Thursday, December 7, 2023: 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

--- CLASSES WILL BE HELD VIA ZOOM. ZOOM INFORMATION WILL BE EMAILED TO REGISTRANTS PRIOR TO CLASS START TIME ---

Learn how to use citators to make sure your cases, statutes, and regulations are still good law, and find more citations for your research question. Learn about the major online case citators – Shepard’s on Lexis Advance and KeyCite on Westlaw.

Class covers:

• Accessing Shepard’s on Lexis Advance and KeyCite on Westlaw
• “Shepardizing” and “Keyciting” a case
• “Shepardizing” and “Keyciting” a statute
• Explanation of Shepard’s signals and KeyCite symbols
• Reviewing results

Registration fees: FREE, Registration reserves spot

No legal advice: LA Law Library provides access to legal resources and assistance with legal research. LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Thursday, December 21: 2023, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

--- CLASSES WILL BE HELD VIA ZOOM. ZOOM INFORMATION WILL BE EMAILED TO REGISTRANTS PRIOR TO CLASS START TIME ---

Learn how to evaluate and use free sources of legal information online. This class also introduces select low cost websites for researching California and federal law. 

Class covers:

• How to search for bills, codes, regulations, and case law
• Sources for Los Angeles City and County law and government
• General legal research sites, including Google Scholar and FindLaw for Legal Professionals
• Legal research tips
• Hands-on exercises

Registration fees: FREE, Registration reserves spot

No legal advice: LA Law Library provides access to legal resources and assistance with legal research. LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Thursday, October 26, 2023: 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

A civil lawsuit starts with the filing and service of a written complaint. The complaint serves many purposes, including the identification of the parties involved in the lawsuit, the plaintiff’s reason for filing a lawsuit, and the type of relief that is sought.  The defendant must then respond to the complaint by filing an answer or another type of response. The complaint and the defendant’s responses are called pleadings, and they set the stage for all that comes afterward in the lawsuit. In this class, learn how to prepare, file, serve and respond to civil case pleadings in California state courts.

Class covers:

• Is filing a lawsuit a good idea?
• Identifying possible legal theories
• Drafting the complaint
• Service of summons and complaint
• Answers and other responsive pleadings

Class approved for Court Interpreter Minimum Continuing Education (CIMCE) credit.

Presented by: Mary Garcia, Reference Librarian, LA Law Library (https://www.lalawlibrary.org/)

Registration fee: FREE

Reservation reserves spot

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Thursday, August 17, 2023: 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

A motion is how you request that a court order someone to do something in your lawsuit. Motions are made to obtain many types of orders: to postpone a trial to a later date, to modify an order for child support, to get a judgment without going to trial, to get a rehearing or a new trial, or for sanctions when a party breaks the rules (just to name a few). A motion for any of these orders can have a huge impact on your case. This class is intended to give an overview of how motions work in California state court and the rules of procedure that apply to making, filing, serving and opposing motions.

Class covers:

• What a motion is and why a motion may be important to your case
• When a motion is appropriate
• What is included in a motion
• How to get a motion on calendar and rules regarding service, filing and proper notice
• Requirements for “ex parte” (emergency) and oral motions, and when each of these is appropriate

Class approved for Court Interpreter Minimum Continuing Education (CIMCE) credit.

Presented by Katie O'Laughlin:

Katie O’Laughlin is a Reference & Research Librarian. In addition to earning her Masters of Science in Library Science from USC, Katie is a graduate of Loyola Law School. She began her career as a reference librarian and legal research instructor at Southwestern University School of Law and then practiced law for many years before opening an independent bookstore in the Los Angeles area. Returning to her roots in law librarianship at LA Law Library, Katie now provides reference services, leads the Library’s book discussion group, is in charge of lobby and other library displays, and teaches several classes.

Registration fee: FREE, Reservation reserves spot

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.