Law Librarianship for Beginners: Reflections on My First 6-Months as a Legal Information Professional

Last November, I found a job posting for a part-time law librarian position. My hopes were low; I was still a Master of Information (MI) student, and I had no law library experience. Regardless, I applied. I could not believe my luck when I secured the position. To say I was elated would be an understatement. That feeling lasted about a day, then panic set in… What did I know about the law and law librarianship?

Desperate to weave an informatic safety blanket, I scoured the internet and library catalogues for information on early career law librarianship. I was desperate to find a neatly packaged resource on the very basics, such as what a legal information professional does on a day-to-day basis and how to perform legal research. I was unsure about the expectations surrounding my role considering the dynamic legal information industry.

In this piece, I will offer my perspective on some of these basics. I would like to note that my trajectory and position are unique. I have the title of law librarian, but titles range from legal information professional, knowledge manager, and so on. I would not yet consider myself an authoritative voice on law librarianship. I still have much to learn as I am at the advent of my career. My aim is to add to the collection of knowledge that attempts to bridge the gap between legal information education and legal information practice within a law firm.

What I Do as a Law Librarian at a Law Firm

In my frenzied search for information on law librarianship, I found myself confused about law librarians’ day-to-day responsibilities. Roles and responsibilities will look different for every position. Below are some of my core responsibilities:

• Managing online library resources: I manage our Thomson Reuters (Westlaw + Practical Law) and LexisNexis (Lexis+ AI) legal research platform subscriptions. I oversee renewing the contracts at year-end, which requires a deep understanding of the platforms. I spend time understanding what resources we currently have and identifying what we need. I organize training for staff, which is especially relevant with the advent of AI on these platforms. I liaise with vendors about new offerings and changes to the platforms.
• Managing the print collection: I order and catalogue our print collection based on lawyer needs. I manage our internal cataloguing system.
• Answering research queries: I answer lawyers’ research queries. I locate print and/or electronic resources. I often locate material on Thomson Reuters or Lexis platforms, but my search sometimes leads me to CanLII, JusticeLaws, or the Nova Scotia Legislature website.
• Creating and delivering internal training: I organize training for staff. This year, I coordinated and provided library training for articled clerks. The training I created focused on legal research using our vendor platforms, as well as a session on critically using AI.
• Loose-leafing: I update loose-leaf books.

Additional Responsibilities I Have Taken On/Explored:

• AI vendor evaluation: I try to keep up with AI developments in the legal space. I assist management with exploring different AI vendors.
• Policy writing: I wrote the AI policy.
• Legal assistant/paralegal work: I assisted the Personal Injury team this summer with various duties when I was working full-time.

Professional Associations and Legal Literature

Joining professional associations provided me with a wealth of knowledge at the very start of my journey. If I could go back in time, I would have started my quest for information by joining the Canadian Association of Law Librarians (CALL), as well as reviewing previous editions of the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR) on CanLII. The articles and tools published in the CLLR are highly practical.

Beyond CALL, I subscribe to updates from legal literature sites. I receive SLAW publication notifications to my email. I gain a ton from reading these articles, though I mostly focus on the ones related to law librarianship and artificial intelligence (AI).

Some of the most formative experiences have been attending conferences. I learned so much from last year’s CALL conference in Moncton. I felt far more confident in what I should be doing in my role, as well as how my role could evolve after attending this conference. Additionally, the conference allowed me to make connections with other law librarians. I was blown away by the librarians’ willingness to impart their knowledge. I also attended Nova Scotia Libraries Association (NSLA) Conference last year before I joined the firm. Attending that conference felt like a low-stakes way to practice for the real thing.

A tip on conferences: Do not be afraid to ask if the firm will pay for your conference attendance. Prepare a short pitch in advance to explain how your attendance will bring value to the firm. The worst thing they can do is say no.

Education and Legal Research

I was completely new to legal research when I started, and I still have lots to learn in this area. For this reason, I will not share a “how-to” strategy for performing legal research. Instead, I will recommend the Law Librarians Institute course offered by CALL. The course aims to help librarians and other legal professionals develop the Competencies of a Legal Researcher in Canada. It is a flexible and affordable way to develop knowledge of Canadian legal information environment. In the course, I learned how to perform legal research by finding and using primary (legislation and cases) and secondary sources (writing about the law).

The only “how-to” strategy I will share is a key takeaway from the Law Librarian’s Institute. When performing legal research, always start with a secondary source rather than attempting to locate a primary source such as a case or a piece of legislation. The secondary source will point you to the relevant primary source.

Taking any sort of legal or government information course in school will be an asset. There was no such course in my program, so I connected with a law librarian and conducted a supervised reading course. I was already in the position by this point, but the readings and discussions were useful for reinforcing the skills I had learned on the job and through CALL’s Law Librarian Institute.

One course I found particularly useful in the MI program is called Managing Information Literacy Instruction. I learned many practical tips I incorporate into my training sessions at work. Additionally, this course helped me confront my fear of public speaking. Exposure to uncomfortable situations can lead to massive growth, and challenging myself to take this course was a perfect example of this.

Networking

It is essential for any new professional to connect with experienced practitioners. During my first few months, I connected with some law librarians in my area. I prepared a list of questions in advance of our meetings, and I still refer to my notes months later. If I could go back in time, I would have tried to connect with more law librarians. It is still something I need to make more of an effort to do now. From negotiating with legal technology giants to the advent of AI, human connection is essential to navigating the complex legal environment.

The value of internal networking cannot be overstated. Although it was daunting, I am glad that I introduced myself to members of the firm when I first started. I asked lawyers and articled clerks to send me some of their research assignments so that I could improve my legal research skills using the firm’s platforms. I believe that building connections within the firm will help me continue to market the library internally.

Learning to Navigate Legal Research Platforms and Vendor Management

When I first arrived, I reviewed my predecessor’s notes and connected with my manager. I identified all the vendors I was responsible for, then reached out to my sales representative as soon as possible to introduce myself. I setup calls with them and asked for details about our subscription, when each product renews, and for training on each platform. It was crucial to understand which invoices I was responsible for and how they were paid each month. With the notes from my vendor meetings, I created a calendar with contract renewal dates and a listing of all our subscriptions to avoid any surprise renewals.

A few lawyers came to me right away expecting me to find resources, so I spent lots of time learning to navigate legal research products at the start. I arranged for training with my sales representatives, but I also looked for it on my own. The vendor training geared towards law students was useful in helping me learn to navigate the platforms. Once I did the training, I spent time reinforcing my skills by playing around on the platforms.

If I could go back in time, I would spend more time learning to navigate CanLII, a public access legal information platform, rather than focusing solely on LexisNexis and Westlaw products. I plan to prioritize learning CanLII inside and out in the next few months, and I am confident that I will become a better researcher as a result. However, I acknowledge that the field is always evolving and plan to maintain an openness to learning throughout my career.

Beginner legal research platform tips: Westlaw and Lexis have different content, including different cases. To perform comprehensive research, start on one platform, then perform your queries on the other. You can also double check using CanLII.

Consider All Legal Information

I look beyond the library and try to think of legal information holistically. I am always eager for opportunities to learn beyond the library, such as how the firm operates and what lawyers do. This summer, I worked with the firm’s personal injury team. Learning how files progress from start to finish helped me develop a greater understanding of my role in supporting the delivery of legal services.

Expressing interest and being proactive has benefitted my career thus far. During my interview, I expressed a critical interest in AI. Once I started, I wrote an AI policy even though it was not a part of my job description. After that, I was invited to meetings. Since I am the most junior person, I take and format notes to send to the team afterwards. This practice has led to interesting opportunities I may not have been considered for initially.

Conclusion

I hope that this piece can help clarify some expectations for any potential legal information professionals. The most valuable actions I have taken so far have been to do hard things, seek community, and actively pursue learning opportunities. Starting a professional career is terrifying and imposter syndrome is real. I still have lots to learn about the legal information profession; knowledge and confidence will come with time, and I will continue to lead with curiosity.