Legal Research Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Riverside County Law Library

Barking Dogs

Written on September 14, 2017.

One year, a neighbor’s dog kept jumping over the fence onto my backyard. Normally, I would not be upset because who does not love dogs? The problem was my tied-up Rottweiler, Roscoe, grew frustrated of this German Shepard going over to fight him and eat his food. I am not a morning person either so waking up to BARKING DOGS at three in the MORNING was very irritating. Don’t mess with me when I am hungry or sleeping! By now you are probably thinking, how does this dog business relate to the law....

More Forms than you can Count!

Written on August 3, 2017.

Believe it or not, our Indio branch gets a number of interesting (and fun) reference questions. In fact, I had a patron walk into the library the other day upset over having just lost his case on a traffic infraction and he seemed to be overwhelmed by the entire appeals processes. I tried handing him the Nolo book on fighting traffic tickets but that seemed to be overwhelming, as well. Then I referred him to the courts website (at http://www.courts.ca.gov/formnumber.htm) where he could search...

Everything you need in one place

Written on July 13, 2017.

At the Riverside County Law Library, we try to provide help to every patron who comes through our door. Occasionally, we also receive questions from the public over the phone. These calls often serve as scouting missions that provide us with the opportunity to explain the resources which our library has to offer. I was recently called by a gentleman who had become frustrated in his attempts to print a section of the penal code at home. He complained that he had tried several sites but the printed...

“Can I get legal advice at a law library?”

Written on March 31, 2017.

Is there someone at the law library who can advise what I should do in my case? Short answer is, no. What you are asking is whether library staff can give you legal advice in your matter and you cannot get legal advice at a law library. What you can get is help finding the answers to legal questions that you do have. Every day I am asked questions that would require me to give legal advice and I think that we often get confused as to what constitutes legal advice. Legal advice refers to written...

All I want for Christmas is…peace of mind

Written on December 14, 2016.

Many moons ago when I was young(er), my folks always had me write up a wish list for Santa. Every year, my brother and I would pour over that list, looking through the Sears Catalog for toys we thought we’d like to have, spend hours drafting the perfect letter to Santa, and then giving the letter to my parents to mail to Santa. Yet, every #%@#^@#%$!@$ year, we never got what we asked for. How is it Santa could get it so wrong every single year?!? Socks?!? Underwear?!!!? Pajamas?!??!! ...

Gonna get you

Written on October 20, 2016.

Years ago, I was walking down the street when I heard a loud bang on the street. Turned out that two cars had collided and, as it turned out, one of the drivers was a person I knew. Standing looking at the accident, Person saw me and asked if I had seen what had happened. No, I hadn’t, and said so. Weeks went by and while lounging at home a I heard a knock on the door and was greeted by my friendly neighborhood process server who served me a subpoena to appear in court. Seems Person...

Bon Appetit

Written on September 9, 2016.

So, I’m grazing the recent news offerings and, catching my attention, I see an article entitled, “10 chef secrets: What happens to bread, and what not to order and more.” Some of the main points included bread not eaten is often passed on to another table, many chefs follow the 5-second rule (ick), chicken and pasta dishes are the most over priced, cockroaches abound in most restaurants, the special isn’t, vegetarian dishes aren’t, and chefs often times do nasty...

Look into my Crystal Ball

Written on April 21, 2016.

When I was a (younger) kid many moons ago, I remember going to the county fair. One of the booths housed Madame Mousee (pronounced Moo Say). The thing that caught my attention was her crystal ball. Didn’t understand the cards or palm reading but that crystal ball really captivated me. As I stared at it, the ball started to glow and Madame Mousee told me that for $3, she could tell my future. Sure, why not. 10 minutes later (and $3 poorer), she told me the “spirits” told...

Oldies but Goodies

Written on December 11, 2015.

They’re back. Fox Mulder and Dana Skully are at it again with their conspiracy theories and alien abductions. Man but those were the days. Of course, I’m talking about the days in the 1980’s – 90’s when the X-Files were king. Turns out the fire never really died out and back are the days of Mulder and Skully. You know, law and legal research stuff is just like that. I remember back when I was in law school (a couple decades back), there were three resources...