Looking Back - John Marshall

January 20, 1801 – President John Adams appointed John Marshall Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  Chief Justice Marshall remained in the position for over 34 years, making him the longest-serving Chief Justice. Chief Justice Marshall was perhaps best known for his opinion in Marbury v. Madison, the case that established the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review. Marbury sought a writ of mandamus from the United States Supreme Court to compel Madison, the then-Secretary of State, to deliver him the commission to which he was entitled. The Court disagreed, holding that Section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789, which gave the Supreme Court the power to issue writs of mandamus in “cases warranted,” was void because it was in direct conflict with Article III, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, which limited the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction to those cases specifically enumerated. Thus, the Court set a precedent making any law that conflicted with the Constitution of the United States void.

If you would like to read this case or learn more about it, you can go to the website of the Legal Information Institute  or visit the Harris County Law Library.

Access HeinOnline On Your Mobile Device @ HCLL

Access HeinOnline via HCLL WiFi

Modern legal research is accomplished on a variety of screens from laptops to tablets and smartphones. At the Harris County Law Library, all of these devices are welcome. Free WiFi is available, and now, you have free access to the Law Library’s HeinOnline subscription when your device is connected to HCLL WiFi.

What’s included

HeinOnline is an excellent database for law review and historical research. The Law Library’s subscription includes a full catalog of U.S. law reviews and journals, which give you access to cutting-edge legal topics not yet covered in practice guides and extensive citations to topical materials. The subscription also includes several historical databases of interest to Harris County legal researchers, including Texas Session Laws: 1836-2013 for legislative history research. All databases are fully searchable and results are displayed using Hein’s signature reproductions of actual pages from the printed sources.

Get connected

When accessing HeinOnline through the Law Library’s WiFi, you have two options:

1.      Using a browser, visit home.heinonline.org and click the “Log In” button. This process will redirect your browser to the database once your location is authenticated.

2.      You may also use the HeinOnline App on your tablet or smartphone to connect. Download the app to your device and simply open it while connected to HCLL WiFi. As a bonus for using the App, you can continue to access the database on any network for 30 days after you connect via HCLL WiFi.

Visit HCLL today to get started.

Latest and Greatest – SMART Marketing for the Small Firm Lawyer

Smart Marketing for the Small Firm Lawyer

Kenneth Vercammen

American Bar Association

KF316.5 .V47 2014

You need to attract clients to your firm – that’s business 101. But for the solo or small firm practitioner who is already practicing law, managing staff, and paying the rent, marketing seems easy to place squarely on the back burner. That can be especially true if digital marketing tools seem a little foreign – like, what is the difference between a blog post and a LinkedIn® update anyway?

That’s where SMART Marketing for the Small Firm Lawyer comes into play. This publication from the ABA General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division breaks down various types of marketing tools – from blogs and websites to social media – and provides links to examples from the author’s own marketing efforts. Subsequent chapters simplify daily and low-cost marketing practices small firm lawyers can implement to expand their business and provide tips on content creation and crafting promotional materials. Regardless of where you are on the marketing know-how spectrum, this resource can help you improve your marketing strategies and attract more clients.

Visit the Law Library to discover a copy of SMART Marketing for the Small Firm Lawyer today!

Topical Research Guides

Research guides are a mainstay of law library offerings throughout the country. Here at the Harris County Law Library, we offer 8 guides on our website, 7 of which you can find in print on location next to the Texas Collection. These guides provide quick access to the best resources on your topic. For example, our Law Practice Management Research Guide points you toward the best options at HCLL for learning about law office technology, legal research and writing, and attorney liability. Each research guide also includes a “Practice Essentials” section on page one that gives you quick access to the most-used resources you need to get started. All guides are updated regularly to give you the most current and accurate information available.

Since this is the 21st century, our guides also include information about our digital collection. All titles marked with an “e” can also be found for free on HCLL’s research computers through our WestlawNext, Lexis Advance, O’Connor’s Online, and other databases. WestlawNext and Lexis Advance make it especially easy to find the right resource – simply start typing the title as it appears in our research guide into the search box and a link to that database will appear in below {see screenshot}. From there, you can search, download, and print quickly and easily.

Research guides from the Harris County Law Library make it easy to get into the law library, get your research done, and get on with your life. Try one today!

Latest and Greatest - The "In One Hour" Series

In One Hour series

ABA Law Practice Management Section

The Harris County Law Library is excited to offer several technology resources from the American Bar Association’s Law Practice Management Section, which we refer to as the “In One Hour” series.

  • LinkedIn® in One Hour for Lawyers explains how LinkedIn® can help you market and expand your business and get clients.
  • Facebook® in One Hour for Lawyers offers simple advice for creating a profile, establishing a business page, and developing a strategy to grow your network.
  • iPad in One Hour for Lawyers offers short lessons on how to use and get the most out of your iPad.
  • iPad in Hour for Litigators demonstrates how an iPad can assist you when trying a case, from gathering case information to discovery to using the iPad in court.
  • iPad Apps in One Hour for Lawyers can help you navigate through the more than 80,000 apps that are available for the iPad and choose the ones that can help you organize your business, store your documents, and keep track of your time and billing.

These books are available at the reference desk. Just ask a law librarian for assistance.