Skip to Main Content

MyLaw Help

This guide is designed to provide help using MyLaw to the UCLA School of Law community. If you need additional assistance, please email: mylaw@law.ucla.edu.
URL: https://libguides.law.ucla.edu/mylawhelp

Events & Event Planning

You can find additional assistance for planning your events on the MyLaw Events & Event Planning Site.

MyLaw features targeted communications within in the Law School

One of the primary features of MyLaw is that it enables departments to send out targeted communications about news, events, deadlines and more to specific audiences within the school (such as Faculty, All Students, 1Ls, etc.).  These announcements appear on the audience members' home page and on your Department's home page, they are sent out in the daily UCLA Law Insider summary email and are aggregated in MyLaw Calendar (learn more about the calendar).  For a full outline of how and when communications display, visit the "Communications Display Chart." Other useful features are available, such as Read Receipts, a Communications Awareness Report and RSVPs. The RSVP feature alone can save you hours in tracking RSVPs for your events.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Please choose one form of communication for each announcement, event or deadline to avoid duplicate communications. It is not necessary to post both an announcement and an event for the same event; by using the event form, you will also "announce" your event. The same applies to deadlines.

Creating New Content for your Department or Center Site

The easiest way to create new content on your Department or Center MyLaw site is to Use the "Create" link in the upper right corner of the MyLaw banner.

Once you click "Create" you must select the type of content you wish to create on your site (Announcement, Event, Deadline, Content Page or Document).   If you belong to more than one department or center, you must also select the appropriate site for which you are creating new content.

Once you select the type of content and the specific site, click Next.  This will take you to the form that must be filled out to create the new content.  (Please see the separate boxes for detailed instructions about creating announcements, creating events, creating deadlines, creating content pages or links, and creating documents.)

Creating Announcements

(Note the items marked with a red asterisk are required fields)

If you are creating an announcement using the "Create" link, skip to Step 2.

Make sure you are on your "Portal Content Management/Targeting Site" (See "Getting to Department Site Management" to the left)

  1. Locate your Department Announcements web part and in the lower left corner click on "Add new item."

    NOTE: This displays only active announcements.
     
  1. Add a Title to your Announcement (required).
  1. Leave announcement type as General.
  1. RECOMMENDED: Add a one sentence summary (255 characters max) of the announcement.  Users can see the summary on their home page and in the UCLA Law Insider email before opening the full announcement.
     
  1. More detailed information can be added into the Body.

    NOTE: Copying content directly from Word will cause formatting problems. Be sure to paste your content into a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit first, then copy that text and paste into your content area.
 body content

You can use the controls in the content editor above to make formatting changes to your content, such as adding italics, bulleted lists, links (see linking instructions) or tables. Please do not apply "your own font." If you would like a training session on more advanced features of content editing, please email mylaw@law.ucla.edu
  1. Add images or documents, if desired.

To add an image to your announcement posting, see the box to the left about adding images to events and announcements.

To link to a document from your announcement posting (such as a form or flier), see the linking to documents box on the Documents page.  
  1. Adjust the Start Displaying and Stop Displaying dates (both are required). The default is to start displaying today and stop displaying a week from now. 
  1. Requires Read Receipt?

    When you use this feature, you will be able to see who has read the deadline announcement and who has not. See the "Read Receipt Reports" section below for more details. 

    See "The MyLaw Calendar" page for more details about Read Receipts and Hiding announcements.
  1. Select the "Targeted Audience(s)" for your announcement. 

    Please be sure to think carefully about your targeting and ONLY target to appropriate audiences.

    NOTE: if you do not select an audience, then no one will be able to see your announcement.
  1. Request item to be made public? 

    NOTE: This feature is not intended for use with announcements
     
  1. Request item to be featured?

    Checking this box will make a request for this item to be considered for a featured item in the UCLA Law Insider email.
     
  
  1. Topics (Required): Add only the first topic:
    !MyLaw Only. All other topics are for events that will appear on the public website.

    To add your topic, simply click on the !MyLaw Only in the left box and then click "Add >"

    To remove a mistakenly added topic, click on the topic on the right side and then click "<Remove."
     


  1. Click "Save"

 

 

Creating Events

(Note the items marked with a red asterisk are required fields)

If you are creating an Event using the "Create" link, skip to step 2.

Make sure you are on your "Portal Content Management/Targeting Site" (See "Getting to Department Site Management" to the left)

  1. Locate your Department Events web part and in the lower left corner, click on "Add new item."

    (Please note that this displays only active events.)
  
  1. Add a Title to your Event (required).
  1. Add the Event Location. If it is an online event, please put "Virtual [platform]". i.e "Virtual [Zoom]" 
  
  1. RECOMMENDED: Add a one sentence summary (255 characters max) of the event.  Users can see the summary on their home page and in the UCLA Law Insider email before opening the full announcement.
  1. More detailed information can be added into the Body.

    NOTE: Copying content directly from Word will cause formatting problems. Be sure to paste your content into a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit first, then copy that text and paste into your content area.

body content

You can use the controls in the content editor above to make formatting changes to your content, such as adding italics, bulleted lists, links (see linking instructions) or tables. Please do not apply "your own font." If you would like a training session on more advanced features of content editing, please email mylaw@law.ucla.edu
  1. Add images or documents, if desired.

To add an image to your event posting, see the box to the left about uploading images in MyLaw.

To link to a document from your event posting (such as a form or flier), see the linking to documents box on the Documents page.  
  1. Add the Start Displaying Date for your event (required).

    This is the date your event will start displaying on the MyLaw home page, your department site home page and the UCLA Law Insider email.

    NOTE: Your event will display in the MyLaw Calendar immediately, once it is approved and not based on this date.

Please do not set this date more than two weeks before your event.
TIP: You may wish to send out a "Save the Date" announcement (see instructions above) once you set the date for your event, which you can set to display for a few days.
  1. Add the Start Time and End Time for your event.
  1. Check "Requires RSVP?" if you  would like your targeted audience members to RSVP to your event,

    When you use this feature, MyLaw provides you with a list of attendees and a list of those who have either said they are not attending or who have not yet responded. See the "RSVP Reports" section in the Department Site Management Tab in this guide for more details.
  1. Select the "Targeted Audience(s)" for your event announcement.  Please be sure to think carefully about your targeting and ONLY target to appropriate audiences.(For Example - Career Information or a networking opportunity should only be targeted to students)

    NOTE: If you do not select an audience, then no one will be able to see your event.
  1. Request item to be made public? 

    When selected, this item will display in the calendar on the Law School's public website.

    NOTE: You must also select at least one "Web" Topic in the topics section below or your event will not be exported to the public website.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your Event contains images or links to documents located in MyLaw, these will not appear or be accessible from the public site. Please contact mylaw@law.ucla.edu for assistance with documents and images intended for the public website.
  1. Request item to be featured? Checking this box will make a request for this item to be considered for a featured item in the UCLA Law Insider email.
  
  1. Topics (Required):
    If your event is intended for Internal audiences (Law School Only), select only the topic: !MyLaw Only

    If your event is intended for public audiences and you want it to appear on the public website, see the next box below.

    To add your topics, simply click on the desired topic(s) in the left box and then click "Add >"

    To remove a mistakenly added topic, click on the topic on the right side and then click "<Remove."

     
  1. Public Web Topics - There are a number of topics that start with "Web - "  If you are adding your event to the public calendar, you must choose at least one of these Public Web Topics.  

    Choose Web - Area of Focus (select the appropriate area of focus for your event topic/Center) and, if you are affiliated with a Center, select Web - My Center

Note that you will see specific "Web-" topic recommendations for your department, center, etc. directly below the topics list.
  1.   Click "Save"
  

Creating Deadlines

(Note the items marked with a red asterisk are required fields)

NOTE: See the box "Some Notes about Deadlines in MyLaw" for more details about how deadlines function for the end user.

If you are creating a Deadline using the "Create" link, skip to step 2.

Make sure you are on your "Portal Content Management/Targeting Site" (See "Getting to Department Site Management" to the left)

  1. Locate your Department Deadlines web part and in the lower left corner, click on "Add new item."

    NOTE: This displays only active deadlines.
  1. Add a Title to your Deadline (required).
  1. RECOMMENDED: Add a one sentence summary (255 characters max) of the event.  Users can see the summary on their home page and in the UCLA Law Insider email before opening the full announcement.
  1. More detailed information can be added into the Body.

    NOTE: Copying content directly from Word will cause formatting problems. Be sure to paste your content into a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit first, then copy that text and paste into your content area.

You can use the controls in the content editor above to make formatting changes to your content, such as adding italics, bulleted lists, links (see linking instructions) or tables. Please do not apply "your own font." If you would like a training session on more advanced features of content editing, please email mylaw@law.ucla.edu
  1. Add images or documents, if desired.

To add an image to your announcement posting, see the box to the left about uploading images in MyLaw.

To link to a document from your deadline posting (such as a form or flier), see the linking to documents box on the Documents page.  
  1. Add the Start Displaying Date for your deadline (required).

    This is the date your deadline will start displaying on the MyLaw home page, your department site home page and the UCLA Law Insider email.

    NOTE: Your deadline will display on the deadline date in the MyLaw Calendar immediately.

 
  1. Enter the date of your Deadline.
  1. Requires Read Receipt?

    When you use this feature, you will be able to see who has read the deadline announcement and who has not. See the "Read Receipt Reports" section below for more details. 

    See "The MyLaw Calendar" page for more details about Read Receipts and Hiding announcements.
  1. Select the "Targeted Audience(s)" for your deadline.  NOTE: Please be sure to think carefully about your targeting and ONLY target to appropriate audiences.(For Example - Career Information or a networking opportunity should only be targeted to students)

    NOTE: if you do not select an audience, then no one will be able to see your deadline.
  1. Request item to be made public? 

    NOTE    : We do not use this feature for Deadlines at UCLA Law.

 
  1. Request item to be featured?

    Checking this box will make a request for this item to be considered for a featured item in the UCLA Law Insider email.
  
  1. Topics (Required):
    If your event is intended for Internal audiences (Law School Only), select only the topic: !MyLaw Only

    If your event is intended for public audiences and you want it to appear on the public website, see the next box below.

    To add your topics, simply click on the desired topic(s) in the left box and then click "Add >"

    To remove a mistakenly added topic, click on the topic on the right side and then click "<Remove."


  1. Click "Save"
  

Linking to External Web Pages from your Content

Visit the Documents page for instructions on linking to documents in your document library.

  1. In the body of your Announcement/Event/Content Page, highlight the appropriate text and click on the Link icon from the ribbon

     
  2. This will open a very large window (please be patient, it may take sometime for this window to open the first time in your editing session).
  3. In this window, the only thing you need is the "Location (URL)" field.  It may already be filled in as shown above. Delete this information and paste your external link or content page link into this field:


     
  4. Click OK

Adding Images to Events and Announcements

If you need to add images to MyLaw Events and Announcements, you will need to store those images in your department's folder within Webshare. If you do not have a folder in Webshare, request one by sending a message to mylaw@law.ucla.edu.

Preparing the image:

  1. Resize image: No larger than 750 px wide if there is no text around it; no larger than 325 px wide if there is
  2. Save image to your folder (e.g., \\lawnet.lcl\uclaw\WebShare\gradstudies)
  3. Construct the link for your image in this format:
    https://webshare.law.ucla.edu/yourfolder/yourimagename.xxx
    e.g., https://webshare.law.ucla.edu/gradstudies/LLM_Chile.jpg
  4. Copy the link

Adding the Image to MyLaw:

  1. From your event or announcement, click in the Page Content area where you would like to place the image, then click Insert > Picture > From Address:


     
  2. Paste the link to the image in the address field (optional: alternative text), then click OK.
  3. You can then use options for working with your image, such as creating spacing around the image, changing the size or setting the position of the image on the page.
  4. When you are finished with the event/announcement, click Save

If  this is for an event that will also display on the public website, it will take up to about three hours for it to appear there. Data updates from MyLaw to the website occur every even hour between 6am and 6pm and at 11pm and finish by about 45 minutes after the hour.

Editing & Deleting an Announcement, Event or Deadline

From the appropriate list on your Department Portal/Content Management Home Page:

  1. Locate the item you wish to edit and position your cursor to the right of the title; click on the down arrow; and, select Edit Item
  1. Make your changes and click "Save" when you are done.

TWO THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN UPDATING AN ANNOUNCEMENT, EVENT OR DEADLINE:

  1. Any change to an announcement/event/deadline will "reactivate" it. 
  2. We strongly discourage "reusing" expired announcements/deadlines/events. (See the box above)
  1. You can also delete items from this menu.

Read Receipt Reports

Department AnnouncementsWhen creating an announcement, if you check the Requires Read Receipt? box, your audience members will not be able to "Hide" this item from their home pages until the item is opened and marked as "Read."

Users will see the item noted as "Requires Reading" on their MyLaw home page. The item will remain there and cannot be  hidden until opened and marked as read.

This also provides you with a Read Receipt Summary, which you can find by clicking the link under Reports in your Department Management Site left navigation.

 

 

 

 

 

This brings you to a list of all announcement items you have marked as Requires Read Receipt.

The Read Receipt Report provides you with the following features:

  • The ability to see everyone who has marked the item as read
  • A list of email addresses for "marked as read" viewers so you can follow up with them by copying and pasting their addresses into an email (use the bcc field for privacy reasons).
  • The ability to see everyone who has NOT marked the item as read ("unread" items)
  • A list of email addresses for "unread" viewers so you can follow up with them by copying and pasting their addresses into an email (use the bcc field for privacy reasons).

RSVP Reports

Department AnnouncementsWhen creating an event, if you check the Requires RSVP? box, this allows your audience members to RSVP to your Event directly from the MyLaw announcement.

This also generates an RSVP Summary,  which you will find by clicking the link under Reports in your Department Site left navigation. 

 

 

 

 

This brings you to a list of all events you have marked as Requires RSVP.

The RSVP Report provides you with the following features:

  • The ability to see a list of everyone who has indicated they are attending your event, which can be easily copied into a spreadsheet.
  • A list of email addresses for attendees so you can follow up with them by copying and pasting their addresses into an email (use the bcc field for privacy reasons).
  • The ability to see a list of everyone who has either not responded (undecided) or has indicated they will not be attending.
  • A list of email addresses for those who have not responded or are not attending so you can follow up with them by copying and pasting their addresses into an email (use the bcc field for privacy reasons).
  • The ability to change a person's attendance status, with the "mark as attending" or "mark as not attending" links next to every invitee's name.

Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library, UCLA School of Law, 385 Charles E. Young Drive East, 1112 Law Building, Los Angeles, California 90095

© The Regents of the University of California. UCLA School of Law. All Rights Reserved.