Among the Quick Links on your NYLS Portal Homepage you’ll see a link to the Website of the New York Law Journal. If you’re not already familiar with the NYLJ, you should take a look. It’s the daily newspaper of record for New York lawyers, providing unique coverage of both local legal issues, and the practicing bar. But the NYLJ contains more than just reportage, it also includes news of recent court decisions, which are often reprinted in full text. All of this is invaluable to New York lawyers, and to students who plan to become New York lawyers.
There’s also something else you should know about the NYLJ Website. Not all of the information presented there is free. The headlines, and the text of many of the major articles are free content for anyone who visits the site. But there are other categories of content on the site, and access to “premium content” is limited to individual paid subscribers. The premium content is clearly identified on the site, with a key icon sitting next to the link. If you click on a link that’s next to a key, you’ll be asked for a subscriber’s username and password.
Since NYLJ markets its subscriptions to individual subscribers only, NYLS Library is not permitted to distribute subscriber usernames and passwords to the NYLS community. If you bring your laptop to the 4th floor Reference Desk, the librarian there can log you on so that you have free access to everything. But the Library cannot help you gain access to premium NYLJ content if you’re outside the Library.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that you have other ways to get NYLJ content. First of all, we receive copies of the paper edition in the Library, so you can come by and read it daily. Also, selected NYLJ news and editorials and all "Decisions of Interest," dating back to 1989, are available via Westlaw. So if you have a Westlaw password, and Westlaw searching skills, you can easily access the premium materials that the NYLJ Website won’t let you see.
Beyond the NYLJ, the Library recommends another Website: New York Lawyer http://www.nylawyer.com. Produced by the same company that publishes the NYLJ, New York Lawyer is a free news site geared toward students and lawyers who are just starting out in practice. It’s the home of the New York Buzz, a free email service that delivers a daily summary of local legal news to your email box. If you have questions about the New York Lawyer, the NYLJ, or if you need any sort of research help, just contact the Library Reference Desk at 212-431-2332.
