[blindLaw] Increasing Efficiency in the Workplace

[Aser Tolentino]

When I’m researching, I generally run a search and scroll through the results list to see what portion of text returned the match before reading the whole case, eliminating most results as superfluous. Then I actually go into the promising ones and search for the text strings that interest me. If I find something good, I immediately highlight it and copy to a text document, then do a find for the next nearest asterisk to get the page and jump back up to the top of the page to copy the case cite. Rinse and repeat. It might be enough to copy the synopsis of the case to give your mind something to recall about essential facts as well. I then also tend to download all the cases I cited and put them in a folder with the research to allow for easy reference later. HTH

> On Oct 9, 2024, at 2:12 AM, Sanho Steele-Louchart via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Julie:
> 
> You'll start to remember cases by name and context when you work in the same area for a while. In the meantime, or when working on something new, would it be helpful to take down just a few words about a case and copy/paste anything that seems useful, along with its corresponding page number in the asterisks, to help you jump back to that place in the future? JAWS placemarker command is also a great way to put down virtual sticky-notes you can jump to or bring up in a list.
> 
> Sanho
> 
>> On Oct 8, 2024, at 10:32 PM, Julie A. Orozco via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi everyone,
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I hope the following question makes some sense. I have just started my first
>> real attorney job out of law school. Although I'm enjoying the work and
>> learning a lot in general, I'm also finding that my methods for doing
>> research and completing work just don't seem as efficient as maybe I thought
>> they were in law school. I am open to any suggestions you might have, but
>> here are a few specific questions to start.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> How do you avoid going back after you've written your memo or whatever and
>> citing everything? When I do my research, I don't know which quotes and
>> ideas will be helpful, and I don't want to pin-cite the entire case,
>> especially if it's 30 pages. But going through later to find citations feels
>> like such a drain on my time.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> If you have a lot of research to do, and you don't need to read everything
>> in a case to find what you want, how do you skim for it? I've thought of
>> using the find command, going through the case to find headings, and just
>> tracking the thread of the case to see when the relevant issues will be
>> discussed. But I'm open to other strategies too.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> When I read cases, I like to brief them because otherwise, I'll never
>> remember them later if I don't. One of my colleagues suggested that might
>> not be a good use of my time. Is briefing cases not a thing outside of law
>> school? How else do people keep track of what they've read. I read so much
>> every day that I'll never remember it all and put it in the correct context
>> if I don't take notes in some way. I've also found that taking notes and
>> summarizing things in my own words helps me process and comprehend what I
>> read. But maybe there's something I'm missing?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Maybe this is because I started law school during the pandemic, or maybe I
>> just didn't learn everything I could. (I was never on journal or anything
>> like that.) But I wish I had better strategies for tracking research,
>> citations, and skimming through very long cases for the right information. I
>> use Jaws, just received a Mantis Braille display through my job, and don't
>> have any issues with accessibility at present. I'm proficient with all my
>> technology but not a tech master or anything.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Thanks for any suggestions. I am so grateful for my current position and
>> really want to do well where I am.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Julie
>> 
>> 
>> 
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