This work is the result of a joint project of the Rhode Island Bar
Association and the Roger Williams University School of Law. We
present it in hopes of providing improved access to the knowledge and
information contained in the Rhode Island Bar Journal for the benefit of
members of the practicing bar and scholars.
In deciding what to index, decisions were made that were necessary to keep
the project manageable. Everyday items like court administrative orders,
calendar information, or summaries of ordinary bar activities and meetings were
not included; nor were summaries of Rhode Island Supreme Court cases which are
indexed in the West Digests. The hardest decision we made was the
decision not to include memorials and/or regular columns. Regular columns have
only been included if they were listed in an individual issue’s "Table of
Contents." However, as these columns represent a significant commitment to
the Rhode Island Bar Journal, we would like to note a few. The "Tax
Notes" column was the first and begins appearing in the first issue of
volume one. Originally written by Walter F. Gibbons, Lester H. Salter began
sharing the writing responsibilities in volume three. The second regular column
to appear was "Labor Law Notes" written by John L. Clark which first
appeared in the first issue of volume three. Finally, we would like to draw
attention to the Francis J. O’Brien’s "Vistas of Past Years"
column which began in the January issue of volume sixteen. The column provided a
wealth of information about the history of the bar in Rhode Island and would be
of interest to scholars.
As with any work of this nature, suggestions for improvements are welcome. As
long as the Rhode Island Bar Journal continues to be published, this work
will be subject to revision.
