The University of Cincinnati College of Law offers an extracurricular competency program in legal research. University of Cincinnati Law students who complete the requirements of the Legal Research Competency program before graduation will receive a notation on their transcript stating that they are competent with respect to legal research, a credential they can list proudly on their resumes as proof of the research skills they offer prospective employers.
The importance of research competency is widely acknowledged within and beyond the legal community, as supported by academic research findings and studies documenting essential skills for the twenty-first century workplace.
In order to earn the notation on your transcript, Legal Research Level I, II, and the Capstone must be completed before graduation.
Complete the Advanced Legal Research Class earning a B or better in the course.
OR
Complete 5 of the following modules:
Modules consist of videos and/or live lectures, quizzes, and satisfactory completion of research exercises.
Complete the Advanced Legal Research Class earning a B or better in the course.
OR
Complete 5 of the following modules:
Modules consist of videos and/or live lectures, quizzes, and satisfactory completion of research exercises.
Write a 3-5 page paper comparing free, low-cost, and premium online legal research sources. The exact resources to be examined will be determined in consultation with the Associate Dean of Library Services or his/her designee.
AND
Complete the Advanced Legal Research Class (3 credits) earning a B or better in the course.
OR
Complete the “Tying-it-all-Together” research project.
Susan M. Boland
Interim Director
Robert S. Marx Law Library
Office 110H
susan.boland@uc.edu
Contact me on Teams
v: (513) 556-4407
Susan Boland is the Interim Director for the University of Cincinnati Robert. S. Marx Law Library. She teaches legal research and offers reference and research support services to all law library users. Prior to joining the law library faculty, she was the Head of Information Services for the Ruth Lilly Law Library at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law and the Research & Instructional Services librarian at Northern Illinois University College of Law. She has also held positions at a public library and community college library and served as a judicial clerk for the Iowa District Court for the Fifth Judicial District. She is a member of various professional associations both regionally and nationally. She has served as Chair of the Computing Services Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries and President of the Mid-America Association of Law Libraries. She is currently Vice-President of the American Association of Law Libraries Animal Law Caucus. She has presented at regional and national conferences, as well as at continuing legal education programs. Her publications include annotated bibliographies on the death penalty and election law, as well as articles on legal research, technology, and teaching.
Ronald Jones
Electronic Resources & Instructional Services Librarian
Robert S. Marx Law Library
Office 110M
ronald.jones@uc.edu
v: (513) 556-0158
Ronald Jones serves as Electronic Resources & Instructional Services Librarian at the University of Cincinnati Robert S. Marx Law Library. He is responsible for providing reference and research assistance to all library patrons. In addition to his reference duties, Mr. Jones co-teaches Advanced Legal Research. He is a member of various professional associations both regionally and nationally, and is the newly elected chair of the UC Library Faculty.
Michael Whiteman
Associate Dean of Library Services & Director of the Law Library
Robert S. Marx Law Library
Office 314(B)
whitemme@ucmail.uc.edu
v: (513) 556-0159
f: (513) 556-6265
Michael Whiteman is the Associate Dean of Library Services and the Director of the Robert S. Marx Law Library at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Prior to his position at UC, Michael worked at NKU Chase College of Law, where he served for a year and a half as Interim Dean, and for fifteen years as the Associate Dean for Law Library Services & Information Technology. Michael has regularly taught legal research, advanced legal research, as well as Criminal Law. Michael's scholarly activities center on technology's impact on the practice of law and its impact on law libraries.
