International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day, a celebration of the social, cultural, political, and economic contributions of women throughout the world. It is also a call to action for people everywhere to engage in events that promote gender parity and equal rights in all aspects of life, both professional and domestic. On International Women's Day, we recognize those women of the past whose achievements have been overlooked as well as the accomplishments of those who are making positive changes in women's lives today. It is a day for recognizing women in leadership positions who #PressForProgress, paving the way for other women who seek opportunities to lead. 

Finally, International Women's Day is a time to celebrate the achievements of women in the legal profession, just as the Harvard Women's Law Association has done for the last several years by recognizing women in the fields of law and policy. The 5th Annual Harvard Law School International Women’s Day Portrait Exhibit features 25 inspiring women from widely diverse backgrounds who are champions for vulnerable populations and advocates in the areas of immigrant rights, legal aid, indigenous peoples' rights, social justice, civil and human rights, LGBT rights, and animal rights. This distinguished assembly of accomplished women is an impressive and awe-inspiring group of honorees. As people around the world continue to #PressForProgress, the examples of these 25 remarkable women inspire and challenge us all to work for change that benefits women (and all people) around the world.

In addition to celebrating International Women' Day, the Law Library is celebrating Women's History Month. Visit the Law Library to view our exhibit which pays tribute to the life and accomplishments of a remarkable woman, Camille Elizabeth Stanford Openshaw. At a time when women’s educational and career options were very limited, Ms. Openshaw excelled not only as an attorney but as a leader in the local legal community. An accompanying digital exhibit can be viewed on the Law Library's website.

Also, a previous Ex Libris Juris blog post focused on the great number and variety of institutes, organizations, and professional alliances that now exist to support and promote women in the law. These organizations, including those listed below, call attention to the legal aspects of issues long-championed by women rights advocates such as education, employment, economic security, child care, and reproductive rights. 

• Center for Women in Law
• Ms. JD
• National Association of Women Lawyers
• National Women’s Law Center

Court News: March Madness Research Guide, Promoting Successful Brackets for All

March Madness has struck, and the Harris County Law Library has a cure. If you are a Houston Bar Association member who is participating in the Bracket Challenge, or just a college basketball fan in need of some guidance in completing your bracket, the Harris County Law Library can help! We have assembled a March Madness Research Guide with information and links to insider data from sports experts at ESPN, SB Nation, Sports Illustrated, FoxSports, the Bleacher Report, and more. Get the inside scoop from experienced basketball pros, such as statisticians, researchers, and correspondents, as well as former players who know the game from the inside out. On the line-up are:

Chris Dobbertean: College basketball contributor and resident bracketologist at SBNation and editor of Blogging the Bracket

Reid Gettys: Part-time NCAA basketball analyst for ESPN, lead attorney for ExxonMobil, and part of the "Phi Slama Jama" era of the early 1980s, who participated in three Final Fours and had two national championship appearances. Follow him on Twitter @reidgettys.

Joe Lunardi: College basketball analyst for ESPN who is best known for creating Bracketology. He correctly predicted all 65 teams to appear in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and all 68 teams for the 2013 tournament. Wow!

Jerry Palm: Resident Sports Geek at CBS Sports and a pioneer in predicting the March Madness bracket and in understanding the tournament selection process. Follow him online at CBS Sports, NCAA Basketball.

John Rothstein: College Basketball Insider for CBS Sports and host of the College Hoops Today podcast, as well as a driving force behind Bleacher Report. Get the app here for Apple and Android.

Check out what these and other NCAA basketball experts have to offer in helping you build your bracket. Click on the image above to view the Harris County Law Library Research Guide for even more tips from the pros. Good luck, bracket hopefuls. May the best bracket win!

Introducing EVA: Artificial Intelligence from ROSS

ROSS is an advanced legal research tool that leverages the power of artificial intelligence to make legal research more efficient. ROSS covers three areas of law: Bankruptcy, Intellectual Property, and Labor & Employment, providing you with on-demand answers to your legal questions. Best of all, ROSS uses natural language processing so you can enter your search queries using familiar language, not specialized search terms, connectors, or commands.

In recent weeks, ROSS Intelligence has launched its second standalone AI application called EVA, a free tool that allows users to upload legal briefs for analysis and review. After uploading a brief, EVA will check if cited cases are still good law and find cases that use similar language. EVA will also hyperlink all cases within the brief so they can be easily accessed and viewed in the ROSS database. Users can request a General Overview of any selected case at the click of a button, revealing the positive and negative treatment of the case and extracting key points of law within the case that closely answer any substantive question you ask. 

Artificial intelligence is gaining popularity in all fields, and the law is no exception. As users become familiar with AI as a legal research tool, the possibilities for "robot lawyering" will expand. Robots are unlikely to replace lawyers any time soon, if ever, despite media reports that sometimes sensationalize the impact of AI technologies. However, there is no doubt that technology will continue to shape the practice of law. EVA is just the latest development in AI technology to impact the legal profession in a very real and accessible way. Eliminating the cost barrier to accessing such sophisticated technology is a true benefit for EVA users.

Women's History Month: Camille E. S. Openshaw

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Harris County Law Library is paying tribute the life and accomplishments of a remarkable woman, Camille Elizabeth Stanford Openshaw.  At a time when women’s educational and career options were very limited, Ms. Openshaw excelled not only as an attorney but as a leader in the local legal community.

Just five years after graduating from South Texas College of Law in 1930, she was elected to the board of directors of the Lawyers Library Association, the first woman to hold the position. She later distinguished herself as a founding partner of the Houston law firm, McIntosh & Openshaw. But perhaps her most sensational claim to fame was her representation of former bank robber, kidnapper, murderer, and fugitive, Raymond Hamilton, whose exploits with the infamous Clyde Barrow Gang resulted in his ultimate execution. Despite Ms. Openshaw’s best efforts to spare his life with a last-minute plea to the State Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin, Hamilton was put to death on May 10, 1935.

To learn more about Ms. Openshaw, please visit the Harris County Law Library’s downtown location, where an exhibit honoring her accomplishments will be on display throughout the month of March. An accompanying digital exhibit can be viewed on the library’s website.

Latest & Greatest – NewSpace Commercialisation and the Law

Edited by Md Tanveer Ahmad & Jinyuan Su

Published by McGill Centre for Research in Air and Space Law

KZD 1141 .M36 2017

A collection of papers presented at the 3rd Manfred Lachs International Conference on NewSpace Commercialisation and the Law held in Montreal, Canada, NewSpace Commercialisation and the Law presents a snapshot of the current status and future of global space exploration as well as the issues and challenges facing space law, policies, and regulations. The term "NewSpace" refers to the movement associated with entrepreneurial endeavors surrounding commercial human space flight and the development of technologies to assist governmental and private space activities. This book aims to address emerging issues and problems that confront both commercial and governmental space programs. Written by scientists, legal experts, and academics, the papers presented in this book cover such diverse topics as space governance, legal aspects of private space stations, satellite miniaturization, avoiding harmful contamination in the exploration and use of outer space, active debris removal, and commercial satellites for military purposes.

The reality of space exploration and the technologies associated with it are no longer merely something you read about in a science fiction novel. The future is here, and the future is now. Read about it in NewSpace Commercialisation and the Law.