Fall Fest Follow-Up: Mobile Apps for Legal Research & News

While there are great mobile apps from the usual suspects (Lexis, Westlaw, HeinOnline, Bloomberg BNA), I wanted to highlight one of my favorite apps that might be less well-known: Oyez Today. Brought to you by our friends up the road at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, the Oyez Today app provides the latest information and media on the current business of the Supreme Court of the United States, including abstracts for every case granted review, timely and searchable audio of oral arguments and transcripts, and up-to-date summaries of the Court’s most recent decisions including the Court’s full opinions. The oral arguments feature is especially cool, as you can skip around in the audio file, and the transcript will follow along with you. The Oyez Today app is available for iOS and Android devices.

If you don’t own a tablet, you can test drive an iPad from the TECHB@R, located on the first floor of the Regenstein Library. In addition to providing walk-up technology support for University of Chicago faculty, students, and staff, they also lend equipment, including iPads. They are available for eight hour periods, but make sure you return it on time because the fines are steep!

Finally, the University of Chicago is currently running a Mobile App Challenge with a grand prize of $10,000 – no programming knowledge required. The challenge runs over three quarters, and the first deadline is December 7. If you have an idea for a great mobile app, there is a workshop coming up at the TECHB@R on Monday, November 5, at noon, to help you with your entry.