The annual Student Bar Association's award for Excellence of Service was presented to members of the library staff in both 2000 and 2001. The first semester Legal Research course, which is a component of Legal Reasoning, Writing and Research, focuses on research sources and strategies to integrate book, commercial online services such as Westlaw and Lexis, and Internet research. Course evaluations for Legal Research are among the highest at the law school and the librarians tend to remain mentors to our students throughout their law school careers. Advanced Legal Research is also available as an elective for second and third year students. In-class legal research sessions covering the latest and most relevant resources and research strategies are presented regularly for substantive classes such as Torts, Tax Law, Administrative Law, Global Climate Change, Environmental Law, International Human Rights, Air Pollution, Anthropology of the Law, etc.
Individual instruction is available at any time.
VLS students graduate with the skills, strategies and techniques needed to respond to their immediate legal research needs as well as to the changing nature of legal research throughout their careers. When students graduate from VLS they should have a firm understanding of legal research using books, the Internet, Westlaw, Lexis, and other legal services.