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Q: How many lawyer jokes are there?

Posted by Becka Rich on April 20, 2012

A: One.  The rest are true stories (hat tip to Rosann Auchstetter for the joke).

As we move to the end of the semester and finals appear just over the horizon, I thought I would provide a list of websites which would offer comic relief when you need one and a brain break from studying.  For those who prefer to consume their media in printed form, the law library offers myriad books on legal humor. Below, I’ve summarized my favorite places for a legal humor fix.  If you just want a quick list of lawyer jokes though, allow me to recommend the Canonical List of Lawyer Jokes.

Q: Have you heard about the lawyers’ word processor?
A: No matter what font you select, everything comes out in fine print.

There are several lawyers, law professors, and law students who maintain funny legal blogs.  Here are some of my favorites:

  •  Legal Humour specializes in funny stories with a law component.
  • Bitter Lawyer offers light humor, dark humor, and career advice.
  • Lowering the Bar has a lot of funny legal stories, occasional substantive posts, and the best disclaimer I’ve ever seen.
  • Legal Antics is a photo blog of funny legalesque pictures.
  • The Namby Pamby is a very funny blog about practicing medical malpractice and personal injury law in Chicago.

Q: What’s the problem with lawyer jokes?
A: Lawyer’s don’t think they’re funny, and no one else thinks they’re jokes.

There are many really fabulous legal comics on the web. Queen’s Counsel has lots of great legal comics from a UK perspective.  Law Comix aggregates law comic strips from blogs and other sources all around the internet.  I particularly recommend  the ones from Legal Pad Comix.  I also recommend  Legally Drawn which has great one panel comics, including one involving Angry Birds.

Q: What do you get when you cross a librarian with a lawyer?
A: All the information you need, but you can’t understand a word of it.

There are actually, believe it or not, people who research legal humor.  They have funny websites too.  My two favorites are McClurg’s Legal Humor and the Green Bag.  McClurg is a law professor at the University of Memphis who maintains a very active law blog that contains strange judicial opinions, law school humor, a column from the Green Bag, and what he calls “legal oddities.”  We have McClurg’s book 1L of a Ride in the law library (highly recommended) and his new book, The “Companion Text” to Law School: Understanding and Surviving Life with a Law Student, is arriving early next week. Green Bag is a law journal that continues a combination of legal humor and “short, readable, useful, and sometimes entertaining law scholarship.”

Q. Why won’t sharks attack lawyers?
A. Professional courtesy.

If you’re a fake news fan, you may want to check out Turnip News, which is the Onion for lawyers or LoLawyer, which reads like a news magazine.  Magazine fans may prefer Big Legal Brain, which reads like Cosmopolitan or Esquire for lawyers. TV fans may want to watch Mr. Law School, who is graduating this year.

There are also some great websites that use real life (or TV) to add some humor to their discussions of the law.  The Texas Bar maintains a list of short bouts of true courtroom stories.  Those of you studying for Employment law exams may appreciate “That’s what she said” where Ford & Harrison talk about how the employees in the TV show “the Office” could best sue their employer.  Anticipate This!TM blogs about amusing and bizarre patent applications.

Finally, if none of the above give you sufficient stress relief, I recommend the virtual  bubble wrap website.  It’s almost as satisfying as popping the real thing.

Posted in Books, Humor | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off

Trivia returns for 2011-2012 school year!

Posted by Becka Rich on August 24, 2011

The LLTC is proud to announce the return of the trivia game for the 2011-2012 school year.  All Nova law students are eligible to participate.

A new clue will be posted every day from Monday through Friday at 8pm, with the topic changing from week to week.  Monday’s clue will be the hardest to guess and Friday’s the easiest. You get more points the earlier you guess the right answer (50 points if you guess on Monday, 10 on Friday). Clues will be posted on the LLTC’s Twitter and Facebook feeds.  Your guess/answer to the clue should be sent to William Owens (owensw@nsu.law.nova.edu) who will be tabulating the answers.

There will be five trivia topics this year:

1)      Name that Movie

2)      Name that Professor

3)      Name that Library/Legal Resource

4)      Name that Case

5)      Name that Pop Culture (Person/Place/Thing)

Every week, we will post the leaderboard to the blog so that everyone can see who our top trivia players are.  Each month, a $25 prize will go to the top player.  Each semester, a $50 prize will go to the top player.  At the end of the school year, the top contender will receive a $100 prize.  In the case of a tie, players will be entered into a drawing for the prize.

For Movie questions, you will also have an additional opportunity for a prize.  The LLTC is showing six movies this year in a series called Law on the Silver Screen.  Correct answers to Movie trivia questions (regardless of the number of points) will be entered into a drawing that will take place each movie night.  Movie trivia participants who join us to enjoy the movie, popcorn, treats, and other prizes will be eligible for a special $25 prize drawing.

Because we’re getting a late start this week, two clues will be released tonight at 8 and two clues will be released tomorrow at 8, with the final clue being released Friday at 8.  If you guess tonight, you will be eligible for 30 points, tomorrow (after 7:59 pm) 20 points, and Friday (after 7:59 pm) 10 points.

Join in and learn more about law and popular culture, the law school, our faculty, library resources, and the profession!

 

Update on the rules: You may ask professors if they are the professor named.  You may not ask your fellow students or librarians.

Posted in Law Library & Technology Center, Trivia | 1 Comment »

Getting to know LLTC: Becka Rich

Posted by Becka Rich on June 10, 2011

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Champaign-Urbana, IL, home of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (yes, really).  My parents are university professors/administrators, so I spent a fair amount of time in university-run schools and walking around campus.

What year did you begin working for LLTC?

I started working for the LLTC in November, 2010. Becka Rich

Where did you work prior to LLTC?

Immediately before I started working at LLTC, I worked at the University of Illinois Law Library helping to process withdrawals, shelf pocket parts, and design a website to display new books by subject area.  Before that, I worked at the University of Illinois-Chicago assisting the Dean of the College of Educaton with education policy research, including making maps, database/data analysis, and marketing.  Prior to that, I taught elementary school, including special education and gifted classes; worked in tech support (Mac and PC); helped create online communities at a dot-com back when they were booming; created websites; was a stringer for a newspaper’s youth section; and graded/tutored calculus and statistics.

What do you do at LLTC?

As the Deputy Director, I work with Technical Services, Outreach Services, Circulation, and Reference to help the library run smoothly.  I also help faculty with their research, teach students how to do all different kinds of research, help figure out what books to buy for the collection, teach/design workshops, present in classes, and help Eric stay sane.

What do you like best about your job?

I like that, when I go into work in the morning, I never know for sure what the day is going to bring.  I’m constantly learning something new and problem-solving and even when I get asked the same question repeatedly, I’m always learning new ways to answer it.  I also love teaching and that my curiosity is constantly being rewarded.

What is your proudest accomplishment on the job?

There are two accomplishments that I’m really proud of.

One is that I was able to help a 1L who was really struggling to understand how legal research worked get on the right path after she came into my office panicked.

The other is revitalizing the faculty liaison program and creating materials for faculty about what the library could do for them.  We’ve already seen some increased activity from faculty (and students) due to the marketing and I think it will be useful for everyone.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Exercise-wise, I enjoy swimming.  There’s just something wonderful about being in the water.

I also play board, card, and computer games with friends.  Currently, my favorites are Munchkin, Apples to Apples, and Elendor.

Additionally, I am a news junkie and a prolific YA (Young Adult) Fiction reader.

Last, but not least, my best friend Pam and I, along with our cats Wilbur and Kato, enjoy watching some TV shows like Royal Pains, Dr. Who, Glee, and Castle.

Favorite food?

Strawberries, broccoli, and chocolate.

 Favorite book?

There are too many books to choose from!  Lately, I have been trying to get everyone to read the Hunger Games by Susan Collins. Terry Pratchett’s Interesting Times, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland, The Phantom Tollbooth, and the Jell-O Syndrome would all top the list. My secret vice is that I also read everything by Katie Macalister.

Is there any particular advice you would like to share with students?

 

Breathe.  Remember that eating, sleeping, and taking care of yourself can play as much a role in your success as studying.  There is life after law school.  Always use advanced search.  WestlawNext is not Google.  Everytime you don’t ask a question that you should have asked, I am very sad.  And, lastly, one of my favorite quotes:

“Years ago my mother used to say to me, she’d say, “In this world, Elwood, you must be” — she always called me Elwood — “In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.” Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.” — Elwood P. Dowd, Harvey

Posted in Getting to Know You | 1 Comment »

QR Codes! (or what is that funny looking bar code thingee?)

Posted by Becka Rich on April 29, 2011

Over the next couple of m Chart onths, you will see QR Codes appearing next to the names of librarians, faculty, and at the ends of stacks to provide additional information of who we are and how best to use resources.  

QR Codes (short for Quick Response Code) direct you to websites, videos, or other content using your mobile phone and its camera.  

QR Codes were originally created for inventory, but their appearance and ability to encode more data than a traditional barcode has lead to them being used in creative ways.

A separate application is necessary to read them on most mobile phones.

To install a QR Code reader (and get in on the fun!), go to your phone's app store just as you would for any other application (The App Store, Android Market, Blackberry App World, etc.) or visit one of the following URLs on your phone:

i-nigma reader

mobiletag

neoreader

QuickMark

  • Please use your app store

ScanLife

UpCode

BeeTagg

Kaywa

 

Posted in Law Library & Technology Center, Technology | Tagged: | Comments Off

A Region in Crisis: Research in the Middle East

Posted by Becka Rich on April 29, 2011

(Previously posted by me @ RIPS Law Librarian Blog)

With the ongoing events in the Middle East and the Ka Nefer Nefer case going on, we’ve received several questions on how to locate Middle Eastern law.  I thought that perhaps some of you might also be interested in the resources I’ve been putting together for our students. Slate has put together a great infographic about what’s going on in the Middle East, complete with links to news stories and a moving timeline. Several libraries have already put together some great guides to law in the Middle East. LLRX has also put together a guide on finding Islamic law. The Pitt Jurist and the Law Library of Congress are also great sources for links to legislatures, executives, bodies of law, and other information.  Where a Law Library of Congress page exists, it tends to link to the most primary sources and be the most comprehensive, but I’ve included several other sources as well because, depending on the research project and the languages the research speaks, different sites will be more helpful.  Of course, not every country is mentioned in every source.  The CIA World Factbook has great information on government and legal structure for countries without a lot written about them.  While they’re a great source, and I’ve linked them in each spot, I believe that the other sources are more comprehensive and helpful from a legal research angle most of the time.   For the main countries involved:

Algeria

Bahrain

Djibouti

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Ivory Coast

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Libya

Mauritania

Morocco

Oman

Palestine

Saudi Arabia

Sudan

Syria

Tunisia

Western Sahara

Yemen

Posted in Legal research | Tagged: , , | Comments Off

Stop the Hate: Join LAMBDA United Rock Out Loud on April 6

Posted by Becka Rich on March 24, 2011

Despite the fact that homosexuality is becoming more and more accepted in television and print media (see e.g. Kurt and Blaine’s kiss on Glee last week), culturally and socially homosexuality is far from accepted in certain communities.

Last October, during a string of suicides and hate crimes due to homosexuality, two gay teenagers and a 30-year-old gay male were beaten tortured by nine friends who called themselves the Latin King Goonies. The group beat and sodomized one teenager to force him to admit to having the 30-year-old as his lover and then went and picked up the second teenager who they not only beat and sodomized, but forced to assist in torturing the 30-year-old. The 30-year-old was also forced to consume the 10 cans of Four Loko (the equivalent of roughly 50 cans of beer) that he had brought with him, thinking he had been invited to a party, over the course of the torture. At the time, the formula of Four Loko also contained an energy drink and caffeine, leading to the drink subsequently being banned in several states for being a “blackout in a can.”

Fortunately, none of the men involved in this incident died, though others did earlier that year because of their sexuality. However, this heinous act is proof of the extent to which people will go to abuse homosexuals. The public needs to be educated on the abuses that homosexuals are enduring so that the abuse and hate can end.

LAMBDA United, a student-run organization in the law school, is taking a stand against hate crimes such as this. We are dedicated to educating the public about hate crimes and raising awareness about the harms that are still occurring. On April 6, 2011 from 11:00 AM-1:00PM LAMBDA United will be hosting its annual Rock Out Loud that raises awareness about hate crimes.

This year activist-singer Es Oh (follow her on Facebook) will perform and candidate for Oakland Park City Commissioner John Adornato is scheduled to be the guest speaker. The funds raised from this event will go toward a non-profit organization, Fight Out Loud which is a national organization that aims at educating the public to fight discrimination and hate.

(guest post by Martavis T. Clarke, LAMBDA United VP)

Posted in Law school | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

 
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