local legal community.
Just five years after graduating from South Texas College of Law in 1930, she was elected to the board of directors of the Lawyers Library Association, the first woman to hold the position. She later distinguished herself as a founding partner of the Houston law firm, McIntosh & Openshaw. But perhaps her most sensational claim to fame was her representation of former bank robber, kidnapper, murderer, and fugitive, Raymond Hamilton, whose exploits with the infamous Clyde Barrow Gang resulted in his ultimate execution. Despite Ms. Openshaw’s best efforts to spare his life with a last-minute plea to the State Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin, Hamilton was put to death on May 10, 1935.
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.
Celebrating National African American History Month: Justice Thurgood Marshall
In 1925, the historian, Carter G. Woodson, called for a week-long celebration to recognize the contributions of African Americans in the development of our country. Negro History Week was celebrated for the first time in 1926 and expanded to a full month in 1976, the year of our nation's sesquicentennial. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."
This year, the tradition continues. In the presidential proclamation issued by the White House on January 31, 2018, a special theme was designated commemorating the contributions of African Americans in Times of War. To educate and inform the public about the significant contributions of African Americans in combat, the National Archives has assembled an extensive list of resources called Blacks in the Military.
We at the Harris County Law Library hope to do our part in honoring National African American History Month. We'd like to call greater attention to the many notable African Americans who have played such crucial roles in shaping the law and achieving civil rights. With a special exhibit, we honor the first African American to rise to the bench of the U.S. Supreme Court and perhaps the most influential African American lawyer in U.S. history -- Justice Thurgood Marshall.
An exhibit commemorating the extraordinary life of Justice Marshall will be on display in the Law Library lobby throughout the month, and a digital exhibit is available on the Law Library's website.
For additional digital resources celebrating African American history and the remarkable life of Justice Thurgood Marshall, please visit the following sites:
Biography.com -- Thurgood Marshall: A Justice for All (VIDEO)
Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture
Legal Research & Writing Resource Month
February is Legal Research & Writing Resource Month at the Harris County Law Library. Whether you are an attorney drafting a motion or a self-represented litigant navigating the court system, writing is a necessary component of your legal work. Visit the Law Library all month long to find resources on display that you can use to improve and enhance your legal research and writing skills.
To improve your legal writing skills, look for the following:
- The Redbook A Manual on Legal Style, 3rd ed. / by Bryan Garner, 2013
- Thinking like a Writer 2nd ed. / by Stephen V. Armstrong & Timothy P. Terrell, 2003
- Legal Writing to Win, Texas Bar CLE / by Chad Baruch, 2015
To improve your legal research skills, look for the following:
- Fundamentals of legal research / by Steven M. Barkan, Barbara A. Bintliff, Mary Whisner, 2015
- Legal research: how to find & understand the law / by Stephen Elias and the editors of Nolo
- Legal research in a nutshell / by the late Morris L. Cohen, Kent C. Olson
- Strategic legal research: Finding the information you need efficiently and cost-effectively / by Tobin A. Sparling
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: