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

Free CLE: Vendor Visit - Westlaw Statutory and Legislative History Research

Register today for our upcoming CLE from the Legal Tech Institute at the Harris County Law Library! This program is presented by our local Westlaw trainer and will focus on Statutory and Legislative History resources on Westlaw that you can access for free at the Law Library.

MyHein, A Personal Research Tool for HeinOnline

HeinOnline is one of several legal research databases available at the Harris County Law Library. Its digitized collection of law journals is the very best source for comprehensive, up-to-date, full-text legal scholarship. It's an excellent resource for a number of other publications as well, including United States Congressional documents, federal legislative histories, state session laws, legal classics, treaties and agreements, restatements, and so much more. If you haven't used HeinOnline, we'll be happy to help you navigate the available content and to take advantage of all the database's best features, including a relatively new tool called MyHein.

MyHein is a personal research tool that allows you to bookmark articles, save search queries, and set up eTOC alerts. The MyHein User Guide is a four-page document that details (1) how to set up your MyHein account and (2) start using it to create personal libraries of saved content for later access and retrieval. Content includes any of the articles, documents, books, reports, or journals available in HeinOnline. That means the entire database is yours to bookmark, track, and save. Additionally, MyHein is portable, meaning that you can log on to your personal account at any subscribing institution and still have access to your bookmarked items and saved search queries wherever you are. If you've dowloaded the HeinOnline app for your iPhone or Android device, you can even access the database -- and your MyHein account -- remotely. 

To gain remote access to HeinOnline via the HeinOnline app, first download the program to your device. Click here for Android or here for the iPhone. Then, visit the Harris County Law Library to authenticate your device through our HeinOnline subscription. Once IP authenticated, your device will be able to access the database from any location for 30 days. At the end of that period, visit us again to re-authenticate and never be without access to MyHein and HeinOnline!

December is Small Business Resource Month

Today is the first day of Small Business Resource Month at the Harris County Law Library. Throughout December, we will highlight resources, tailored for solo and small firm attorneys, who own, operate, manage, or advise small businesses. The following are just a few of the featured resources available in our collection:

• Small Business Toolkit from the Texas Young Lawyers Association
• Advising Small Business / Steven C. Alberty, West, 2014 (Call No. KF1659 .A94)
• How to Manage Your Law Office / Mary Ann Altman & Robert I. Weil, Matthew Bender, 2014 (KF 318 .A758)

Additional resources for small businesses can be found online at the links below.

• Texas Secretary of State Business Basics website
• U.S. Small Business Administration website
• University of Houston Small Business Development Center website, where you can download a free copy of the Guide to Starting a Business in Texas.

Legal Resources and Services for Veterans

Veterans Law Resource Month at the Harris County Law Library is coming to an end. All month long, we've featured legal research materials throughout the Law Library, including the following:

• Federal forms for veterans
• Code of Federal Regulations (Title 38: Veterans Affairs) 
• 2017 Veterans Benefits Handbook from the Department of Veterans Affairs 

We've also spotlighted a few of our online resources including the Veterans Legal Aid Portal from TexasLawHelp.org and military law titles available through HeinOnline.

All of these research tools will continue to be available in our collection and online. In addition, veterans can find a variety of services from organizations such as Lone Star Legal Aid, the Texas Veterans Commission, the Texas Legal Services Center, the State Bar of Texas, the Houston Bar Association, and the Texas Veterans Legal Assistance Project.