|
|
| Denton County Law Library Quarterly |
|
Welcome to "The Q" |
May 2013 |
|
|
|
|
*** Please Note *** The law librarians are officially no longer keeping a running total for anyone. Our apologies, but we will be cracking down on this new rule. |
Our very own Law Librarian, Kathleen Bransford, is now the President-elect of the Southwest Association of Law Libraries - a branch of American Association of Law Libraries. "Only with the help of my friends," she says.
Would you like to add an announcement to the September 2013 newsletter?
|
|
Q-tips... Making the best of our e-world |
Did you know that the Texas Bar Journal archives includes a searchable online database back to 1938? Just click on "Search the Archive."
KeyScrambler is an application for use on your personal or business computer. Keylogger programs allow another party to record what you type. KeyScrambler scrambles what you type preventing access to personal information.
Tired of wasting paper when printing something from the internet?!?!? Try PrintWhatYouLike.com and PrintFriendly.com. To make things quick and easy try making them a favorite on your toolbar. |
|
For our criminal attys & lovers of the graphic novel |
|
Need tech help or training? |
Of course, not everyone is aware of all of our services or have not had a chance to try them out. Stephanie Bassinger, Assistant Law Librarian, is willing to schedule tutorials or group classes of 4 or 5 people on any service(s) that we offer. You can reach her at 940-349-2130 &
|
|
UNT Journalism Student Visits the Law Library |
|
Thursday, March 20th, we had the great honor of spending time with a UNT journalism student named Chinazo Onwukaike (her name is Nigerian, if you're wondering.) For a print journalism class at UNT she was charged with reporting on the courthouse and found the law library to be the "hub" and a great resource for the public and attorneys alike. She was delighted to learn about the library and meet some of our lovliest attorneys. The following article was written by her.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Managing a Courthouse
By: Chinazo Onwukaike
While attorneys argue the cases of their clients and jury members fulfill their civic duty, Stephanie Bassinger and Kathleen Bransford manage what they call the "greatest hidden treasure" of the courthouse or the Denton County Law Library.
Up the stairs and to the right, Bassinger and Bransford, law librarians, update and maintain the 8,686 book library. The collection of seemingly the same pale yellow books acts as a reference for attorneys and general citizens alike. The books contain mostly cases and Texas law and statutes according to Bassinger, assistant law librarian. The total cost of the books in the library is $119,810.40 according to the library status report.
Persons who choose to represent themselves, or Pro Se, can use the library to inform themselves for their trial. Citizens that are not involved in a trial at all can also come to the library and use its resources. Included in the library are nine public access computers complete with databases Lexis Nexis and Westlaw. Printing is available for 25 cents per page.
Attorneys also use the library as a place to research and prepare for their cases. It also serves
"It's a think tank kind of environment," said Victor Amador, court appointed criminal defense lawyer. "It's a resource. I don't have to pay for parking. It's easy to research and do work in between hearings." The library is the place the lawyers feel free to discuss and work on cases over pizza and smiles as they prepare for their trials. "We can consult each other when we need to," said Leslie Barrows, lawyer. "We are a very tight-knit group," Amador said.
The library does not only serve as a resource for research for citizens and attorneys, it also acts as the central hub or nucleus of the courthouse. Most of the people who enter the library are searching for directions clarifying on case issues. They also come for court packages support documents, nondisclosure agreement forms and occupational driver's license forms. What the librarians cannot offer to citizens is legal advice, which is planted on a plaque on the librarian's desk. Bassinger said people still do regardless.
and documents such as child
Bassinger's job within the court system gave her the opportunity to participate in the Denton County Leadership Development Training Program. Through the program she was able to intern at any of the county jobs. She chose to work with the medical examiner.
"I drew a lot of parallels," said Bassinger. "It was a lot of gathering and organizing of information."
Librarians Bassinger and Bransford have a different perspective on courts than most. Their day to day work is with general citizens as well as the attorneys and judges that are involved in their cases.
"We get to see a side of the courts that no one else does," said Bassinger.
They see the courts for not only the trials and cases throughout the day. They truly see it from the inside out. |
|
Space for use at the law library
- Our Attorneys' Lounge is available M-F, 8-5 (excluding holidays); we do provide coffee upon request; however there is no longer a copier or phone for attorney use
- If you need a private room you can call and reserve our Conference Room during the same hours; it is first come first serve if no one has reserved it beforehand
DIY Office Services
- 25�/pg. B/W copies
- 25�/pg. printing from computers
- 25�/pg. incoming faxes to 940-349-2131
- 25�/incoming emails to Kathleen AND Stephanie (in case one of us isn't here)
- $1.00/pg. color copies & color printing
- $2.00/8 pgs. local faxes (25� per pg. after)
- $2.50/8 pgs. long distance faxes (25� per pg. after)
- FREE scan to e-mail in .pdf format
Research online
- 2 computers with LexisNexis access
- 3 computers with Westlaw access
-
Current Print Resources
- ALR
- TexJur titles
- US Code
- Vernon's
- Various O'Connor's titles
- AmJur titles
- State Bar Books
- SW 3d
|
|
State Bar publications & free services for members |
The State Bar offers many downloads for free, some require your Bar Card. Go to www.texasbarbooks.net to check it out. |
|
Digital forms on our computers & forms-on-CD available for check-out |
Digital forms on ONE computer:
We now have a computer dedicated solely to using our digital publications. You can now use O'Connor's forms, entire State Bar publications and various titles from smaller publishers.
Forms-on-CD available for check-out:
We now have a printed list of CDs you can peruse to see what you want to checkout
You may find this blog useful... you can even filter posts to only Texas related information.
|
|
We can offer you limited access to three Law Journal Press titles.
RICO: Civil & Criminal, White Collar Crime, and Texas Criminal Codes & Rules.
Let us know what you need from them and we'll show you how to use them.
 
|
|
UNTs Portal to Texas History |
"Currently we have a total of 268,368 unique items, comprising 3.2 million files. Over the last 34 days, we've logged 596,887 uses of these items by people like you."
Click the picture to check it out. |
| |
THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE
Sundance Selects 2012
In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers were arrested and charged for brutally attacking and raping a white female jogger in Central Park. News media swarmed the case, calling it "the crime of the century." But the truth about what really happened didn't become clear until after the five had spent years in prison for a crime they didn't commit. With THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE, this story of injustice finally gets the telling it deserves. Based on Sarah Burns' best-selling book and co-directed by her husband David McMahon and father, the beloved doc filmmaker Ken Burns, this incendiary film tells the riveting tale of innocent young men scapegoated for a heinous crime, and serves as a mirror for our times.
---Official Website
SIDE EFFECTS
---From the desk of The Movie Snob.
The latest film from Steven Soderbergh (The Informant!) is an interesting and twisty little movie. I can't say too much about the plot because of its twistiness, but the set-up is this. Emily (Rooney Mara) is a depressed young woman patiently awaiting the day her husband Martin (Channing Tatum) will get out of prison for insider trading. Martin gets out of prison, but Emily's depression gets worse. She comes under the care of Dr.Jonathan Banks (Jude Law), and they begin a trial-and-error search for an anti-depressant drug that will work for her. That's about as much as I can say without depriving you of the pleasure of seeing what happens next, and next, and then next after that. It's kind of a thriller, but a little too low-key for that label to be really accurate. Catherine Zeta-Jones (Rock of Ages) also stars as a tightly wound psychiatrist from Emily's past. It's much better than the 2005 film of the same name starring Katherine Heigl (Side Effects), that's for sure! ---The Movie Court by the Texas State Bar
---Permanent Link | |
Handwritten Divorce Petition Shows Fine Line Between Love and Hate
Lawhaha.com - April 18th, 2012
A judge friend sent me this handwritten Texas divorce petition, apparently filed back in 1985 by a Texas lawyer proceeding pro se. It's one of those hand-scrawled pleadings that, at first blush, looks like it was written by an inmate or perhaps a crazy person; however, closer examination shows the writing to be quite clever and amusing in places. And the drawings are priceless.
The petitioner seems uncertain of where his heart lies, as he alternates between insulting the wife and telling the court how much he loves her.
Read the original to appreciate it, but here are some re-typed uncorrected highlights (the respondent's name and petitioner's address are redacted on both the copy of the original pleading and below):
I.
This suit is brought by PAUL FRANK HENSLER, Petitioner who is Forty Six (46) years of age and who resides at XXXX.
Respondent, XXXX, is a "Transient Person," having her residence in a 1970 Chrysler. ...
IV.
These parties were joined together in Holy Matrimony by the Very Honorable Frances Porter, JUSTICE OF THE PEACE in Lampasus, Lampasas County, Texas on the 29th Day of March, in the year of our Lord, A.D. 1983. They ceased living together as husband and wife on Monday January 21, 1984, when she got pissed off and hauled ass with the car, the Mastercard, $365.00 cash, her FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS NINE YEAR OLD EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION CASE ..., to which she is WELCOME, having BORED ME STIFF for 2 years about just how everybody picks on XXXX.
IV.
This marriage has become very insupportable because of, ho-hum, conflict of personalities between Petitioner and Respondent, but chiefly because of conflict of personalities between Respondent and Respondent that destroyed the legitimate ends of the marriage (good sex!) and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation (unless she consents to having her mouth surgically closed).
V.
There is no child born or adopted of this marriage although Petitioner swears on oath that he did everything he could to KNOCK HER UP, but she isn't pregnant and won't have another CHILD, although Petitioner LOVES HER DEARLY and wants her to have his children, but she is LIBERATED now and "Feminists" don't have children by "male chauvinist pig lawyers," she so swears.
VI.
Petitioner requests the Court to divide the estate of the parties by awarding their property to the party having POSSESION (in a legal sense, not the kind of "possession" by spirits you see in movies, although XXXX could pass muster for a stand-in for "Syble" or the girl in "The Exorcist.")
VII.
Petitioner, Paul Frank Hensler prays that CITATION and NOTICE issue as required by LAW and that the Court GRANT A DIVORCE and decree such other and further relief as requested herein, including changing Respondent's name to BELLA ABZUG, JR. for costs of suit and for (see drawings of trumpet and drum roll).
Stand back, its almost here - Ed McMahon on stage now - HEEEER'ES General Relief (see drawing of Rolaids man).
-Petition for Divorce, Hensler v. [Name redacted], Case No. 85-04521, Dist. Ct., Harris Cty, TX, Jan. 23, 1985.
if you have any suggestions for content we would love to hear them. Do remember, we will not promote your services. We will, however, publish your professional writings or recognize any achievements or big events in your lives. |
Don't forget...
if you have any suggestions for content we would love to hear them. Do remember, we will not promote your services. We will, however, publish your professional writings or recognize any achievements or big events in your lives. |
|
Edited by Kathleen Bransford, Law Librarian &
Stephanie Bassinger, MLS, Assistant Law Librarian
940-349-2130 |
|
|
