3. IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING
CURRENT WITH THE LAW
Lawyers need to ensure their knowledge of the law
is up-to-date
If not up-to-date run the risk of legal malpractice
Miss legal opportunities or potentially adverse
developments which can impact client
Rely on out-of-date which negatively impacts litigation
efforts
4. WHAT IS CURRENT
AWARENESS MATERIAL?
Since keeping current with the law is such an
important responsibility for attorneys, many
publishers create resources designed to aid lawyers
in staying up-to-date
Called “Current Awareness” materials in the
profession, these tool are invaluable for attorneys
5. CURRENT AWARENESS
SOURCES
Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) publications
Publisher of daily and weekly reports geared towards specific practice areas
Examples:
Biotech Watch
Social Media Law & Policy Report
Toxics Law Reporter
Extensively used by legal practitioners
Recently acquired by Bloomberg
Content available through:
Standalone subscription
Bloomberg Law
Integrated with Westlaw & Lexis if maintain the standalone subscription
6. CURRENT AWARENESS
SOURCES (CONT.)
Commerce Clearing Housing (CCH)
Major publisher of current awareness reports (among other things)
Examples:
CCH Labor Law Reports
Standard Federal Tax Reports – Taxes on Parade
Owned by Legal Publisher Wolters Kluwer
Content available through:
CCH IntelliConnect platform
Integrated into Westlaw & Lexis
7. CURRENT AWARENESS
SOURCES (CONT.)
Legal News and Alerts
Bloomberg Law, Lexis, and Westlaw also offer legal and other relevant news
Platforms also allow alerts to be configured that will email pertinent information as it
becomes available
Bar Publications and CLEs
Bar associations publish magazines and maybe newsletters for their members
Colorado Lawyer
Official monthly publication of Colorado Bar
In addition to news, contains substantive articles on specific legal topics
Searchable index available on CO Bar website
Continuing Legal Education courses and publications good way to update legal knowledge
8. CURRENT AWARENESS
SOURCES (CONT.)
Newspapers
Variety of newspapers/news websites exist which are useful for attorneys
Most major markets will have its own legal newspaper
Law Week Colorado
Weekly CO legal newspaper
Business Journals
Many major markets are have a business-oriented newspaper
Denver Business Journal
Even though technically a “business” newspaper, contains many stories which have legal impact
Examples:
Niobrara exploration (Oil & Gas)
Environmental cleanup
Bills & new laws
9. CURRENT AWARENESS
SOURCES (CONT.)
“Blawgs”
Many legal professionals maintain a blog covering their
practice/expertise area
ABA maintains comprehensive list
Remember not all blawgs are created equal
Important to do research and make certain that author is
knowledgeable and has a strong reputation
ABA publishes annual list of Top 100 blawgs
10. CONCLUSION
Maintaining current awareness is an important responsibility for any
practicing attorney
Many sources exist to help lawyers stay up-to-date
BNA and CCH are two major current awareness publishers
