Cleveland Law Library Weblog

The State of Ohio Has Launched a New Site That Allow You to Track Agency Rule Changes and Receive Email Alerts

Ohio has launched a new website called RuleWatch Ohio that will allow you to track Agency Rules that affect you, your family, or your business. An OSBA News Release for the launch states that:

"RuleWatch Ohio allows individuals to track a specific rule they are interested in, or rules that cover a particular area of interest. By creating an account on the RuleWatch Ohio site, users can receive email alerts when there is activity on any of the rules they have selected."

Rule watchers may already be aware of the Register of Ohio online, which provides public notices of state Agency rule-making. However, RuleWatch Ohio proposes to be more user-friendly, and it may encourage more citizens to become involved in the rule-making process. 

Celebrate Law Day with the Law Library-Free WestlawNext CLE, Thursday, May 2nd

Happy Law Day! This year, the American Bar Association (ABA) is celebrating Law Day by recognizing the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and championing the theme of “Realizing the Dream: Equality for All.” The ABA encourages everyone to "explore the movement for civil and human rights in America and the impact it has had in promoting the ideal of equality under the law." The ABA also recommends "reflecting on the work that remains to be done in rectifying injustice, eliminating all forms of discrimination, and putting an end to human trafficking and other violations of our basic human rights."  Our Law Library is celebrating Law Day this year by offering all of our members free WestlawNext training on Thursday, May 2nd from 12:00 - 1:00 and 1:30 - 2:30. Everyone who attends is eligible for one (1) hour of CLE credit. This program is open to all private and statutory members of the Law Library. If you are interested in attending, please register by calling or emailing the Law Library.

Michigan Judge Holds Himself in Contempt and Orders a $25.00 for Courtroom Smartphone Violation

Cnet reports that a judge in Michigan had to follow his own courtroom policy when his new smartphone went off in court the other day during a prosecutor's closing argument. Michigan Judge Raymond Voet held himself in contempt and fined himself $25.00 for violating the policy about cell phones ringing during court proceedings. Thankfully, this Judge did not consider himself above the law and set a good example by observing his own rules.

Seven (7) Federal Cases from the N.D. Ohio Can Now Be Viewed Online

As part of a pilot program of the federal Judiciary, seven (7) civil cases from the Northern District of Ohio were videotaped. The proceedings are now available for public viewing online in slices that include case summaries, the entire trials, and individual parts of the proceedings. According to a press release, the courts taped the trials themselves, and the judges and parties had to all agree.

A full list of all the cases that were recorded, including those from Ohio, can be found at the following link, which also provides online access to the videos.

Ohio Employer's Law Blawg Written by Local KJK Attorney Jonathan T. Hyman Makes ABA Inaugural Blog 100 Hall of Fame

The Ohio Employer's Law Blog, which is written by local KJK attorney Jonathan T. Hyman, has made the ABA's inaugural Blawg100 Hall of Fame. Mr. Hyman posts almost every day on Ohio and federal court decisions related to employee and employer issues, including the use of social media, non-competition agreements, and decisions on hiring and firing. Mr. Hyman has also written a brand new book entitled The Employer's Bill of Rights: A Manager's Guide to Workplace Law. Kudos to Mr. Hyman.

The Judicial Conference of the U.S. is Expanding Access to Federal Appellate, District, and Bankruptcy Court Opinions on the FDsys Web Site

The Judicial Conference of the United States has recently decided to expand its current program of providing free, public access to opinions of federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts. Although 29 selected courts' opinions have already been posted to the FDsys site, the project will soon be implemented nationally and provide access to all federal appellate, district and bankruptcy courts' opinions. For local federal court practitioners, the FDsys site already contains opinions from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio from 2002-2012, as well as the years 1975, 1977 and 1983. One important caveat is that the collection of cases is not complete prior to 2004. However, the web site points out a good benefit: "[o]nce an opinion is located, all associated opinions within the same case can be accessed from the opinion More Information page." 

National Center for State Courts Creates Online Resource Guide on Social Media and the Courts

The National Center for State Courts has created an online Resource Guide on Social Media and the Courts. This Guide provides lists of courts which are employing social media like Twitter and Facebook and information on the impact of social media on juries in the courtroom, social justice, judicial elections, and other topics. The new site also provides a link to the December 2010 Ohio Judicial Ethics Opinion which indicates that a judge can be a "friend" on a social networking site with a lawyer in a case pending before the judge, as long as the judge does it "carefully," whatever that means.

Pro Bono Needs Not Being Met Nationwide; Pro Bono Apps Help Lawyers Find Volunteer Opportunities

According to an AP article citing the latest issue of the American Lawyer magazine, pro bono service by lawyers at big law firms is down 12% since 2009. In addition, the article also mentions Legal Services Corporation data that "Less than 20 percent of the legal needs of low-income people are addressed with the help of a private or legal aid lawyer." The article notes ABA President Laura Bellows' opposing comments on lawyer trends and indicates that some states have free telephone apps to help lawyers find pro bono opportunities.

Fastcase Offers Lawyers Free Advance Sheets for New Ebooks

According to a recent press release from Fastcase, the Company is now offering free advance sheets for Ebooks.   Fastcase advance sheets "include published and unpublished opinions for iPad, Kindle,
Kindle Fire, Android tablets, or Nook... [and provide a]  [f]irst look at judicial opinions from around the country in eBook format, replacing printed law books." For a good summary of this new product from a leading law blog, click here to read 3 Geeks and a Law Blog's comments.

Ohio Supreme Court launches Court News Ohio, including a Facebook page and a Twitter feed.

The Ohio Supreme Court has gone even more high-tech with yesterday's launch of Court News Ohio, which includes a Facebook page and a Twitter feed. According to the Court's Press Release, Court News Ohio is a "multichannel, multimedia program covering news about the Ohio judicial system for the judiciary, legal community, and the general public."  Court news about programs, rule amendments, and judicial appointments will transition to these new venues. Online news will be found at courtnewsohio.gov, but the court will also publish a print publication called Court News Ohio Review. Court news will also be aired on CNO-TV in the Supreme Court's collection on the Ohio Channel. The Supreme Court's new Facebook page is aptly named Court News Ohio, and its Twitter feed is @courtnewsohio. The Court is posting videos for downloading or through a free podcast subscription on Apple iTunes. A video announcing Court News Ohio has already been posted at the Ohio Channel.