Cleveland Law Library Weblog

CWRU Law School Requires AI Education Certification

Starting this semester, Case Western Reserve University School of Law is requiring all first-year law students to earn a certification in legal artificial intelligence. The “Introduction to AI and the Law” program is a two-day seminar followed by an examination. This is the first such requirement in the nation. You can read The CWRU Daily news article here.

Jury Duty Explained In Videos Provided By The Ohio Supreme Court

The Ohio Supreme Court has provided the courts of Ohio with educational videos that can be utilized to inform people who have been summoned for jury duty of their role in the judicial system. One video describes the jury process for criminal and civil trials (petit juries), while the other video describes the jury process for a grand jury. Both videos begin and conclude with remarks by Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy of the Ohio Supreme Court.

The video for petit juries provides a description of the Ohio court system and the jury selection process. Jurors will learn about the different stages they will experience, common terms used in a courtroom, courtroom rules, and expected behavior. Jurors will also gain insight into the structure of Ohio courts such as the roles of each court staff member. Jurors will gain a better understanding of court procedures and their overall role as a juror.

The video for grand juries provides an explanation on the responsibilities of a grand jury. The video repeatedly advises jurors that they will not find someone guilty or innocent; instead, they will be determining if there’s enough evidence to charge the accused. Those watching the video will gain better knowledge of the history of the grand jury, including their oath of secrecy. This video also provides jurors with common terms and phrases that may be used in court. 

Each video was produced by the Ohio Judicial Conference, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Supreme Court of Ohio and Ohio Government Telecommunications. The videos can be found on the Ohio Channel’s website. Their overall goals for each video are to provide an educational resource for the judges and courtrooms in Ohio and to better inform the public on the importance of jurors in the judicial system.

Starting 1/1/23, Ohio Attorneys Can Take All CLE Online

If you have not already heard, the Ohio Supreme Court just announced that starting 1/1/23, Ohio attorneys will be able to complete all of their biennial CLE requirements online. It is no secret that attorneys have been enjoying the flexibility they have had during the pandemic to take all of their CLE courses online. Now, the Supreme Court has permanently removed the self-study cap so that lawyers will be able to continue taking all of their classes from their homes and offices. Many lawyers have told our Law Library that they appreciate the cost savings and convenience from not having to travel or pay for parking to attend CLE programs. For more information, you can read the Supreme Court's press release or review the Court's CLE FAQ's.

CWRU Law School Professor Offers Free, Online, 8-Week Class on Introduction to International Criminal law

According to cleveland.com, CWRU Law School Professor Michael Scharf began teaching a free, online, 8-week class called Introduction to International Criminal Law today, May 1st. At least 17,500 signed up to participate in this venture, which is called a MOCC, or a Massive Open Online Course. Ever since Stanford invented the concept in 2011, MOCCs are apparently taking hold in academic environments across the United States. For his class, Professor Scharf "adapted a course he teaches at CWRU by adding videos, photos and pop-up quizzes. People will post assignments, such as writing a judicial opinion, and others can comment. He will monitor the chat room and participate when possible. The quizzes and final will graded by computer."  Like other MOCCs, Professor Scharf's class cannot be taken for credit. The Cleveland Law Library wishes him well with this amazing initiative.

Law library shares experience with legal interns

This summer the Cleveland Law Library sponsored two interns named Diamondjean Donald and Jasmine Perry. Ms.Donald came to us from The Louis Stokes Scholars Program created by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, and Ms.Perry came to us from The Stephanie Tubbs Jones Summer Legal Academy. Following their visit to the Court of Appeals their
was taken at the law library with our circulation supervisor, Sharla Johnston, and our chief administrator, Kathleen Dugan. They learned practical legal research skills to support the practice of law in Cuyahoga County. 

Latest Stats Show Law Grads with Mounting Debt and Few Job Prospects

An article in today's Columbus Dispatch really paints a bleak picture for Ohio law school graduates. Except for their debt (which is up), every conceivable statistic is down, including the number of paid summer internships, starting salaries, and employment rates for new lawyers. Students who might have otherwise decided to go to law school may be taking these hints to heart because over 20,000 fewer individuals took the LSAT. The article includes an ongoing debate over whether the U.S. has too many lawyers compared to an insufficient number of doctors. Interesting reading!

Cleveland Law Library's Foreclosure CLE Should be Very Helpful and Informative

The Cleveland Law Library is sponsoring a CLE program on Foreclosures in 2 weeks on Friday, November 19, 2010. We have lined up experts in a lot of relevant areas, and we will be covering the role of the court in forecloures, foreclosure mediation, sheriff sales, foreclosure prevention, and the Cuyahoga Land Bank. If you would like to register for this program, which promises to convey a lot of helpful and informative information, please complete our Registration form.

Myers University to Be Sold

Myers University, which graduates paralegals who take jobs in Cleveland and surrounding communities, will soon be purchased by a Connecticut firm that intends to invest $2 million to keep the school alive. As you may remember, Myers' President, Richard Scaldini, announced in December that Myers would be closing within a few weeks. Although Myers offers other programs, it has to compete with various other paralegal programs in the area offered by Ursuline College, Lakeland, and Stautzenberger. Click here to read an article about the sale from newsnet5.com.

Ohio to Create Code of Conduct for Teachers

The Toledo Blade reports that Governor Strickland signed a bill this week directing the Ohio Department of Education to create a code of  conduct for Ohio's teachers. The proposed Code will have some teeth and include penalties for violations by offenders and those who fail to report their colleagues. The law also allows charges for all-day kindergarten and lengthens the time students will have for standardized testing. According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Ohio DOE wasted no time and has already issued 9 proposed recommendations on teacher discipline for the General Assembly to consider. One of the most significant recommendations calls for the automatic revocation of educator licenses for serious crimes. Teachers would also be removed from class upon arrest for certain offenses such as murder, kidnapping and rape. For several years, Ohio has already had Educator Standards in place.

Ohio DOE Creates Teacher Discipline Database

The Ohio Department of Education has created a brand new searchable database containing information on teachers and educators against whom the DOE has taken disciplinary action. The database is searchable by last name, first name, State ID number, School District, zip code. The Ohio DOE has also posted information about how convictions affect teachers' licenses, with links to applicable sections of the Ohio Administrative Code.