Topical Research Guides

Research guides are a mainstay of law library offerings throughout the country. Here at the Harris County Law Library, we offer 8 guides on our website, 7 of which you can find in print on location next to the Texas Collection. These guides provide quick access to the best resources on your topic. For example, our Law Practice Management Research Guide points you toward the best options at HCLL for learning about law office technology, legal research and writing, and attorney liability. Each research guide also includes a “Practice Essentials” section on page one that gives you quick access to the most-used resources you need to get started. All guides are updated regularly to give you the most current and accurate information available.

Since this is the 21st century, our guides also include information about our digital collection. All titles marked with an “e” can also be found for free on HCLL’s research computers through our WestlawNext, Lexis Advance, O’Connor’s Online, and other databases. WestlawNext and Lexis Advance make it especially easy to find the right resource – simply start typing the title as it appears in our research guide into the search box and a link to that database will appear in below {see screenshot}. From there, you can search, download, and print quickly and easily.

Research guides from the Harris County Law Library make it easy to get into the law library, get your research done, and get on with your life. Try one today!

Latest and Greatest - The "In One Hour" Series

In One Hour series

ABA Law Practice Management Section

The Harris County Law Library is excited to offer several technology resources from the American Bar Association’s Law Practice Management Section, which we refer to as the “In One Hour” series.

  • LinkedIn® in One Hour for Lawyers explains how LinkedIn® can help you market and expand your business and get clients.
  • Facebook® in One Hour for Lawyers offers simple advice for creating a profile, establishing a business page, and developing a strategy to grow your network.
  • iPad in One Hour for Lawyers offers short lessons on how to use and get the most out of your iPad.
  • iPad in Hour for Litigators demonstrates how an iPad can assist you when trying a case, from gathering case information to discovery to using the iPad in court.
  • iPad Apps in One Hour for Lawyers can help you navigate through the more than 80,000 apps that are available for the iPad and choose the ones that can help you organize your business, store your documents, and keep track of your time and billing.

These books are available at the reference desk. Just ask a law librarian for assistance.

WestlawNext CLE @ HCLL

On Thursday, January 14, the Law Library will host a free training session covering Statutory and Legislative History Resources on WestlawNext. The session carries 1.0 hour of CLE credit for Texas attorneys and is conveniently scheduled during the lunch hour, from noon to 1 p.m. Click the photo to download a flyer for the event.

The Law Library hosts WestlawNext training sessions quarterly on a variety of topics, including resources for family law, criminal law, and statutes and legislative history. For more information about CLEs and training sessions at the Harris County Law Library, visit our Events page.

All of the databases covered during training sessions are accessible for free on the Law Library’s legal research computers, which are open to the public for legal research. Visit our Services page for more information about the digital resources available for your legal research needs.

Latest and Greatest - $olo Contendere

$olo Contendere: How to Go Directly From Law School Into the Practice of Law Without Getting a Job

By Marc Garfinkle, Esq.

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It’s Law Practice Management Month here at the Harris County Law Library, and it’s time to highlight some of the resources that we have in our collection that might be useful to your current practice or to assist you in establishing a new solo practice. One of these resources is Solo Contendere: How to Go Directly from Law School into the Practice of Law - Without Getting a Job, 3rd Edition by Marc Garfinkle, Esq. According to Garfinkle, some basic questions that the new lawyer should address before hanging out his shingle include:

  • How do I begin?
  • What type of law do I want to practice?
  • Do I want to focus on a particular specialty?
  • Is the cooperative office arrangement for me?
  • What equipment and furniture do I need?

The book also offers practical advice for creating a business plan, developing a “real” client base, and going to court. From Garfinkle’s "Practice Defensively: The Ten Commandments" to his thoughts about getting paid for your work, the author provides you with enough information to shed the fear and fly solo.

Law Practice Management Blogs

In honor of Law Practice Management Resource Month here at the Harris County Law Library, a bibliography of topical blogs sounded like a good idea. After all, the Wild Wild Web is filled with blogs to help you manage your law practice. Here’s a few of our favs:

From Texas Bar Today’s Texas Law Blogs:

  • Business Solutions for Law Firms: Houstonian Stacey E. Burke brings a local spin to all aspects of marketing and managing a law firm
  • Raising the Bar: Houstonian Debra L. Bruce provides tips on all areas of law practice management
  • Legible: UT legal writing prof Wayne Schiess gives tips to improve practitioners’ legal writing skills

From the ABA Journal’s Blawg 100:

Last, but not least, don’t forget to check back here at Ex Libris Juris for posts about resources about law practice management all month long and download our Law Practice Management Research Guide to quickstart your research at the Harris County Law Library.