First Year Resources

There's no denying it; the first year of law school is hard. A whole new world opens up, and you barely speak the language. There is so much information, and it's difficult to prioritize.

The staff of Charles B. Sears wants you to succeed and to thrive in your first year. The reference librarians, with the assistance of the law faculty, have put together the following webguides to help you navigate your first year courses:

Basic Research Tools
Use this guide to get started with any research project. In this guide, you'll find instructions for using our catalog and other materials in the library.
Civil Procedure
This guide includes references to casebooks, cases, and CALI lessons on Civpro.
Constitutional Law
Use this bibliography to find books in our library's collection on constitutional law. It also includes links to Conlaw blogs and web resources.
Contracts
Built with the assistance of our former law library director Jim Wooten, this guide outlines the seminal casebooks, cases, and CALI lessons in contracts.
Criminal Law
This guide focuses on research techniques, cases, casebooks, and CALI lessons on criminal law. It also includes references to the model penal code.
Property
Use this guide to find casebooks, AudioCase Files, and CALI lessons on property law.
Torts
This guide also outlines the seminal casebooks, cases, and CALI lessons focused on torts.

Also, don't forget to check out the study aid section next to the reference desk and the audio outlines in the Koren Audiovisual Center!