Access Digital Resources Remotely from the Texas State Law Library

It's National Library Week (April 8-14), and the Harris County Law Library is celebrating! We're tipping our hat to the Texas State Law Library in Austin whose digital resources are available to residents throughout the state free of charge! 

To enroll in Texas State Law Library's  "Research from Home" program, simply sign up for a library card on the Law Library's website. (New users will be authenticated using geolocation to confirm Texas residency.) 

Library accounts obtained via the TSLL online patron registration form will grant you access from home to selected library databases and the TSLL digital collection of more than 500 e-books and practice guides. (Some e-books are restricted and can only be checked out from home by government employees. The restricted titles are the Texas Litigation Guide, the Texas Transaction Guide, Collier on Bankruptcy, and Moore's Federal Practice.) Access to these resources will be permitted for a period of 6 months, with the option to re-enroll on the TSLL library card renewal page.

Join us celebrating National Library Week by registering for your Texas State Law Library remote access library card today! 

Questioning Our Expectations of Legal Tech

In December 2016, an article appeared in this blog which stated the following:

Legal tech solutions have proven to be an effective remedy to the shortage of affordable legal representation. Supporting and endorsing legal tech startups, particularly those that address niche concerns for self-represented litigants, is an excellent way to help "modest means" individuals participate in the legal process. 

While this may hold true, and plenty of legal tech observers are reinforcing this claim, others are starting to question the true usefulness of legal apps and the innovations of legal start-ups as the keys to removing barriers to justice. Obviously, tech-as-a-solution has its limitations, and not only in the legal field. Holistic approaches to reducing the justice gap should include other strategies as well, such as increased funding for public law libraries, and amendments to ethics rules that would allow lawyers more freedom in providing additional services via limited scope representation. An excellent resource on this subject is the book, Beyond Elite Law: Access to Civil Justice in America which looks at the wide range of options for improving just outcomes for people of modest means. Technology is only one. Law schools, bar associations, pro bono services, alternative dispute resolution, and nonlawyer services are others. Implementing a reform agenda, creating a culture of service, and working to continually improve the delivery of legal services are the elements that must combine with technology to lessen the justice gap in the United States. 

New Video CLE from the Legal Tech Institute -- Legal Practice Technology

New Video CLE!

A new on-demand learning opportunity is available from the Harris County Law Library. Legal Practice Technology, presented by Emily W. Lawson (O'Quinn Law Library, University of Houston Law Center), is the latest addition to the Law Library's YouTube channel and Legal Technology Institute On-Demand CLE video collection. 

In this course, learn about trends in law practice technology, as well as techniques for staying up to date with the latest developments in tech. Learn about free and low-cost options, such as legal apps and software, that will assist you with tasks such as marketing, time management, information organization, and research. Information about how to research legal technology options is presented, along with recommendations for additional exploration. 

To access this and other on-demand legal tech courses, simply select the desired course topic, click the Play button, and learn! All LTI on-demand videos are accredited by the State Bar of Texas for a limited time. Watch the video and then report CLE credit at www.texasbar.com using the course number provided in the video.

While visiting the LTI pages on the Law Library's website, take a look at our Course Catalog to register for upcoming in-person learning opportunities, including the popular Hands-on Legal Tech Training courses, which are offered every Thursday afternoon at 2:00 pm in the Law Library's Legal Tech Lab. 

Women of Legal Tech

March is Women's History Month, and the Harris County Law Library is celebrating. All month long, we are paying tribute to a woman of distinction, Camille Elizabeth Stanford Openshaw. View our digital exhibit to learn about the achievements of this remarkable woman. Reflect on Ms. Openshaw's contributions to the field of law and the role she played in paving the way for smart, ambitious women to excel as attorneys nearly 100 years later. Take a moment to consider the tremendous evolution in legal practice over the last century and the role of technology in shaping the profession as we know it today.

Women have continued to make great strides not only in the practice of law but also in developing their knowledge and skills in the area of legal tech. Bob Ambrogi declared 2017 the Year of Women in Legal Tech, and the role of women in the legal tech sector is only continuing to grow.

In an effort to "celebrate the women currently in the legal tech space, and to encourage more women to join the ranks," the ABA's Legal Technology Resource Center has recognized "Women of Legal Tech" annually since 2015. The nomination period for this year's honorees just closed on March 1st. The 2018 list of innovative, entrepreneurial, tech-savvy women will be announced later this month. Follow the LTRC on Twitter and Facebook, and the Law Technology Today blog to see the list of 2018 honorees as soon as they are announced.

March Hands-on Legal Tech Training: Find & Format Legal Forms

In fall 2016, Harris County Law Library launched the Legal Tech Institute, an ongoing series of free learning opportunities focused on using technology for more efficient legal work. Now, as we approach the end of February, we're gearing up for the second installment of our latest LTI venture, Hands-on Legal Tech Training. On every Thursday afternoon in February, we offered a session called MS Word for Legal Work. It was a success! And we're excited to move ahead with the next installment of our Hand-on Legal Tech Training series.

Click the image to register. Earn 1 hour of free CLE credit for attending.

On Thursday, March 1st, at 2:00 pm, in the Law Library's Legal Tech Lab, we'll offer a program called Find & Format Legal Forms. Like all Hands-on Legal Tech programs, this course will be divided into three sections, each covering a different skill level. We will "Get Started" by presenting the types of forms available for legal work, along with tips for finding them using the free online resources and databases available in the Law Library. Next, we will "Level Up" by exploring more advanced strategies for navigating O'Connor's, Westlaw, and Lexis Advance to find the best forms for specific legal needs. Finally, we will "Go Pro." We'll address techniques for formatting the forms we find and for creating reusable templates for routine legal work. As always, we will leave time to answer your questions during our Q&A session at the end of the program. 

We hope you will join us at the March Hands-on Legal Tech training session, Find & Format Legal Forms. To register for this event and sign up to receive one hour of free CLE credit for attending the course, please visit the course catalog (or click on the image above) and select the date for the session that works best for you.