A Firm Perspective is written by Martha Goldman, a retired BigLaw firm library manager who then returned to NYLS’s Mendik Library where her career began…

How Are Your Database Skills?

If you think you know all about Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law and/or FastCase, please rethink your comfort level.  Learning should be ongoing while in law school and throughout your career.  There is always something new to know for each database, especially when vendors release new versions, add new enhancements, rearrange content or remove resources.

Take advantage of as many instructional opportunities at NYLS as your schedule permits so you can be ahead of the game at an internship, summer job or work after graduation.  You probably won’t have access to all these services wherever you land, so it is a good idea to become sufficiently skilled with each of them to demonstrate your value to a supervising lawyer and show that you are a cost effective and efficient searcher.

For more information about database instruction workshops at NYLS, please contact the reference desk (reference@nyls.edu).  Vendor representatives offer training sessions as well.