The law library is an amazing place

And you thought Jonathan was the only blogger on this blog...

Some of you will scoff at my post because you think you know it all, or maybe you do. Good on ya! But if you don't know it all (and you don't have to admit it to anyone but yourself), read on.

Want to be a better lawyer? Want to FEEL like you are a better lawyer? You need to his the books, my friend.

The law library has more material on practice areas than you'd believe. For example, check out Am. Jur. Trials, or Proof of Facts. (It isn't just medical malpractice and personal injury.) Not sure how a direct exam should go in a commercial trial? Am Jur Trials is a good place to start. If you are new to federal practice, fear not. The number of texts written about federal practice is staggering.

Next time you are in your law school library (or for those of you practicing attorneys out there, the county law library) take a gander at a form book. Not just forms in those books. There's a lot of substantive material. You 1L's out there - Contracts a bit puzzling? Don't be afraid to pick up the CJS, or the Am Jur and read up on contracts. (State CLE material can be good too, but be careful. Until you are studying for the state portion of a bar exam, don't bother memorizing any state specific information, your class material notwithstanding.)

I think you can see I'm a big fan of the law library - in fact, the longer I'm out of law school, the more I appreciate the law library. Here's a comparison - how many times have you read in the sports pages about a professional team needing to get back to the basics? These guys are pros for heaven sakes - they should be way past the basics of blocking and tackling, or base-running, or foul-shooting. Yet, every coach will tell you the winners ALWAYS do one thing better than the losers - they do the basics better. These general reference texts - CJS, Am Jur, etc. - these are our "basic" texts. When you need to find out the basics (and sometimes it's a minor thing), head to your nearest law library.  You'll be happy you did.

Barry