InfoBrief: New Westlaw Sign-on

Westlaw will soon require you to sign on with their OnePass system – they will no longer allow sign-ons with the password you may have had for decades! Your old Westlaw password with 6-7 numerals followed by 4 letters will no longer work, as of September 30, 2009. Starting now, when you access Westlaw through the law school version, you will begin to see reminders that you need to have a OnePass Username and Password that you select for yourself. Updated security requirements are the reason for the change to the OnePass system.

When you sign on to Westlaw, click on the link to LEARN MORE and create or update your OnePass account. And if you have already set up your OnePass account and just need a reminder of the username and/or password, click on "Forgot your password?" at sign-on. If you regularly access Westlaw through the attorneys' web site at westlaw.com, you can find the law school page with information on how to set up your OnePass account at http://lawschool.westlaw.com.

For assistance in determining your current Westlaw password or to set up your OnePass account, please contact me or your own library liaison.

Best,

Pat Court

Associate Law Librarian
pgc1@cornell.edu

InfoBrief: Legislative and Regulatory Impact Reports

Tracking the amendments and proposed changes to laws and regulations is made easier on Lexis with their Legislative Impact and Regulatory Impact reports. In association with Potomac Publishing, Lexis offers real-time analysis of how proposed legislation and rulemaking impact existing law, and supplies data in a logical tabular form.

Impacts on the law are listed in three parts: amendments your law made to existing legislation; subsequent amendments to your law since enactment; and amendments to your law in bills from the current Congress. You can search by number or name for impact reports in the Lexis database: Legislative Impact and Regulatory Impact, which is listed under federal and state jurisdiction sources. Or from the initial Lexis search screen, select the Tab: Find a Source, and enter in Option 1 box: legislative impact.

This can pull together your ongoing research in federal or state issues, and can be valuable to your students who are writing papers based on a statute or regulatory scheme. You can even set up an Impact Alert to notify you when there are any changes to the report. For assistance in using Legislative Impact and Regulatory Impact reports, you are welcome to contact me or your own library liaison.

Best,

Pat Court
Associate Law Librarian
pgc1@cornell.edu

InfoBrief: Sotomayor web site from Law Library of Congress

The Law Library of Congress has launched a new resource on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor http://www.loc.gov/law/find/sotomayor.php. The site contains information on articles and books by Sotomayor, Congressional documents, cases, and web resources. This is an excellent resource, which is updated as more information becomes available.

And InfoBrief is now produced by a different law librarian. Julie Jones, who inaugurated this service, has left Cornell for the University of Connecticut. I am now coordinating Faculty Services in the Law Library. I will be sending you regular, concise InfoBriefs and welcome your feedback.

Best,

Pat Court
Associate Law Librarian
pgc1@cornell.edu