Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing – Shortlist Announced

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries is delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2020 Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing. I am sharing this message on behalf of award committee Chair and Past President of the Association, Ann Marie Melvie.

This award honours Hugh Lawford (1933-2009), Professor of Law at Queens’ University and founder of Quicklaw. It is awarded to a publisher (whether for-profit or not-for profit, corporate or non-corporate) that has demonstrated excellence by publishing a work, series, website, or electronic product that makes a significant contribution to legal research and scholarship.

After reviewing a number of excellent nominations, the Selection Committee is pleased to announce the short-list of nominees for this prestigious award! Drum roll, please!

They are:

• Blue J Legal for Employment Foresight, a “legal research platform that uses Artificial Intelligence to predict how a court would decide various labour and employment matters.”
• Emond Publishing for LGBTQ2+ Law: Practice Issues and Analysis, Joanna Radbord, General Editor. “A practical book that identifies and analyzes the key LGBTQ2+ issues that arise in various legal contexts. It explores how lawyers can effectively navigate those waters to ensure equitable results for their LGBTQ2+ clients.”
• Irwin Law for Researching Legislative Intent: A Practical Guide, Susan Barker and Erica Anderson, Authors. The “first comprehensive resource that guides researchers through the complex task of researching legislative intent.”
• Lancaster House and CanLII for eText on Wrongful Dismissal and Employment Law, Peter M Neumann and Jeffrey Sack, Authors. An e-text that is updated regularly and freely available. It is “one of the most accessed documents on CanLII.”
• University of Alberta Press for Government Information in Canada, Amanda Wakaruk & Sam-Chin Li, Editors. “Written by academic and government librarians, this title describes the production, dissemination, and stewardship of government publications in Canada.”

Congratulations to all who have been short-listed! And thanks to everyone who submitted nominations.

CALL/ACBD presents this award at our Annual Conference. Like many other groups, we are not meeting physically for this event in 2020. Stay tuned for information about our upcoming virtual conference which will include amazing educational opportunities with fantastic speakers in addition to a presentation of this award.

CALL/ACBD Members will be invited to a virtual AGM (May 26, 2020, 1 PM Eastern) and also an Open Forum (May 14, 2020, 1 PM Eastern).

I look forward to seeing many of you at these on-screen gatherings!