Article Abstract #7

Staheli, Kory D. Introducing Students to Legal Practice Materials: Helping Fill a Law School Void. 16(4) Legal Reference Services Quarterly 23 (1998)

Law students learn many things during their three years of law school. Unfortunately, one thing that they don’t often learn is how to be a lawyer. In this article, Staheli encourages law librarians to fill these important gaps in legal education.

Many law students are not aware that there are such resources as legal practice materials. (I know I wasn’t aware of them until I began working at the law library reference desk.) The author suggests for ways in which a law librarian can introduce these materials to the law students. They are (1) teaching at the reference desk. This is specifically aimed towards students who are clerking for judges and law firms (2) creating library research guides or pathfinders (3) formally instructing students in a classroom setting and (4) informal training seminars, which sound like the jumpstart classes offered at IU Law Library.

Staheli spends the rest of the article listing and describing some of the various types of practice materials. These include form books, discovery materials, jury instructions, state practice materials and trial preparation and technique materials. By introducing these materials to the law students, librarians are not only aiding their law student patrons, but also the entire legal profession as well.