RESEARCHING EMPLOYERS: LAW FIRMS, JUDGES, CORPORATIONS

A good tip for job hunters is learn as much as possible about the company, firm or organization prior to an interview. You'll be able to devise some intelligent questions regarding the organization's primary goals, what the firm, judge, or attorney's done recently, who are the partners or senior associates in a firm and what they have been doing in the past year or so. It will also might give you a heads up as to whether or not you may even want to work for that organization or firm. For instance, if you are very interested in environmental causes it may not be a good fit if you were to get a job with a law firm who represents oil and chemical companies.

The resources and techniques below may help you gather information on potential employers. With this information you can successfully "wow" the hiring partner with your knowledge of the firm; impress the judge you have applied to clerk for by having read all of her major decisions; or realize that the company you're considering has just announced it is filing for bankruptcy protection. The resources presented in this guide are not the only ones available. The listings given are some of the resources available to you at Northeastern School of Law Library and the Career Services Office Resources library. The Law Library's catalog (NUCAT) is a great source to see what other directories or helpful guides the library might own. It is available online at http://nucat.lib.neu.edu. The Career Services Office also has a library of resources that should be consulted as well. The Career Services Resource List is available in pdf form (the pdf reader is available for free at www.adobe.com) at www.slaw.neu.edu/career/pdf/reslist.pdf

Researching Law Firms and Lawyers

Directories

Directories are a good way of getting a quick overview of an employer as well as current contact information such as name, address, telephone number, etc. Information on the size of the firm, locations and types of law practiced are usually included as well as typical directory type of information such as address, telephone numbers, fax numbers, web site URL, etc. Here are some of the directories you may want to begin your search with.

LexisNexis

Martindale Hubbell (Marhub;ALLDIR) It is important to realize that not every employer will be in Martindale Hubbell. Each firm must pay for their profile to be compiled and included. Martindale Hubbell is a well known resource and so most firms with more than 10 attorneys are listed. Firms are organized geographically and then alphabetically. Each firm listed in the profiles section is rated by their peers as to performance. Limited information is available on individual attorneys in the index section even if their firm does not have a listing. Some government and in-house attorneys are listed. If they have one, a Martindale Hubbell firm listing can provide:

The information in Martindale Hubbell comes directly from the firm in the form of a survey/questionnaire sent to each firm. Therefore, the information may vary from firm to firm. Some firms only list partners in Martindale Hubbell. Martindale Hubbell is available online through LexisNexis. You can perform searches for alumni by firm or geographic location. Lists of firms can also be compiled by performing a search limiting with the parameters; practice area or firm size. This well known directory is available via LexisNexis and also in print at the Law Library and in the Career Services office. Martindale Hubbell is an annual publication. The library's current edition is on Reserve and the previous edition is available in the Law Library Reference Collection. The call number KF190 .M3. This publication is also available in the Career Services Office Resources library and can also be accessed via the Internet at http://www.lawyers.com

The following is a sample of a search that may be executed when you'd like to locate Northeastern Law School Alumni who are working in Los Angeles.

law-school(northeastern) and location(los w/1 angeles)

NALP Directory of Legal Employers (Career/NALP) NALP offers a comprehensive compilation of essential information on the hiring needs and employment plans of more than 1200 law firms, public interest organizations, government agencies, and corporations throughout the U.S. This database is also available on the Internet at www.nalp.org and is available in print in both the Law Library and the Career Services Office Resource library. The Law Library's copy is kept in the Reference collection and its call number is KF 297 .A1 D573.

office-size (>50) and campus-interview (northeastern)

LexisNexis Employer Directory (Career/EMPDIR) This career database features information about larger firms including practice areas, attorney demographics, salaries and benefits, job openings and hiring patterns.

To obtain a list of firms in a particular city or state specializing in a particular
practice area you may perform the following search:

practice-area(intellectual property) and mailing-address(TX)

Or you can search:

practice-area(real estate) and mailing-address(chicago)

WESTLAW

West Legal Directory is available on WESTLAW (WLD) This database offers information on practice areas of firms as well as representative clients and firm attorney biographies.

WESTLAW has provided an easy-to-use template with fields including the standard directory style information such as name, address, bars admitted, firm size and areas of practice. It also includes fields such as representative clients, published works, past positions, affiliations (includes classes/seminars taught, honors and fraternities/sororities.)

Print Directories

Here are some print directories located in the law library to consider consulting. More can be found by searching the Northeastern University Library's online catalog (NULIS). The catalog is available from the Law Library's web site at www.slaw.neu.edu/library/resource.htm

Career Services also has an extensive collection of employer directories. The listing of their resource room holdings is available on their web site at www.slaw.neu.edu/career/pdf/reslist.pdf

American Bar Association Leadership Directory is an annual directory of individuals in active leadership positions within the Association and related organizations, such as state bar associations and affiliated and non-affiliated legal organizations. The book is available in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KF 325 .A39.

Biographical Directory of the Federal Judiciary, 1789-2000, 1^st ed., Bernan Press publishes, along with traditional directory information, the race and gender of the judge. They also include their birth and death dates (where applicable), education, professional history, and details on their federal judicial service. This book is located in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KF 8700 .A19 B48 2001.

National Directory of Legal Employers, National Association for Legal Placement, Harcourt Brace, is also available through WESTLAW (NALP). The print edition is issued annually and is available in the Law Library's reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KF297 .A1 D573. It is also available in the Career Services Office Resources library.

Massachusetts Lawyers Diary and Manual Including Bar Directory, is published on an annual basis. This book includes a directory of courts, judges and officials for all Massachusetts federal courts; as well as a directory of state courts, county courts, and offices. It also includes municipal directories; court costs and fees; legal summaries; departments and agencies; a directory of judges and of the bar; and some miscellaneous directories such as a list of correctional institutions and court related agencies. This book is located in the Career Services Office Resources library as well as in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KFM 2470 .M374.

International Public Interest Law:  A Guide to Opportunities in the United States and Abroad, a joint project of Harvard Law School and Yale Law School, Fourth Edition, is a guide to employment opportunities in Inter-Governmental Organizations, United States Governmental Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations.  Resources and strategies for finding paid and unpaid employment are included as well as contact information and descriptions of each agency or organization.  This publication is located in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is K 118 .P82 P83 2002

Retrieving News about Attorneys and Law Firms

Newspapers, journals and newsletters are great ways to keep abreast of current events in the legal profession. These tools can be used to research potential employers. Each document includes: cases a firm has been involved with, new initiatives an attorney may be starting up, what charitable organizations a firm or corporation may be involved with, and if a firm or corporation may be merging or partnering with some other entity. Both LexisNexis and WESTLAW have vast databases of news resources that can be mined for information about individual attorneys, law firms, special interest groups, corporations, etc. Below, you'll find some sample searches for both WESTLAW and LexisNexis.

General Newspapers and Legal Newspapers

WESTLAW

• News about a particular attorney e.g., Elizabeth J. Cabraser

Search: elizabeth /3 cabraser

• Articles in legal newspapers about a particular attorney, e.g., Mark S. Dichter

• Newspaper articles about a particular law firm e.g., Palmer & Dodge

• The National Law Journal annual law firm surveys from 1998 to the present.

News about a particular attorney such as Elizabeth J. Cabraser

New York Times (from June 1980) (News;NYT) or

English language news (News;ALLNEWS) or United States News (News;US)

Search: Eliz! w/2 cabraser

News about whether or not a law firm recently merged with another

Massachusetts Legal News (News;LGLNEW) or American Lawyer (News; AMLAWR)

Search: Merger and firm and Boston or Massachusetts

New York Law Journal (Career;NJLAWJ) & New Jersey Law Journal (Career;NYLAW) - these journals not only publish current court opinions; they also provide profiles on area judges and attorneys and give local news of the state bares activities.

The Solo Practitioner (Career;SOLO) - A newsletter designed to assist prospective solo practitioners by giving them guidance in their decision whether to go solo. It includes market intelligence on: resources available to the solo practitioner, the business of law, the psychology of solo practice, interviews with noted practitioners, an ethics corner, etc.

The Texas Lawyer (Career;TXLAWR) - The Texas Lawyer features legal news and business coverage, including new legislation and its potential impact on businesses, court decisions and happenings inside law firms, trade and banking regulations, taxation, and labor law. Each issue contains a "WEEKLY CASE SUMMARIES" section, highlighting cases from the Texas courts.

Other Legal Newspapers

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (archives) provides full text of articles and is available through Northeastern University Law Library's subscription at www.slaw.neu.edu/library/license.htm (click on "Lawyers Weekly Archives). You may search the archives of this local legal newspaper for any news stories on the local legal community. The Law Library also has this resource in print on Reserve at Call Number: KFM2401 .M35. The Law Library keeps the most current 4 weeks of print copies on Reserve with the back issues in the Newspaper Alcove that are retained for 1 year. The Law Library's microform holdings go back to vol. 1 (1972/3) and span to vol. 25 (1996/7), the last year this title was microfilmed. Boston Law Tribune is available in print.  The current four weeks of this newspaper are kept on Reserve with the previous issues in the Newspaper Alcove.  The Law Library retains the issues for one year.  The call number is Reserve K2 .O87

The National Law Journal calls itself "the weekly journal for the profession."  Current issues of this journal are available on the Popular Magazine Rack in the Law Library with a year's worth of back issues available in the Newspaper Alcove.  Back issues from 1996 (vol. 18, no. 19) are available in microfiche and can be viewed and printed in the Law Library.  You can also browse The National Law Journal online at www.nlj.com

Bar Journals

Bar journals are great resources for researching local and small firms. These current awareness publications, such as newsletters, are not always contained in either WESTLAW or LexisNexis, but they may be accessed through other means. Legal Trac is an indexing and abstracting service that is available in the Law Library via CD-ROM and on the Law Library's web page under Licensed Electronic Resources, www.slaw.neu.edu/library/license.htm/. This database indexes a large variety of bar journals and other legal periodicals that are available in the Law Library in microform. A list of these journals can be accessed via the law library web page at  www.slaw.neu.edu/library/barjournals.htm

Some bar journals are also available on the Internet. Some web sites to checkout might include.

www.palidan.com/legal2.htm includes links to bar association journals, law reviews, legal academic journals, and legal practice journals.

Bar journals are also available through WESTLAW in the LRF database.

Researching Judges

Judicial clerkships can be a great way to gain valuable legal experience. Because of their great value to new graduates, they are also pretty competitive. Get the edge by doing a bit of background digging. Learn about the judge's recent decisions, their standing in the bar, their legal background and what non-legal events in which they may be participating.

WESTLAW

Often the searcher will want to know what cases a judge has written opinions for, biographical information and any media coverage that judge may have had. Searches in case law and news databases are great places to obtain this type of information.

To find opinions that a particular judge may have written:

Search the case law for the particular jurisdiction you may be interested in:

Example: you are interested in a Massachusetts federal judge

To find what cases a specific federal judge from Massachusetts wrote opinions for during the 1980Ìs.

Go the 1^st Circuit Court cases for Massachusetts (MASS;MAMEGA)

Search without the template:

judges(stearns) and date aft 01/01/1980 and date bef 12/31/1996

Biographical information:

WESTLAW

Westlaw's Profiler is available is a direct link between a case you are viewing and profiles of attorneys and judges in West Legal Directory who are involved in the case. You can access Profiler information by clicking on an attorney or judge's name in a case or an article as a result of a search in a case law database. You can access Profiler by these database identifiers -
Profiler-All (profiles of attorneys, judges and experts)
Profiler-WLD (profiles of attorneys and judges)
Profiler-EW (profiles of expert witnesses)

LexisNexis

Judicial Clerkship Directory (Career;JCLERK) - This directory database contains information on U.S. federal judges, state judges and magistrates who forecast judicial clerkship openings.

Some sample searches using the field/segment searching (sometimes the most efficient way to do things) might include:

Getting the address of the court.

Court refers to the name of the court in which the judge presides

Court (district w/5 Massachusetts)

Judge-name refers to the full name and title of the judge presiding in the court.

Judge-name (Henderson)

Barreq is used to find the judges in Oregon that do not require bar certification for law clerks.

barreq(no) and address(Oregon)

In print

Almanac of the Federal Judiciary, is a two volume, loose-leaf publication, and published by Aspen Law and Business. It includes general information on Federal District judges as well as Magistrate judges. Information provided includes address and telephone number, a report on motions, bench trials and civil cases pending, year of appointment and by which President, a brief biographical sketch, noteworthy rulings, media coverage (if any), and lawyersÌ evaluations. Volume 1 contains the judges of the circuit courts (listed individually by circuit) and special courts. Volume 2 lists the United States Supreme Court and includes updates and corrections for the judges for each federal circuit. Each volume has its own index. This publication is available in the Career Services Office Resources Library as well as in the Law Library Reference Collection. The Law Library's call number is KF 8700 .A19 A4

The American Bench; Judges of the Nation, is published on an annual basis with supplementation by Reginald Bishop Forster & Associates. It provides a comprehensive biographical guide to the entire American judiciary, state and federal courts. This book contains judicial biographies, descriptive information on each court including method of selection of judges, jurisdiction and court location (maps are included for most courts), and an alphabetical name index. This book is located in the Career Services Office Resources Library as well as in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KF 8700 .A19 A47.

Judicial Staff Directory, published annually by Congressional Quarterly provides information on federal and state courts, their judges, the court staffs and biographies of judges, magistrate judges, and selected key personnel such as U.S. marshals, clerks of court, and U.S. attorneys. This book is located in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KF 8700 .A19 J82.

Who's Who in American Law, is published annually by Marquis WhoÌs Who. It is a respected source that provides biographical information on lawyers and professionals in law-related areas including: judges, legal educators, law librarians, legal historians and social scientists. This book is located in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KD 372 .W48.

Biographical Directory of the Federal Judiciary, 1789-2000, published by Bernam Press, provides along with traditional directory information, the race and gender of the judge. They also include their birth and death dates (where applicable), education, professional history, and details on their federal judicial service. This book is located in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KF 8700 .A19 B48 2001.

The Judicial Yellow Book, is published by Leadership Directories of Washington, D.C. It includes biographical profiles of judges including such information as their educational backgrounds and employment history. This resource is available in the Career Services Office Resources Library.

Massachusetts Courts, Maps and Judges is a supplement to the Massachusetts Lawyers Diary and Manual, Including Bar Directory (see below). This paperback book includes "how to get there" information on the courts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It also includes biographies of judges. This publication is located in the Career Services Office Resources Library as well as in the Reference Collection of the Law Library. The Law Library's call number is KFM 2470 .M374.

The Internet

Often the web sites for the court or the agency if it is an administrative law judge may have additional information on a judge such as a short biography. An example of judicial biographies can be found at the U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review at www.usdoj.gov/eoir/fs/ocijbio.htm

Jan Bissett, Reference Librarian at Dickinson Wright PLLC, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and Margi Heinen, Librarian, Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer and Weiss, Detroit, Michigan, write Reference from Coast to Coast, a column for LLRX.com, a valuable Web-resource. The issue dated September 17, 2001 is entitled Resources on Judicial Profiles. It may be accessed at www.llrx.com/columns/reference29.htm

Law Firms, Corporations and Associations

Retrieving company information is a great way to investigate a company or corporate legal division and determine, at least from a corporate sense, if you would be a good fit working for them. The companyÌs web site is often a good place to start but sometimes you'd like to delve beyond the marketing and public relations spin. WESTLAW and LexisNexis both offer some resources that provide a researcher with a view of the company beyond what they may want you to see.

LexisNexis

Vault Reports (Career;VAULT) The Vault Company profiles offer job seekers revealing information about major corporations and law firms, including current company activities, work environments, and secrets on curve ball interview questions and tactics. These resources help job seekers cut through corporate propaganda and get the hard facts good and bad on actual jobs held by actual people.

This database can be searched using segments including "uppers" (good points of the company/law firm as told to Vault.com), "downers" (bad points), and "survey" (the good, the bad and the ugly).

The Vault Reports are available in print in the Career Services Office Resources Library as well as on the Internet at www.vault.com/. The web site includes "Hot Links" to resources such as the top 50 firms, a day in the life of a summer associate, company profiles, resume and interview tips, etc.

National Directory of Legal Aid and Defenders Offices, (Career;NLADA). This directory contains addresses, key contact names and titles, phone and fax numbers and descriptions for the following organizations and offices: Civil Legal Services and Legal Aid Offices, Defender Offices, State-wide Associations for Criminal Defense, Lawyers and Public Defenders, Programs for Special Needs, and Support Services.

Types of cases handled by an office:

Search: cases (juvenile)

Company databases can be much different to search than legal or news databases. If youÌve never searched a particular database before, always click on the scope button to determine what the database contains, as well as its currency and available fields to search. Here are some sample searches for researching publicly traded companies:

• Recent articles on lawsuits involving a particular company

• Financial information about a company

• A prospectus for a particular company

• Information about an international company

• Press releases issued by a current or prospective client, e.g., Medtronic, Inc.

• In order to find the number of people employed by a company as well as some recent articles reporting their recent business dealings you may want to consult Company Intelligence. This database is a combined directory and company news file that contains current address, financial, and marketing information on more than 150,000 private and public U.S. companies and 30,000 international companies.

Non Governmental Organizations and Associations

Public Interest Profiles: America's Most Influential Public Affairs Groups, Foundation for Public Affairs, CQ Press, a Division of Congressional Quarterly Inc. This publication has in depth information on selected groups focusing on areas as business/economic, civil/constitutional rights, community/grassroots, consumer health, corporate accountability/responsibility, environmental, international affairs, media/technology, political/governmental process, public interest law, religious, and think tanks. This resource is located in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is JK 1118 .P8.

Encyclopedia of Associations, Gale Publishing. This resource is a multi-volume directory of national and international organizations in the law, business, trade, public administration, education, public affairs, labor unions, etc. Contact information on each group is provided as well as a description of the association, the staff, members, budget, publications, affiliations, etc. It is organized by subject area and there is a separate index for the entire set. This publication is located in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is AS 22 .E5.

Lawyers and Law Firms

Martindale Hubbell (see above)

WestÌs Legal Directory (see above)

Massachusetts Lawyers Diary and Manual, Including Bar Directory, is published on an annual basis. The Lawyers Diary contains a directory of courts, judges and officials for the United States and Massachusetts state courts, county courts, and offices. It also includes municipal directories, court costs and filing fees, legal summaries, departments and agencies a directory of judges and of the bar as well as some miscellaneous directories such as a list of correctional institutions and court-related agencies. This book is located in the Career Services Office Resources Library as well as in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KFM 2470 .M374.

The Best Lawyers in America, is a two-volume set that is published every two years and is organized by state. The lawyers are listed first by state and then alphabetically by category, city and last name. An alphabetical index of lawyers is at the end of each volume. The attorneys are selected for inclusion in the directory by a polling process. The process is conducted as follows: the attorneys listed in the previous edition are polled on the other listed lawyers in their area and in their category. They may also nominate attorneys not previously listed in the directory. This resource is located in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KF 190 .B47.

The Insider's Guide to Law Firms, is published by Mobius Press and contains in-depth profiles of prominent law firms in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Palo Alto and Washington, D.C. The profiles were compiled with information obtained by a questionnaire sent to mid-level associates at the firms. The result are vignettes on the target firms that include hiring attorney, benefits, average hours, summer salary, associate salary, practice area, pro bono, etc. This resource is located in the Career Services Office on Reserve. It is also available in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KF 190 .I57 2000.

Directory of Massachusetts In-House Counsel is published by and issued with Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. It includes listings of in-house counsel organized by industry. There is an alphabetical index by company in the back of the volume. This publication is available in the Career Services Office Resource library. It is also available in the Law Library and is kept in the Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KFM 2610 .A15 D57

Directory Of Corporate Counsel is published by Aspen Publishers. It provides information on the organization and personnel of the nation's corporate and non-profit law departments. This publication is available in the Career Services Office Resources library. It is also available in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KF 195 .C6 D57.

American Bar AssociationÌs Leadership Directory is published by the ABA and is also known as "The Redbook". It is a directory of individuals in active leadership positions within the Association and related organizations. This book is kept in the Law Library Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is KF 325 .A39.

Government

Congressional Quarterly's Washington Information Directory. This directory identifies key people, agencies, committees, and nonprofit groups that shape national policy. The directory is organized into three broad categories; agencies, Congress, and non-profit organizations; with more specific subject areas as subsections. Each entry includes the name, address and telephone number of the organization; the name and title of the director or contact person; fax and press numbers, hotlines and URLÌs as well as a description of the work of the organization. It also has a new section, organized by government branch that pinpoints the web sites containing frequently needed information about cabinet departments, Congress and the federal courts. This directory is located in the Law Library's Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is JK 421 .W37

Congressional Staff Directory is published annually by Congressional Quarterly and provides directory information on Congressional members, committees, staff. It also lists rosters and staffs of House and Senate subcommittees, Caucuses and Task forces, staffs of the offices and agencies of Congress and includes web addresses and e-mail addresses where available. It also provides biographies of the Congressional staff members, as well as the members of Congress. Pictures of the Congressional members are also provided. This book is located in the Law Library's Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is JK 1012 .C65.

Federal Staff Directory is published by Congressional Quarterly. It provides directory and contact information on the White House staff, federal departments and agencies as well as federal executive biographies. Sample entries include U.S. Ambassadors, Commissioner for the Federal Trade Commission, Deputy Asst. Secretary for Environment, etc. It also includes an organizational chart for each entity. This resource is located in the Law Library's Reference collection. The Law Library's call number is JK 723 .E9 F44.

Directory Of Massachusetts Government Agencies And Public Interest Organizations, Boston College Law School Office of Career Services. This title provides names, addresses, phone numbers, hiring contacts and titles, practice areas and brief descriptions of individual organization's major functions. This resource is located in the Career Services Office Resources library.

The Internet

www.llrx.com/features/co_research.htm - This URL is a link to an article by Gloria Miccioli, International Librarian for Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. The article provides an annotated list of links to web sites, some free and some, for a fee, that compile company information including directory style information and financial information.

www.hoovers.com - Hoover's Online is a great source of company profiles and information.

www.nalp.org - The National Association for Law Placement is an organization that provides information on recruiting trends, placement statistics, law firm information, contacts at law schools and much more.

http://www.fortune.com/fortune/fortune500 - Fortune 500 company information is provided.

www.yahoo.com - The Yahoo search engine is a great way to explore resources for many industries. Look under "Business and Economy" for law firm links.

www.lawoffice.com - The West Legal Directory on the Web.

http://air.fjc.gov/history/judges_frm.html - Judges of the United States Court is a database from the Federal Judical Center which provides biographies

www.eaglelink.com/power - This website provides extensive links to law firms, government agencies, law schools, and bar associations.

www.lawjobs.com - The law.com career center provides some valuable links to law firms profiles, directories of attorneys, legal news headlines and top 100 lists of, among other things, top grossing firms.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ - This website is a direct link to the Boston Globe on the web.

www.nytimes.com - This website is a direct link to The New York Times on the web, free registration required.

www.newspapers.com - This website provides links to national, college, business and international newspaper web sites.

Websites - Law Schools

www.slaw.neu.edu/career - Northeastern University School of Law Office of Career Services offers a variety of resources including subject guides on job searching, a library of career related resources (directories, how to manuals, books of sample cover letters, etc.).

http://www.wmitchell.edu/services/career/resources.html - William Mitchell College of Law includes links for research, reference, tutorials, news, entertainment and other useful student links.

www.law.emory.edu/LAW/refdesk/lawyers/dir.html - This site is hosted by Emory Law School's Electronic Reference Desk and provides links to over 100 firms as well as links to Internet based directories of lawyers.

www.slaw.neu.edu/library/lawrelat.htm - The Northeastern University School of Law Library has included links to state and federal primary and secondary legal research links.

Listservs

Listservs can be a great way to learn about a particular area of the law or to find out about a particular firm. Before you begin there are some basic things to remember about protocol. Listservs are not just a person to person message. They often have very broad distribution and operate on the "one person to many people" model. If you fail to mind your manners, you will not just be offending or alienating one person but many. Consult one of the many books and web sites devoted to e-mail etiquette before you log on. Also, be very careful when responding to a message. If you want to reply to an individual make sure that you double-check the e-mail address in the "to" line before you complete your reply by hitting the "send" button. Unless you are posting something relevant to the whole list, avoid the reply and reply all command. To avoid this complication all together, cut and paste the individual's e-mail address into a new message.

Greedy Associates Boards - These include bulletin boards of all of the Greedy listservs. Threaded discussion lists are available at www.infirmation.com/bboard/clubs-top.tcl or, as infirmation.com was acquired by Findlaw.com, you can point and click your way around the Findlaw web site at www.findlaw.com

Internet Legal Resource Guide - This web site provides a listing of legal newsgroups that can be accessed at www.ilrg.com/ng.html
 

Created by Sue Drisko, Reference/Electronic Services Librarian, Northeastern University School of Law Library on July 18, 2001 and revised August 5, 2005.