Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Closure

On February 4, 1968, exactly two months before his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered an impassioned and powerful sermon from the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He called on his congregation to embrace humanity in the spirit of service and to achieve greatness through compassion for others. For Dr. King, service was the highest calling and the act for which he himself wished to be remembered. As we celebrate the upcoming holiday and observe the birth of this great man, we honor his wish.

We at the Law Library are proud to serve the citizens of Harris County and to work every day in fulfillment of our mission. It is a privilege to connect with the people we serve, and an honor to meet the legal needs of the community. Providing meaningful service with empathy and understanding is what we are called to do. Thank you for supporting and sustaining us as we work to serve you.

This excerpt from Dr. King's sermon, The Drum Major Instinct, expresses with eloquence and fervor, the mandate of this extraordinary man. 

"...recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness...by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve."

Live Streaming Event: Legal Services Corporation Technology Initiative Grants (TIG) Conference

Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is an independent nonprofit organization, established by Congress in 1974, to provide financial support for civil legal aid to low-income individuals. Every year since 2000, the LSC has sponsored the Technology Initiative Grants (TIG) Conference which has awarded more than 600 grants, totaling $57 million, to civil legal aid organizations across the country. The 17th Annual TIG Conference is being held in San Antonio this week, January 11-13. For the first time, the LSC will live-stream several sessions of the conference via Facebook Live. To view these sessions, visit LSC's Facebook page during the conference. Share what you learn via Twitter using the hashtag #LSCTIG.   

Data Privacy and Information Security Law Exhibit

National Data Privacy Day, observed annually on January 28th, commemorates the 1981 signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection. The Law Library is recognizing this event all month long with an exhibit, Data Privacy and Information Security Law, which will be on display in the Law Library lobby until January 31st.

Among the items featured in the exhibit are books from the Law Library's collection:

• Locked Down: Practical Information Security for Lawyers and Encryption Made Simple for Lawyers address the need for attorneys to protect their clients' data from security breaches, especially in the age of cloud storage, ransomware, and widespread information-sharing across potentially unsecured networks.

• Wiretapping & Eavesdropping: Surveillance in the Internet Age, a 4-volume loose leaf service, includes chapters on computer evidence, Internet technology, and the Fourth Amendment. Relevant federal and state laws regarding digital communications and surveillance in the information age are also discussed. The Wiretap Act (18 USC §2510) and the Stored Communications Act (18 USCA § 2701-2712) are just two examples, both of which were cited in a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case, Robert C. Konop v. Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. (302 F. 3d 868), which is also highlighted in the Law Library's exhibit.

Free CLE from the Legal Tech Institute

The Legal Tech Institute at the Harris County Law Library will host two free CLEs in January. To register, visit the Course Calendar on the Legal Tech Institute website.

Join us on Thursday, January 12, 12pm to 1pm for a Vendor Visit from our Westlaw representative who will discuss Legislative and Statutory Resources available for free on the Law Library’s Westlaw computers. Texas attorneys can earn 1.0 hour CLE credit.

Join us on Thursday, January 19, 12pm to 1pm for a CLE Replay – Word for Lawyers and Other Law Types. Watch a recording of our Legal Tech Institute CLE from November to earn CLE credit if you missed the live event. Law librarians who taught the live class will also be on hand to help troubleshoot issues with legal drafting and editing in Microsoft Word, so bring your questions and documents (note: please, do not show us confidential documents…). Please note: you can only receive credit for viewing a CLE Replay if you did not attend the live presentation.

You can also watch past CLEs anytime on the Legal Tech Institute On-demand Learning webpage. CLE credit is available in Texas for the video up to a year after the live event for anyone who was unable to attend.

Employment Law Resource Month

Throughout the month of January, the Harris County Law Library will highlight its collection of labor and employment law resources. Featured items will include form manuals and other practice essentials, CLE coursebooks, treatises, annotated codes, and legal periodicals. Employment discrimination, workers' compensation, and occupational safety law resources will be on display. For specific titles, please see our Labor and Employment Law Research Guide, or search our online catalog.