Student Services
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Exams
The Law Library receives copies of released exams from the Law School's Registrar's Office in print format. We scan these to make them available online to our students, then we bind the print format, and shelve it in Reference.
The Law Library does not receive exams that the Professors have elected not to release to the library. Some professors release their exams through alternative methods, such as online sites they have set up.
No Summer 2010 exams were released for posting.
See also: IP exams
Information Literacy : Legal Research Classes
Legal Research and Information Literacy
(2 credits, Fall)
Professors Gire, Landau, Hemstock and Cavicchi
This course is required in fall of the first year and is graded by performance on a Research Midterm and a Research Final and on completion of two practicuums and twelve research assignments completed throughout the semester.
For research, students learn the types of legal authorities generated by the American legal system. Students learn how to use basic secondary legal resources, how to access and validate primary authority, and how to develop a strategy for completion of research projects. Classes in research are typically divided into thirds: an introductory discussion of the material, a hands-on experience in the stacks, and practical experience in online research.
Law Practice Information Literacy: Legal Research
(1 credit, Spring)
Professor Tom Hemstock
This course is for second and third year students and is graded on the completion of a Collection Development project. Students produce a written document which details the materials they would need to access in order to practice a specific type of law in a specific location.
LPIL is for students who want to explore print and online research sources in depth and to refine their skills as cost effective researchers. There is some review of basic research tools and strategies, but the purpose of the course is to examine areas of research not covered in Legal Skills 1 and 2. These areas include administrative research, legislative histories, international research sources, and practitioner materials. Traditional print sources will be evaluated and compared with nontraditional sources, primarily databases and the web. The class does not stress research on Lexis or Westlaw. The format of the class consists of a combination of the presentation of a problem, time for independent research, group discussion of methods, and demonstrations of successful strategies.
The focus of LPIL will likely be one of the following: IP Research, Civil Practice Research, Criminal Practice Research, or New Hampshire Research
Law Practice Information Literacy: Fact Based Research
(1 credit Spring)
Professor Tom Hemstock
Eligibility: open to all except first year students; limited to 24 students
Prereq: Legal Skills 1 or equivalent
Grading: Weekly assignments combined with a final research project.
Days and Time: 2 hour course, meeting 6 times in a semester. Tuesday, Jan 12 – March 2 (Suggested day; I am flexible on days. Includes one week off during Winter Break.)
Description: Fact Based Research is a course under the Law Practice Information Literacy umbrella and covers non-legal research skills that are critical to today’s legal practice. Students learn practice ready skills not covered in Legal Skills or other research courses and the course guides students in learning information literacy beyond Westlaw/Lexis.
Topics include:
Business research including newspaper research and corporation filings
Jury Verdict Reports
Medical Research
Real Estate Sales and Title Searches
Criminal Records
Asset Searches
People Searching
Other topics TBD
Cost effective legal research is constantly integrated into the course to prepare students for post law school research realities. The format of the class consists of the presentation of problems, time allotted for independent group research, demonstrations, and discussions of resources, techniques, and cost-effectiveness of the research process.
Mining Patent Informaton in the Digital Age
(2 credits, Summer)
Professor Jon Cavicchi
Enrollment is limited to 20 students.
Introduction to the manual and computerized search and research tools currently available for intellectual property practice in the United States and strategies for their effective use.
Patent Searching Certificate Program
Since UNH Law will not be offering patent searching classes outside the International Tech Transfer Clinic over the 2011/12 academic year, the Library as part of our Information Literacy Program is offering a menu of patent searching classes leading to a Certificate of Attendance.
These classes will be taught by Jon Cavicchi and/or trainers from Thomson Reuters and Lexis. There will be six classes. A student needs to attend three (including at least one required as below) to earn the Certificate. Students can attend all if they like. Some (eg. Westlaw) will be offered numerous times in the Fall and the Spring. Certificates will be issued when the required three are completed - until the end of the Spring semester.
The six classes are:
- Intro to Patent Searching
- Lexis.com
- Westlaw
- Lexis Total Patent*
- Thomson Innovation*
- OpenWeb (eg. USPTO, WIPO & ESPACENET)
Either Lexis Total Patent or Thomson Innovation is required. Note that if you want to apply to ITTI in the Spring, you must complete Thomson Innovation.
The Fall Series has been completed. Students who have met the requirement can email Professor Cavicchi. Close to 200 students were trained in this program this Fall and over a dozen certificates were presented.
The series continues this semester.
Lexis Total Patent training with 3L Jacki Lin in Room 103 will be presented on the following dates:
March 27
April 10 and 24I
Other sessions to be annouunced include:
- Josian Barbour, ITTI Project Co-Director on Thomson Innovation as we use it in the Clinic
- Jon Cavicchi on non-patent literature searches used in the different types of patent searches
If you want to learn a tool, find some friends and present the request to Jon Cavicchi.