Latest and Greatest – Nolo Publications

In an effort to support its mission of providing all patrons access to relevant and practical legal information, the Harris County Law Library maintains a self-help collection that is designed to assist self-represented parties in learning about an area or topic of law without having to sort through unfamiliar and often difficult legal terminology. Part of this self-help collection is a series of books published by Nolo, a company that seeks to “make the law accessible to everyone.” The books, written in plain English by attorneys and legal professors, cover a range of topics such as bankruptcy, immigration, family law, labor and employment, landlord-tenant, and estate planning, just to name a few. Although the books are not meant to be a substitute for getting the advice of a lawyer, they can help the reader better understand a legal issue and discover some answers to their legal questions.

The Harris County Law Library has recently received new editions of the following titles:

Look for them (and many other titles) on our shelves!

HCLL Receives AALL Marketing Award

Yesterday, the Harris County Law Library was named the 2016 recipient of the American Association of Law Libraries Excellence in Marketing Award in the Best Campaign Division. We are very honored by the award and appreciate the recognition for our efforts on our Centennial Celebration. For anyone who was unable to attend the event on October 1, 2015, please visit our digital exhibit titled 1915-2015: A Century of Service to see videos of the speakers program, including a keynote address from Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht of the Supreme Court of Texas.

The Law Library would like to thank all of our partners who made the Centennial Celebration possible, including Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan, Houston Bar Association President Laura Gibson, and Justice Brett Busby of the Fourteenth Texas Court of Appeals, who served as speakers at the event. We would also like to thank our event sponsors: Baker Botts, Andrews Kurth, Thomson Reuters, and ServiceDocs. Finally, we would like to thank the more than 300 guests who helped us celebrate the Law Library's first century of service.

 

Poetry of the Bench and Bar: The Things That Lawyers Know About Earth Day

In celebration of National Poetry Month, we at the Harris County Law Library are featuring a new law-related poem each Friday in April. With today's selection, The Law the Lawyer's Know About by Hilary Douglas Clark Pepler, we recognize Earth Day (April 22).

Pepler's lack of faith in lawyers' understanding of nature is counterbalanced by the work of poet and lawyer William Cullen Bryant. Bryant embraced "natural law," drawing both poetic and moral inspiration from the natural world. He was also inspired by human reason, viewing it as a universally recognizable determinant of the rights and values that bind society and check human behavior.

Bryant's philosophy of morality and human conduct stands in direct contrast with the thoughts of Hilary Pepler. As expressed in the words below, Pepler gives lawyers little credit for their appreciation of nature in the biological/organic sense or as an expression of humanity or morality. His romantic appreciation of the observable world allows no room for nature in the construct of written laws: 

The things that lawyers know about,
Are property and land.

But why the leaves are on the trees;
And why the waves disturb the seas;

Why honey is the food of bees;
Why horses have such tender knees;

Why winters come when rivers freeze;
Why faith is more than what one sees;

And hope survives the worst disease;
And charity is more than these ...

They do not understand.

Looking Back - The Battle of San Jacinto - April 21, 1836

Seal of the Office of the Harris County Attorney

“Remember the Alamo!” “Remember Goliad!” These were the cries that rallied a weary and all but broken Texas army that ultimately defeated the Mexican forces led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. Despite having declared independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836, the Texas army still had a long way to go to be truly independent from Mexico. In the midst of a retreat from Gonzales, General Sam Houston turned his men toward Harrisburg and Lynch’s Ferry. Encamping among the trees along the bayou, the Texas army occupied a strategic piece of land that enabled them to watch the movements of Santa Anna and his men.

On the morning of April 21, 1836, General Houston overruled the desire of his officers to wait for Santa Anna to attack first and opted to let his men make the first move. In the afternoon, while the Mexican Army rested, the Texas army advanced using the terrain surrounding Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River as their natural cover. Taking advantage of Santa Anna’s failure to post sentries nearby, the Texas army was able to defeat the Mexican army in a battle that lasted a mere 18 minutes. The victory not only cemented the young Republic’s independence from Mexico, but it also opened up more of the West, furthering the idea of “manifest destiny.”

The Monument commemorating the Battle of San Jacinto has become an iconic symbol of those who fought bravely for Texas independence. Recognizing the strength and determination of all those who fought for independence, former Harris County Attorney Mike Driscoll selected an image of the Monument for the seal of the Harris County Attorney’s Office as a reminder of what can be accomplished when individuals work together toward a common goal.

If you would like more information about the Battle of San Jacinto or other interesting facts and tidbits about Texas, visit the Harris County Law Library and have a look at the Texas Almanac. It's a great read!