In 2016, during Geography Awareness Week, Ex Libris Juris featured a brief discussion of GIS mapping technology and its applications for understanding Access to Justice (A2J). In the years since, opportunities for GIS data analysis in the A2J community have only grown. Today, November 20, is GIS Day, the perfect time to highlight additional uses of GIS software for analysis of datasets relevant to law. An assortment of GIS applications for legal contexts are mentioned in the list below, alongside two additional short compilations—a sampling of StoryMaps and a beginner’s collection of mapping tools for your own GIS projects.
Read moreIntroducing the LAWPod: Bridging the Justice Gap on Law Day 2024
As we commemorate Law Day 2024, dedicated to celebrating the principles of democracy and the rule of law, we are thrilled to unveil a groundbreaking initiative that embodies these values: the LAWPod. Developed through a significant collaboration between the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library and the Harris County Public Library, the LAWPod initiative is poised to revolutionize legal access and empowerment within our community.
Read moreELI5: The Unauthorized Practice of Law
The unauthorized practice of law (UPL) is something that law librarians who work directly with the public have to always keep in mind.
Read moreABA Profile of the Legal Profession: A Closer Look at Civil Legal Aid
On November 30, 2023, the American Bar Association released its fifth annual Profile of the Legal Profession. This free report, a 140-page compilation of statistics and trends about lawyers, judges, and law students, includes sections on demographics, wages, law schools, judges, pro bono work, women in the profession, legal technology, lawyer well-being, and lawyer discipline. One additional chapter — a review of civil legal aid in the United States — is the feature we wish to explore in today’s blog post.
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