Strategies, Challenges, and Answers

Using Proper Bluebook Citation When Referencing Nevada Law Blog Articles

Legal Blue BookWe gathered in the conference room of an upscale Plaintiff’s firm in Las Vegas. The attorneys exchanged their exhibits and agreed on discovery deadlines. As the meeting adjourned, the Plaintiff’s attorney turned to me and said “So let me tell you a story about your Nevada Law Blogs.” I was all ears.

He explained that a few months earlier he was facing a defense motion in an underinsured motorist suit in the Clark County District Court. The attorney explained that the Defendant’s brief was well written. But it seemed unusually familiar. The attorney said he couldn’t immediately remember where he had seen the language in the brief before.

On a whim, the Plaintiff’s attorney decided to Google the language from the Defendant’s brief. He cut a couple of sentences from the brief and pasted it into his browser. The language returned a hit to an article published in the Nevada Coverage Law blog. Apparently the brief’s author had lifted the blog post word-for-word and pasted it into his brief. The author did not cite the blog as a reference.

The attorney said he decided to have some fun with his opponent. He complimented his opponent on how great the brief was. The opposing counsel accepted the compliment without disclosing the source of the writing. That was until the Plaintiff’s attorney called him out on what he had discovered.

The Plaintiff’s attorney thanked me for the blog. He said he had used it many times as a legal research resource. But more importantly he thanked me that it had given him a chance to troll his opponent.

I am glad that the Nevada Law Blogs have become a go-to legal reference. I write to assist the legal community and the public in their search for a better understanding of the law. People are free to use it how they choose. But I would invite everyone who quotes the blog to make a proper citation to the referenced article.

It’s been a while since law school. But they still teach The Bluebook, A Uniform System of Citations as the guide. The guide tells us that a proper citation to the Nevada Coverage Law blog’s recent article on Nevada’s Absolute Liability Statute would look like this. Michael Mills, Nevada’s Absolute Liability Statute Does Not Create A Third-Party Bad Faith Claim (Dec. 15, 2015) https://nevadacoveragelaw.com/thirdparty-bad-faith-claim-created-nevadas-absolute-liability-statute/

If you know of instances when the Nevada Law Blogs have been cited in legal briefs or articles, please let me know. I would like to keep track of where we are being quoted. Maybe one day, even the Nevada Supreme Court (or at least the Appellate Court) will quote the Nevada Law Blog.

In the meantime, if you have any other help with any other Nevada law issues, please let me assist you. I can be reached at 702-240-6060 x114. I look forward to speaking with you.