Free Resources for Fall: Open-Source Text Legal Argumentation: Reasoning & Writing About the Law, Open-Source CaseStrainer Case Checker, and Complimentary Student Gemini GAI Access
As summer starts to fade away, albeit with plenty of heat in most of the U.S., I was looking for some happy news to start fall. I am a co-author and co-editor of a new open-source Legal Reasoning text, and I have seen announcements for several other great free resources recently. Today, I’m sharing info on some of these sources. Hopefully, you will find these helpful and will also start a conversation about more free options for counsel and students.
First, I am so proud to have been a part of Prof. Brian Larson’s author and editor team for the new open-source textbook: Legal Argumentation: Reasoning & Writing About the Law, 1st ed., published by CALI. The book is available as a searchable PDF download and we are excited about the way attorneys and students can use all or parts of the book as they like. CALI says the book “is suitable for a two- or three-semester introduction to legal analysis, reasoning, research, and writing” as it “covers theories underlying legal reasoning and analysis, contexts in which reasoning and analysis occur, and many common textual and oral genres, such as memos, briefs, letters, emails, contracts, and oral communication” with “extensive supplemental information and examples, including writing resources, sample student work, and annotated documents.”
Thus, law professors might use this flexible text as a main textbook, or might assign a few chapters in the order they like. Similarly, practitioners could use some of the tips and samples, and suggest more of the book to newer attorneys. You can download a free PDF with linked and searchable tables and indices, and if you’d like a hard copy, CALI sells copies for the cost of paper and shipping. Download Legal Argumentation here: https://www.cali.org/books/legal-argumentation#
Next, I suggest checking out University of Washington School of Law Digital Innovation Librarian Jonathan Franklin’s new “free and open-source [imaginary] case finder,” CaseStrainer. The tool works with URLs, files, and pasted text to see if something cited in a brief or other paper is real, or if GAI created it. According to Franklin on LinkedIn, the tool “relies on CourtListener and other free sources to validate cases, so no paid APIs are required, but they could be easily added.” I tested some real and GAI-created cites, and appreciated the straightforward and easy interface. Try CaseStrainer yourself at: https://wolf.law.uw.edu/casestrainer/.
Finally, if you will be working with students this fall, you are probably considering how to incorporate GAI into the curriculum. While GAI has the power to help increase access to justice, the premium options can be expensive. Thus, many law professors are concerned about encouraging use of a tool that will be out of reach financially for some students and practicing attorneys. Recently, Prof. Tracy Norton at LSU posted about an opportunity for free premium access from Gemini. Gemini has an offer for students to obtain free premium Gemini access through the end of summer 2026, but they need to act by the end of September. Prof. Norton explained that this offer includes a “study mode to compete with a similar ChatGPT feature.” Google’s (non-objective) note about free Gemini is here: https://blog.google/products/gemini/google-ai-pro-students-learning/?utm_source=www.therundown.ai&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=u-s-govt-gets-chatgpt-for-a-buck&_bhlid=3fcc3d56f5db71b179340c9a9518d28e3a87e378
As our hot summer days move to hot fall days, I hope these free resources help in your practice or teaching.