HAPPENINGS

Legal Resources Now Available!

The New Hampshire Law Library is participating in a new pilot project that provides the public with free remote access to Westlaw, an extensive online data base for legal reference materials that is widely used by attorneys to research state and federal laws, regulations and court cases.

The project is part of an ongoing commitment by the Law Library and the state court system to improve access to justice, especially for persons who cannot afford a lawyer or simply want to represent themselves in court. Westlaw offers a wide range of online resources that can help them prepare their case including previous court decisions that relate to their claim, find laws and statutes that might apply to their case, as well as newspaper and magazine articles, public records, law journals, law reviews, and legal forms.

The one year pilot project is funded with $37,500 in existing reserves in the Law Library Revolving Fund. That Fund is supported by fees on out-of-state lawyers seeking temporary admission to appear in individual cases. The pilot project will be monitored by the Judicial Branch and assessed for effectiveness.

There are now two ways for users to access Westlaw for free.

Unlimited use of Westlaw, for free, is available at public libraries in Derry, Portsmouth and Littleton, or in person at the NH Law Library in Concord, located at the Supreme Court Building in Concord. Library staff are available at all four sites to assist patrons in using the research tools available through Westlaw,

For those who are unable to visit one of the four libraries, remote access to Westlaw is available through a link on the Law Library. Users are required to complete a OnePass registration and validate their email address before accessing the online content. Research sessions time out after 90 minutes and there are limitations on the number of free downloads.

For more information about these free legal resources, please visit: https://www.courts.nh.gov/news-and-media/free-remoteaccess-legal-resources-now-available.

Need Help Finding Grant Programs?

If you are just entering the realm of grants and government funding, it can feel overwhelming trying to find the right program for you or your organization. When considering grants, these programs can be broadly categorized as those awarded by the federal government and those awarded by non-federal entities. Within these two categories are a variety of funding sources and program types.

https://www.grants.gov/learn-grants/grants-programs.html

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently announced a historic $800 million in grant awards for 510 local road safety projects through the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program, a record amount of funding to improve roads and address traffic fatalities. The best news is that this is the first of likely 5 rounds of funding to release the full $5 billion going to local and regional governments for making their roads, sidewalks and intersections safer. The next round of awards will be open in April. The sign-up form is simple and open to all.

We encourage members to share news from your city or town by sending information for the New Hampshire Town and City magazine to NHMA at nhmainfo@nhmunicipal. org. Email us a 250 word description of your notable news (project/initiative/award/individual honor) and include an image if possible. Whether it a news item, feature, or column, your ideas help drive this publication. If you’d like to send something in, please reach out to Editor Tim Fortier at 603.226.1305 or via email at tfortier@nhmunicipal.org.