Want to read something just for fun over winter break? The Law Library has you covered!

 For those of you staying in the Twin Cities over break, consider spending some time exploring the Hedin Law, Literature & the Arts Collection. Located just inside the wooden doors on the second floor of the Law Library, the Law and Literature collection features all kinds of law-related fiction, ranging from Kafka’s The Trial to Grisham’s The Firm. The collection also features law-related television series and films on DVD (including adaptations of the two works mentioned in the previous sentence.) 

If you’re heading somewhere else for winter break, stop by before you take off to pick up something to read on the plane–think of how fancy and cultured you’d look flipping through a physical, analog book!

(Image generated by DALL-E)

Library Resources for the Home Stretch!

Research & Exam Prep Resources

Whether you’re working on a writing assignment or getting course outlines in shape and preparing for upcoming exams, the Law Library has resources to help you!  

Reference Librarians

Get research help from our Reference librarians 7 days/week in person and remotely. 

Study Aids

Access eBook and print copies of a wide variety of study aids covering all 1L and most 2L & 3L courses. Bear in mind that study aids are a supplement, and not a substitute for your own notes/outlines and advice provided by your course instructors. You can access eBook titles for many popular study aid series from these three major publishers:

West Academic Study Aids, includes Hornbooks, Concepts & Insights, Nutshell, and many other series.

Aspen Learning Library, includes Examples & Explanations, Emmanuel Crunchtime, Emmanuel Law Outlines, and Glannon Guides, and other series.

LexisNexis Digital Library/Carolina Academic Press, includes the Understanding, Mastering, and the Question & Answers series.

CALI Lessons

CALI has over 1,000 online, interactive tutorials covering narrow topics of law for a wide range of 1L and 2L-3L courses, including a tutorial on how to prepare for exams. To access CALI tutorials, you first need to register with an Authorization Code that you can get from the Law Library Reference Office (625-4309 or law-ref@umn.edu).

Sample Exams & Model Answers

Are there sample exams and/or model answers available for my courses? 

First, check your course Canvas site or check with your professor to see if they will be making them available.

Some faculty members will grant permission and provide copies of sample/past exams for the Law Library to place in binders for students to access. These binders are available at the Circulation desk for you to make print or digital copies using the photocopier/scanner in the law library lobby. Please be courteous and use only one binder at a time, and do not remove binders from the circulation desk area.

Bloomberg Law, Lexis+ & Westlaw Access for Grads & Continuing Students

 Summer 2023 & Beyond

*Employers may prefer/require the use of the employer-issued ID & password for client work.

Spring 2023 Graduates have continued access through Nov. 30, 2023. This access is automatic (no registration required) and is unlimited and unrestricted. 

Continuing Students: you have continued access to Bloomberg Law over the summer. This access is automatic (no registration required) and is unlimited and unrestricted.

If you have any questions, please contact the Bloomberg Law Help Desk or our dedicated Client Service Partner, Debra Ngcobo.

*Employers may prefer/require the use of the employer-issued ID & password for client work.

Lexis+ Graduate Access: Lexis has extended the date through which 3L Spring Graduates can access Lexis+. Spring 2023 graduates will continue to have access to Lexis+ on their law school ID through December 31, 2023. This extended access is automatic – no registration is required and there are no restrictions or limits on research time. Your Lexis law student account will automatically switch to a graduate account. This ongoing free use of Lexis+ includes all products and features available on a law school ID with the exception of Public Records, Practical Guidance, Law360 and Lexis for Microsoft Office. Lexis Rewards Points for 3L Spring Graduates will expire on June 30, 2023. Don’t forget to spend or donate your Lexis Rewards points before that date! 3L Spring Graduates, watch your email for a special graduation gift from Lexis. Graduate gift choices include one of the following: Intelligize (6-months from date of redemption), Law360 (6-months from date of redemption), Practical Guidance (6-months from date of redemption), Lexis for Microsoft Office (6-months from date of redemption) or One of 13 LexisNexis eBooks.

Lexis ASPIRE Program: provides 12 months of free access to federal and state cases, codes, regulations, law reviews, Shepard's® Citation Service and Matthew Bender® treatises to graduates who are engaged in verifiable 501(c)(3) public interest work. Apply for ASPIRE access at: https://lexisnexis.com/grad-access/

Lexis+ Summer Access: All other continuing law school students automatically have summer access to Lexis+ using their Lexis law school ID. You may use your Lexis law school ID for academic, professional and non-profit research. It may be used during work for a firm, clerkship, internship or externship, whether in a paid or non-paid position. There is no limit on the number of hours you can use Lexis to conduct research. Employers may ask you to use a different ID when researching for a client, so be sure to check with your employer. If you have any questions, you may contact our Lexis Academic Account Representative, Sarah Bigler at sarah.bigler@lexisnexis.com

*Employers may prefer/require the use of the employer-issued ID & password for client work.

Spring 2023 Graduates have access to Westlaw Precision, Practical Law, Practical Law Connect, Drafting Assistant and Doc & Form Builder for 18 months after graduation. Your “Grad Elite” access gives you 60-hours of usage on these products per month to meet any research needs.

To extend access logon at: www.lawschool.westlaw.com.

Questions? Contact our Thomson Reuters Academic Account Manager, Peter Lippmann.

Continuing Students: you can use Westlaw and Practical Law, over the summer for non-commercial research. You can turn to these resources to gain understanding and build confidence in your research skills, but you cannot use them in situations where you are billing a client. Examples of permissible uses for your academic password include:

Summer coursework
Research assistant assignments
Law Review or Journal research
Moot Court research
Non-Profit work
Clinical work
Externship sponsored by the school

You do not have to do anything to gain access to these tools over the summer. If you have any questions, please contact our Thomson Reuters Academic Account Manager, Peter Lippmann.

New Military Legal Resources Database

 New on HeinOnline: Military Legal Resources (U.S. Army JAG School)

This new collection of military law materials contains publications produced by the JAG on military justice, war crimes, and international law. The collection was developed by Hein in conjunction with the William Winthrop Memorial Library of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's School. It also includes rare 19th century works on military law and justice, and the complete works of Colonel William Winthrop. Consult the HeinOnline LibGuide, Military Legal Resources (U.S. Army JAG School) for more information on the collection and helpful research tips.