Lexis Training: October 22 and On-Demand

Join us on Thursday, October 22, for a webinar from LexisNexis. This virtual Vendor Visit will be a one-hour continuing legal education session called Navigating the New Town Square: Cultivating Competency in Basic Online Legal Research. The goal of the course will be to assist attorneys in navigating online legal research so they feel more confident and competent when researching subjects important to their work. Texas attorneys can earn 1.0 hour CLE. To enroll, please visit the registration page on the Legal Tech Institute course calendar.

For additional LexisAdvance training, consider subscribing to the LexisNexis Legal YouTube channel where you can watch on-demand videos from the comfort of your desk. Videos cover a wide range of topics to help you become more adept at using this powerful legal research platform. Selected topics include:

• Starting Your Search

• Searching and Navigating Treatises

• Exploring Content

• Document and Navigation Tools

• Managing Search Results

• Natural Language Searching

• Terms & Connectors

• Using Annotated Forms

For additional guidance, explore the LexisNexis Digital Library video playlist where you can learn to more effectively navigate the LexisNexis ebook collection. The Harris County Law Library is a happy to provide access to this indispensable collection for all interested library users. Simply submit a request for access to the Lexis Digital Collection, and we will send you logon credentials as quickly as we can. Then, sign in to explore an expansive collection of Lexis treatises and practice guides, including Dorsaneo’s Texas Litigation Guide and the Texas Transaction Guide.

Don’t forget: Join us this Thursday, October 22, to build your proficiency in using LexisAdvance, and earn one hour of Texas CLE credit for attending. Hope to see you there!

Texas Free WiFi Map

Do you have a laptop, tablet, phone, or other mobile device but lack consistent, reliable access to the Internet? Do have a limited data plan that restricts your access to online resources just when you need them the most? We found a solution!

The Texas State Library & Archives Commission, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, and Texas Legal Services Center/TexasLawHelp.org have developed an ArcGIS map of free public drive-up WiFi spots in Texas. Users can enter their address or city and search for available public WiFi within a specified distance. (Harris County Law Library is one such location.) Anyone who needs free internet access for school, work, virtual court hearings, telehealth visits, or access to web-phone or -text services will find this information useful. 

The map is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. 

BPSOS-Houston deserves much credit for their assistance in translating the site for Vietnamese speakers.

Access the Texas Free WiFi Map at either of the links below.

• TexasLawHelp.org Free WiFi Map

• Texas State Library and Archives Commission Free WiFi Map

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides a list of additional resources to help Texans get and stay connected to the Internet, a couple of which are listed here.

• Find local internet service providers making price and service adjustments to keep communities connected.

• Find local service providers in your area using BroadbandNow.org

If you have any questions or comments regarding the map tool, please contact TexasWiFiMap@tlsc1.org

Provide feedback by filling out this short survey.

Remote Access to HeinOnline

HeinOnline is consistently recognized as one of the best, most indispensable legal websites, especially for accessing legal scholarship. As the world's largest image-based academic and legal research platform, HeinOnline -- and the Law Journal Library in particular -- provides a wealth of fully searchable content including an extensive archive of legal publications in full-text PDF. 

Not only is the website an incredible respository of information, but so is the HeinOnline app. Within the app, users can access content by citation, browse by volume or collection, navigate using the electronic table of contents or by using the same advanced search tool that makes Hein's website functionality so robust. Users of the HeinOnline app can download articles in PDF format, save them to their devices, or share them with colleagues. And, to make the user experience even better, they can do so remotely, making the full functionality of HeinOnline available to any interested patrons during the library’s closure.

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, authenticate your device by accessing the database while connected to the Harris County Guest Wi-Fi network that is available in all Harris County courthouses. Once IP authenticated, your device will be database-enabled from any location for 30 days. At the end of that period, visit the Harris County courthouse complex once again to re-authenticate and never be without access to HeinOnline!

This link to the HeinOnline App User's Guide is a bit dated, but its explanation of how the authentication process works is still valid. If you have any questions, please ask the library staff for assistance. We're happy to help you gain the full benefits of using our resources and to support you in your legal research needs.

Get Free Public Access to the LexisNexis Digital Library eBook Collection Today!

The Harris County Law Library is excited to announce the launch of a new public service. Beginning this week, the Law Library will offer public access to the LexisNexis Digital Library. This collection of more than 100 titles contains full-text, searchable, digital versions of many popular practice guides such as Dorsaneo’s Texas Litigation Guide, Texas Transaction Guide, Texas Criminal Practice Guide, Texas Family Law Practice & Procedure, and Moore’s Federal Practice. Also included are several popular treatises including Appleman on Insurance, Collier on Bankruptcy, and Corbin on Contracts. A full list of available titles in our Digital Collection is available here.

Sign up to access our Digital Collection on our Lexis eBook Account Request page. Once you submit the form, Law Library staff will create your personal account and email you a username and password. You will then be ready to check out any volume in the collection.

LexisNexis ebooks can be read on any internet-connected device. Use your favorite browser (Google Chrome is recommended for the best navigation experience), or read on the go by downloading the Digital Library app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. After installing the app, you will be prompted to enter a library code: harriscountylaw. Then sign in with your username and password.

If you have access to LexisAdvance (sign up here for a free public access account), you can link directly to the cases and statutes cited in the ebooks. You can also markup the text, and keep notes and highlights even after you have returned a volume to use the next time you check it out!

If you have any questions about the LexisNexis Digital Library eBook Collection, please contact our Virtual Reference Desk. For training materials and user guides, visit the LexisNexis Digital Library training page.

Coronavirus Resources and Other Legal Tech Links

The Harris County Law Library maintains a page of Legal Tech Links, including online resources to help practitioners stay informed, get organized, and build proficiency in using legal technology. Included in this list of links are the following:

• Affordable Practice Management Software Organizations

• Networks, and Institutes for Innovation

• Legal Journalism, Podcasts, and Blogs

The coronavirus pandemic is pushing many of us, including legal practitioners, to work from home. We are all learning to using tools, such as collaborative work platforms and teleconferencing software, to facilitate communication and connectivity. Many vendors and software service providers are offering free, short-term subscriptions to help people access the resources they need to work remotely. For nonprofit organizations or those providing pro bono legal services, the options are even greater. If you wish to explore the available resources and limited-term access options for a variety of practice management solutions, we recommend the following list of programs from the LawSites Blog — Coronavirus Resources.

Don’t forget that we at the Harris County Law Library are also offering free access to a variety of legal research tools, including Lexis Advance and Westlaw Edge. We are also continuing to provide virtual reference services five days a week via email, phone, and live chat. Explore all of these options on our website. We’re here to help!