News

Supreme Court announces new Law Librarian

April 20, 2009

Attorney and law librarian Amanda Tyre Watson will assume duties of acting State Law Librarian on May 4.

Watson, 32, of Jackson, was recommended by the Mississippi Supreme Court. She awaits confirmation by the Mississippi House and the Mississippi Senate.

Watson will oversee the state law library, which is located in the Gartin Justice Building in Jackson. Known officially as the State Library, the law library is a specialized public library which provides legal research materials for the judiciary, state agencies, lawyers, students and the general public.

Watson will replace Charlie Pearce. Pearce recently accepted a position as head of the library system of the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice William L. Waller Jr. said, “Amanda Watson brings to our State Library a high degree of education, experience and technological knowledge which will allow our library to be more responsive to the resource and research requirements of our legal community and the public.”

Watson, who has a background in teaching legal research, plans to expand the role of the law library. She hopes to develop a continuing legal education program to help attorneys improve their legal research skills.

She will also work with Supreme Court and Court of Appeals law clerks, whose duties include extensive legal research. She served as a law clerk for former Court of Appeals Chief Judge Roger McMillin 2001-2002.

Watson previously taught legal research at Tougaloo College and at Florida State University. She also served as a teaching assistant while a student at the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Watson worked in private law practice for the firm of James and Associates in Ridgeland 2002-2003. Since 2003, she has served as manager of information services and law librarian for the law firm of Phelps Dunbar, LLP.

Watson said, “I love books and I love research. That is where I have always been most comfortable.”

Watson, who grew up in New Albany, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mississippi University for Women. She earned her law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law and was admitted to the bar in 2001. She earned a Master of Information Studies in library science from Florida State in 2006.

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