June 2008
American Film Institute’s Top Ten Courtroom Dramas
The American Film Institute recently aired a program on network television about its selection of the top ten movies in several movie genres.
Here are the American Film Institute’s top ten courtroom dramas.
• 1. “To Kill a Mockingbird,” 1962
• 2. “12 Angry Men,” 1957
• 3. “Kramer Vs. Kramer,” 1979
• 4. “The Verdict,” 1982
• 5. “A Few Good Men,” 1992
• 6. “Witness for the Prosecution,” 1957
• 7. “Anatomy of a Murder,” 1959
• 8. “In Cold Blood,” 1967
• 9. “A Cry in the Dark,” 1988
• 10. “Judgment at Nuremberg,” 1961
For more information go to the AFI: 10 Top 10, Courtroom Dramas.
[Posted June 24, 2008]
Writing Tips for Summer Associates
Lawyer and award-winning journalist Ross Guberman offers 12 writing tips for summer associates in a recently published article in the National Law Journal. His writing tips include:
• Check the draft carefully for typos, citation errors, spelling mistakes and formatting glitches.
• Obtain information about format, final length of the document, length of time to spend on the document, existence of a document within the firm that can be used as a template, and what will be done with the document once it is submitted to the supervising attorney.
• Find out how the assignment fits into the big picture.
• Communicate with the supervising attorney regarding the status of the assignment and ask questions if necessary.
• Conquer writer’s block by condensing a lengthy piece of writing into a few sentences to obtain the big-picture structure.
• Avoid wordy, passive, rambling and abstract writing.
• Every word in the draft should be geared toward the goal(s) of the document which could be to solve a problem, skirt an obstacle or change someone’s mind.
• Analyze the issue and provide an answer.
• Eliminate needless words, phrases and constructions.
• Read the draft aloud in order to check for mistakes and awkward sentences.
• Seek feedback.
[Posted June 17, 2008]
The New FindLaw for Legal Professionals
With the recent merger of publishing giant Thomson and international news agency Reuters, the Thomson website FindLaw for Legal Professionals was revamped with a new look, easier navigation, and additional content. Major categories of content consist of primary legal research materials, resources for managing one’s career and practice, and legal news and in-depth commentary provided by leading legal scholars.
Click on “Research the Law” tab to access federal and state cases & codes, case opinion summaries, and sample business contracts. One can also research an attorney or law firm. For those already in practice, the section “Manage Your Practice” contains information about law technology, law practice management, law firm marketing services, and corporate counsel practice. The “Manage Your Career” section has legal professional job listings, salary data, and an employer directory in addition to links for bar exams and continuing legal education programs. There is also information for current law school students. Findlaw for Legal Professionals offers several RSS feeds and over sixty email newsletters of daily opinion summaries, legal headlines and topical newsletters. Registration is required to receive the free newsletters. Of note, this website contains a fair number of documents (e.g. complaints, briefs, courts orders) in high profile cases.
[Posted June 11, 2008]
ABA Journal website
For those who are devotees of legal news, check out the ABA Journal website! The ABA Journal is the publication of the American Bar Association and as stated on its website:“The ABA Journal is read by half of the nation’s 1 million lawyers every month. It covers the trends, people and finances of the legal profession from Wall Street to Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.” Content from the current ABA Journal and previous issues back to January, 2004 is available along with daily postings by the ABA Journal staff reporters on the latest legal stories. Click on the Topics tab to view the archives of news stories by subject, court, or jurisdiction. Free daily and weekly emails of news postings are available as well as RSS feeds.
In addition to the legal news, there is the Blawg Directory with links to over 1,800 legal blogs. The Blawg Directory contains listings by topic, author type, region (courts, states and regions of the world), and law school.
[Posted June 3, 2008]
