Preview: ABA Techshow 2017

The ABA Techshow 2017: Conference & Expo will kick off on March 15th in Chicago. The three days that follow will be packed with programs and presentations -- even a hackathon! -- that run the gamut of all things legal tech: cybersecurity, e-discovery, artificial intelligence, automation, mobile apps, the blockchain, and so much more.

Legal innovation and the business of law will take center stage as a panel of keynote speakers, representing the biggest names in legal disruption, assemble for a wide-ranging, open discussion. They will explore the conflict and compatibility of the legal profession's foundational values and the potential opportunities of using technology to benefit attorneys and clients.

Rare Find: Signed copy of Wigmore's Panorama of the World's Legal Systems

The Harris County Law Library has been collecting legal publications for more than 100 years and our historical collection is home to many rare and unique works. Once in a while, we find something so singular that we have to share our find. Earlier this month, a library staff member opened a book cover and discovered the signature of one of the most recognizable names in legal bibliography - John Henry Wigmore.

Wigmore was a well-respected law librarian, professor of law, and dean of Northwestern School of Law in the early 20th century who is remembered as one of the legal community's most respected scholars for his work Wigmore on Evidence. Even today, the preeminent treatise on evidence - The New Wigmore - drops the subject in its title in favor of the original author whose name is synonymous with the topic. Find more on this extraordinary scholar in the Fall 2013 issue of LH&RB on the American Association of Law Libraries website.

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The signed book is a 1936 copy of Panorama of the World's Legal Systems. The work first appeared as a 3-volume set that provided a unique comparison of various legal systems, complete with photographs, illustrations, and maps. In 1936, West publishing released the library edition to make the content more widely available. As the "intent was to popularize the study of comparative law," making the format more accessible helped Wigmore's ideas about foreign legal systems travel well beyond academia. The Law Library's copy found its way onto the shelves of a local practicing attorney who represented Texas oil companies in the early 20th century and was donated along with other volumes at the end of his practice.

Latest & Greatest: Litigation with the Federal Government

By Gregory C. Sisk

Published by West Academic Publishing

KF 9065 .L472 2016

It is relatively common knowledge in the legal community that the Federal Government is a party to every federal criminal case. Yet few are aware that the Government is a party in nearly 20 percent of all civil cases filed in the federal courts. In these matters come the special rules surrounding sovereign immunity and the waiver of that immunity. In his book, Litigation with the Federal Government, author Gregory C. Sisk seeks to explain the concept of sovereign immunity and provide a summary of the various statutory waivers of sovereign immunity, both specific and general. He discusses, in some detail, the requirements needed to bring suit under the Federal Torts Claim Act and both the standards for and exceptions to liability under the statute. Other statutes include Suits in Admiralty Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Social Security Act, to name a few. Sisk also devotes some discussion to claims against federal officers and employees, including those seeking money damages and those looking to compel the officer or employee to perform a specific duty. The author also addresses the notion of equitable estoppel in the instance when the Federal Government is bound by the unauthorized representations by its employees. Lastly, the author discusses the Federal Government’s power to sue as a plaintiff.

Note that this book is part of the Hornbook Series, a set of one-volume treatises designed as study aids that simplify a legal topic by providing a summary or overview of the topic. They are good resources for those who want to understand more about a legal subject without having to sort through complex cases as well as for those who are representing themselves.

Collect and Curate Content with Read It Later Apps

How do you save online content for later retrieval? Do you bookmark the webpage or article that you plan to visit or read again? Bookmarks are good tools for maintaining a directory of frequently accessed websites within your browser, but when you bookmark a page, you are simply creating an anchor, a digital marker for each site you visit on a regular basis. This can be a useful tool indeed, but it offers no value-added features such as tagging, note-taking, or highlighting. Instead, try using a "read it later" app or browser extension such as Pocket, Instapaper, or GoogleKeep. All three offer additional features that browser bookmarks do not. For a good review of three of the most popular apps, see this article in PC World.

In addition to Pocket and Instapaper referenced above, PC World also mentions Facebook Save, a read it later tool built right into the popular social media platform, which allows you store content, discovered via your Facebook newsfeed, for access at a later date. All of these tools are useful, and each has features that provide an advantage over the others. Compare what each has to offer, and decide for yourself which application works best for you!

Free Westlaw CLE from the Legal Tech Institute

The Legal Tech Institute at the Harris County Law Library is hosting a free Westlaw CLE this week. To register, visit the Course Calendar on the Legal Tech Institute website.

Join us on Thursday, February 16, 12:00pm to 1:00pm 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.

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