CALI for 1Ls

The Brooklyn Law School Library recently held a series of orientation sessions to feature library resources. Among them was the Center for Computer Assisted Legal Research (CALI) which creates CALI Lessons, more than 850 tutorials written by law professors and librarians on a wide range of legal subjects. The lessons help law student learn about a new area of law, review for upcoming exams, and practice their legal writing or research skills. The lessons take from as little as 10 minutes to several hours to complete depending on the complexity of the topic. BLS students have unlimited access to CALI tutorials and podcasts. They now work on mobile devices like iPads and iPhones. BLS student can register for a free CALI password at the above link to access newly released features. The BLS Law School authorization code is needed to access CALI tutorials on primary and secondary legal resources.

Firs year law students may want to try a few CALI Lessons to recall the basics of the law even if it is high school level civics, or to be able to avoid grammar and punctuation problems, or to recognize what plagiarism is and know how to avoid it. See these CALI lessons for example:

• Where Does Law Come From? (Civics review)
• Punctuation and Grammar Basics for Law Students (part 2/advanced available)
• Plagiarism – Keeping Out of Trouble

During their first semester, 1Ls will learn about briefing cases and preparing for law school classes. To get a head start, a tour of these CALI lessons will help:

• How to Brief a Case
• Learning Legal Analysis – IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion)
• Preparing for your First Semester in Law School (podcast)