CanLII recently unveiled a new interface with the most obvious change being the introduction of a an interactive sidebar for case law and legislation. The sidebar replaces the tabs that used to be located at the top of a page; they include such things as case history and treatment, cited documents, regulations, and AI analysis. The goal of the change was to make legal research on CanLII more efficient, since researchers can see this additional information without moving to a new page.

Clicking on the AI summary in the sidebar provides a helpful overview of the facts of the case, . . . [more]

In the world of research, journal publishers are occasionally compelled to “retract” a published article. It may contain errors that posting a “correction” won’t sufficiently address, may utilize falsified data, may have been published elsewhere, may have been plagiarized, or may have been otherwise compromised. Yet the retracted paper does not disappear. It retains its place in the journal, while being stamped “Retracted” on page after page, along with an explanation. This reflects how the act of publication, when it comes to research, constitutes the official record. Publication is “performative,” according to speech act theory, like naming a ship . . . [more]

Belated Happy New Year’s wishes. Things are not looking so happy in the US government so far. Many Civil Service employees are being laid off and/or paid to retire. Information is disappearing or being rewritten on many agency webpages. I just checked out the Department of Justice website that does appear to be reporting business as usual so far. I also found an Associated Press report about why some of the agency webpages went dark in February after an executive order on January 20^th. A follow up AP report on February 12 stated that some health agencies had . . . [more]

If you’re fed up with seeing the AI summary at the top of your Google search results you have several options. The easiest thing to do is just add -AI to your search. 

However, if your search includes the term “AI”, this obviously won’t work:

In this case you have two options. You can either click on the web tab:

Or you can add profanity to your initial search:

(Admittedly this last method may give you results you weren’t expecting.)

— Susannah Tredwell . . . [more]

There is no doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized many industries, the legal sector among them. Furthermore, it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future in ways that we haven’t even begun to comprehend. However, I fear that its promise of solving and revolutionizing every single legal challenge or area is often overstated, especially when it comes to Foreign, Comparative, and International Legal (FCIL) research. AI promises of easiness, rapidity, and exclusively results-oriented approaches fundamentally clash with FCIL work, which demands robust research steps, awareness of processes, and a sense of curiosity in a globalized world that . . . [more]

If you’re looking for the definition of a word on Google, you can use the define: tag. For example, if you are looking for the definition of “affidavit”, you’d use the syntax define:affidavit which will bring up a brief definition along with its pronunciation. If you click on the “see more” arrow, google will bring up a brief etymology of the word as well as usage over time.

— Susannah Tredwell . . . [more]

Regular readers of this column (thank you) will recognize copyright reform is a common interest of mine, especially as such reform might lead to greater public access to research. Still, I only took up the copyright torch after a very loose consensus – among researchers, publishers, librarians and funders – around open access’ scientific value began to emerge. Such consensus has been called the iron law of copyright reform. Could such reform address, I dared to hope, reduce such impediments to open access as publishers dragging their heels, while holding on to subscription arrangements, even as they introduced rampant price . . . [more]

Several of my posts this year have focused on the importance of plain language for our profession. Good, clear communication is a vital component of client management as it helps us better understand our client’s needs and enable the client to make informed decisions. On the other hand, poor communication is a leading cause of professional liability claims against lawyers.

Understanding who your audience is and ‘stepping into their shoes’ is a key. In my last post, Good Communications: Don’t Forget Generational Considerations, I focused on the impact of generational differences and preferences. This is only one factor when . . . [more]

I am sharing some interesting information from the Library of Congress. On November 24^th they posted this blogpost about Native American languages on the general blog. “Two important collections of Native American heritage have been digitized and placed on the Library’s website, enabling readers and researchers to dig into histories that are not widely known.

The first, featuring portions of the papers of Indian agent and ethnologist Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, focuses on the culture and literature of famed 19th-century Ojibwe poet Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (Bamewawagezhikaquay) and bicultural collaborations and literary contributions of members of her Johnston family of . . . [more]

If you glance at the news, it feels as if the world is on fire—both literally and figuratively. Climate change wreaks havoc across continents, pandemics challenge our healthcare systems, wars and conflicts displace millions, and the erosion of democratic principles shakes trust in institutions worldwide. At the same time, misinformation spreads faster than facts, nationalism competes with global cooperation, and the international community often seems paralyzed by political gridlock.

In this whirlwind of challenges, one thing is clear: we need legal minds who can think globally and act locally. That’s why I believe we should all be teaching Comparative Law, . . . [more]

This submission is part of a column swap with the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) bimonthly member magazine, AALL Spectrum. Published six times a year, AALL Spectrum is designed to further professional development and education within the legal information industry. Slaw and the AALL Spectrum board have agreed to hand-select several columns each year as part of this exchange. 

Tips for drafting effective AI prompts.

On November 30, 2022, ChatGPT’s release marked a pivotal shift in the information world. Despite early explorations by legal research companies like Casetext, generative AI (GenAI) was unfamiliar to most. Fast forward to . . . [more]

If you’re trying to find government information that is generally not made available, it may be helpful to look in databases of information released as part of an FOI request. Note that availability of this information varies by jurisdiction.

The Government of Canada provides a database of completed Access to Information (ATI) requests made to the Government of Canada after January 2020. “If you find a summary of interest, you can request a copy of the records at no cost using the form below each summary. Requests made through this form are considered informal requests and are not subject to . . . [more]