Author Archives: Linda Holmes

Two Landmark Supreme Court Decisions in Two Days

The United States Supreme Court on Thursday, June 25, 2015 upheld federal health insurance subsidies for moderate and low income Americans as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

The vote was 6-3, with the majority opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, Jr. The Court ruled that subsidies are valid even in those states that did not set up their own exchanges. This decision, in King v. Burwell, was the second time in three years that the Supreme Court upheld provisions of “Obamacare,” that otherwise might have decimated the law.  The Court upheld the law’s individual mandate in 2012 in National Federation of Independent Business, et al. v. Sebelius.

The Court also handed down another major decision on Friday, June 26, 2015 in Obergefell v. Hodges. By a vote of 5-4, the Court ruled that states cannot ban same-sex couples from getting married.  This decision establishes a national right to same-sex marriage throughout the country and requires states to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. The majority opinion was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy.

 

New York State Adopts the Uniform Bar Examination

uniform bar examOn April 30, 2015 the New York State Court of Appeals, which oversees legal education in the state, amended the rules of admission to the bar to adopt the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE).  The UBE is a uniform battery of tests that are administered simultaneously in all UBE jurisdictions.  It consists of the Multistate Bar Examination, the Multistate Performance Test and the Multistate Essay Examination.

Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman gave notice to the bar on Tuesday, May 5th that New York State had adopted the Uniform Bar Examination.  New York becomes the sixteenth state to adopt the UBE, which is prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

New York will officially adopt the UBE in July 2016.  Those passing the exam will be able to apply for admission in any of the other states offering the UBE, thereby expanding their employment opportunities.  All of the other states currently offering the UBE are smaller than New York State.  Over 15,000 people took the bar exam in New York State in 2015.

The current UBE states are now:

  1. Alabama,
  2. Alaska
  3. Arizona
  4. Colorado
  5. Idaho
  6. Kansas
  7. Minnesota
  8. Missouri
  9. Montana
  10. Nebraska
  11. New Hampshire
  12. New York
  13. North Dakota
  14. Utah
  15. Washington
  16. Wyoming

An applicant for admission in New York must also take and complete an online course in New York-specific law, known as the New York Law Course (NYLC) and must take and pass an online examination, known as the New York Law Exam (NYLE).  It is anticipated that the NYLC and the NYLE will be available in Spring 2016.  Effective October 1, 2016, an applicant who sat for the UBE in another jurisdiction may transfer the score earned on that examination to New York in lieu of taking the UBE in New York.

For further details on the Uniform Bar Examination in New York State, see the following:

Court of Appeals Notice to the Bar

Board of Law Examiners UBE Informational Guide

Bar Exam Study Options at Local Law School Libraries

If you are a Brooklyn Law School student who is taking a bar review course at another law school, or would like to use another law school library to study for the bar exam, you will be pleased to know that you may have access to other law libraries, usually for a fee.  The policies and costs vary from library to library.  Librarian Mary Godfrey-Rickards of Hofstra Law School Library has compiled a chart with the pertinent information for each school.

Click here to view the bar exam study chart for summer 2015.

Exam Etiquette 101

While the library staff wishes all students the best of luck on their exams, we want to remind you about library etiquette while studying during this important time:

  • No eating in the library, including the elevator corridors.
  • No talking in the reading rooms, and please keep your voices down while using the study rooms.
  • Please do not move chairs from room to room on the 3rd floor.
  • Study rooms must now be reserved through the online reservations system; each student may reserve one room for up to for hours per day.

And now for the good news:  Ear plugs, if needed, are available at the circulation desk and chocolate candy will be available each day next week at 12Noon at the circulation desk.

Good luck!

Study Room Reservations & Library Hours for the Reading/Exam Period: April 30 – May 15, 2015

  • studyroomDuring the reading and exam period, you must make a reservation to use a library study room.  Mandatory study room reservations will begin on Thursday, April 30, 2015 at 8:00am; at that time all study rooms will be locked and you must go to the first floor circulation desk to charge out the key to the room at the time of your reservation.  Please use the link to the study room reservations which is on the library homepage under “Related Links.

Study Room Policies:

  • Study rooms are for the use of groups of two or more students
  • Study rooms may be reserved for the current day and two days ahead
  • Study rooms may be reserved for periods from 30 minutes up to four hours
  • Students are permitted to reserve one study room for a maximum of four hours per day
  • Study room reservations are monitored and reservations violating these policies will be deleted
  • Instructions for making reservations and a list of rooms available are on the study room reservations page

Library Hours for the Reading & Exam Period:

  • Thursday, April 30 – Thursday, May 14, 2015:  8:00am – 2:00am
  • April 30 – May 14:  The circulation desk closes at 12Midnight; no books can be charged out after Midnight
  • Friday, May 15:  8:00am – 10:00pm

Library Hours for the Writing Competition Weekend:

  • Saturday, May 16:  9:00am – 2:00am
  • Sunday, May 17:  8:00am – 2:00am

Reminders:

  • Please limit all conversations in the library; remember that your colleagues are studying too.
  • There is no eating in the library; please go to the student lounge or cafeteria for snacks and meals.
  • Do not leave valuables unattended.  If you step away from your study table or carrel, take anything of value to you with you.

Good luck on your exams and have a great summer!

 

 

Summer Access (& Beyond) to Bloomberg Law, Lexis & Westlaw

0e2ba5_c6af0e49ed0e47a9a37a6829ff43672b.png_srz_173_140_85_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_png_srzThe three legal research databases, Bloomberg Law, Lexis Advance and WestlawNext, are available to Brooklyn Law School students this summer.  May 2015 graduates will also have access to these databases for six months after graduation.  See the details below:

 

Bloomberg Law:  Provides unlimited and unrestricted access over the summer.  Student accounts will remain active and available all summer.  Students may use Bloomberg Law without restrictions.  Graduating students have continued access for six months after graduation.

For questions, contact Erica Horton, Esq, Law School Relationship Manager, Bloomberg BNA, ehorton@bna.com, 1-800-542-1113, ext. 1884.

Lexis Advance:  Students will have continuing access all summer for academic, professional and non-profit research.  All legal and news content will be available and there is no limitation on the number of hours of use.  Graduating students will have extended access until December 31, 2015.

Lexis ASPIRE:  Students graduating in Spring 2015 working for a non-profit 501(c)(3) employer may apply for an ASPIRE ID which provides free access to Lexis Advance for as long as their non-profit work continues, until September 1, 2016.  ASPIRE provides free access to federal and state cases, codes, regulations, law reviews, Shepard’s, and Matthew Bender treatises to use in their non-profit employment.

  • Use the Graduate ID Form which will open ASPIRE details and extended access to Lexis Advance when you fill in your non-profit employment status.
  • Review the eligibility requirements, and if your non-profit employment qualifies, use the Graduate Program form to apply for an ASPIRE ID.  You will need to provide verifying documentation.

For questions, contact Mary Beth Drain, LexisNexis Account Executive, marybeth.drain@lexisnexis.com, 845-598-3203.

WestlawNext:  Students may extend their passwords for the following academic uses on WestlawNext:

  • Summer law school classes and study abroad programs
  • Law Review & Journal, including writing competitions
  • Research assistant
  • Moot Court
  • Unpaid internship/externship

To extend their passwords, students can select the “Need Westlaw this Summer” banner on the Westlaw homepage for continued access.  They can then complete the online summer extension form to request the summer extension.

Graduating students will need to complete an online password extension request on the Westlaw homepage for continued access.  Once they complete the online extension request, they will have continued access through November 30, 2015.

For questions, contact Stefanie Efrati, Academic Account Manager, Thomson Reuters, stefanie.efrati@thomsonreuters.com, 212-548-7432.

 

March is Women’s History Month: Women & the Law

images_106The month of March every year is Women’s History Month.  Each year the Library celebrates March with a book display in the first floor display case opposite the elevator.  These books will be back on the shelves and available for loan on April 1st. If you have an interest in any of them now, just go to the first floor reference desk and we’ll retrieve the book for you immediately.

During this month the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society are highlighted with professional conferences and social activities throughout the country.

Each year the President issues a proclamation reminding us of the contributions American women have made to American society.  See this year’s proclamation from President Obama here.

Also see the American Bar Association’s report entitled A Current Glance at Women in the Law, published in July 2014, which gives statistics on the number of women in the legal profession, the number of women in the judiciary, the number of women in law schools, the number of women on law reviews, etc.  The report can be found here.  Great strides have been made, but more progress is needed.

To read about how far women have come in the legal profession and some of the issues that they still encounter, see the selected titles below about women and the law in the Library.

Pioneering Women Lawyers: From Kate Stoneman to the Present

The Rhetoric of Supreme Court Women

Women and the Law Stories

Learning to Lead: What Really Works for Women in Law

Women Attorneys Speak Out! How Practicing Law is Different for Women than for Men

Women on Top—The Woman’s Guide to Leadership and Power in Law Firms

Sisters-in-Law: An Uncensored Guide for Women Practicing Law in the Real World

It’s Harder in Heels: Essays by Women Lawyers Achieving Work-Life Balance

Legally Mom: Real Women’s Stories of Balancing Motherhood & Law Practice

And finally, there is a quarterly publication from the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Professions:  Perspectives – A Magazine For and About Women Lawyers.

 

 

 

Spring Break Hours

winter-into-springThe Library hours for the BLS spring recess are:

Saturday, March 7:  9am – 10pm

Sunday, March 8:  10am – 10pm

Monday, March 9 – Saturday, March 14:  9am – 10pm

Sunday, March 15:  10am – 12am

For future Library hours, be sure to check out our new daily calendar which can be found on the Library homepage, in the lower right corner.

After a long, cold, snowy winter, enjoy your spring break!

Valentine’s Day: Titles from the BLS Library on Love & the Law

imagesNOSVKOX2Valentine’s Day, celebrated this year on Saturday, February 14th, is considered a day of romance to celebrate love and spending time with that special someone.  Hearts, candy, flowers, and dinner dates are all symbols and activities of this special day.  Valentine’s Day can even lead to proposals, engagements and marriages, which hopefully will lead to long and happy lives for the lucky couples.

Below are titles from the BLS Library about marriage, same-sex marriage, marital agreements, etc., including one entitled Should You Marry a Lawyer? and an article from BLS Law Notes about “Lawyers in Love: Alumni Who Met at BLS and Married.”

Marriage:

Cott, Nancy, Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation (2000)

Lind, Goran, Common Law Marriage: A Legal Institution for Cohabitation (2008)

Maillard, Kevin, Loving v. Virginia in a Post-Racial World: Rethinking Race, Sex and Marriage (2012)

Same-Sex Marriage:

Klarman, Michael, From the Closet to the Altar (2012)

Mello, Michael, Legalizing Gay Marriage (2004)

Moats, David, Civil Wars: A Battle for Gay Marriage (2004)

Pierceson, Jason, Same-Sex Marriage in the United States (2013)

Pinello, Daniel, America’s Struggle for Same-Sex Marriage (2006)

Premarital Agreements:

Dublin, Arlene, Prenups for Lovers: A Romantic Guide to Prenuptial Agreements (1993)

Hertz, Frederick, Counseling Unmarried Couples (2014)

Ravdin, Linda, Premarital Agreements: Drafting and Negotiation (2011)

Winer, Edward, Premarital and Marital Contracts (1993)

Divorce:

Abraham, Jed, From Courtship to Courtroom (1999)

Gold-Bikin, Lynne, The Divorce Trial Manual (2003)

Herman, Gregg, The Joy of Settlement (1997)

Turner, Brett, Attacking and Defending Marital Agreements (2012)

Marriage and the Lawyer:

Travis, Fiona, Should You Marry a Lawyer? (2004)

BLS Law Notes, Mergers & Acquisitions: Lawyers in Love: Alumni Who Met at BLS and Married, by Angela Strong (Spring 2010)

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day!