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]

I am still recovering from our U.S. election which seemed to last forever and is not completely finished yet. As a retired federal employee, I worry about the safety and security of my colleagues back in DC. We were required to be nonpartisan and were unable to contribute to candidates or do any electioneering. The incoming administration seems to be ready to target and fire federal employees.

The law librarians at the Law Library of Congress continue to issue reports including this new report on legislation regarding climate change and the preservation of historic and cultural heritage in Brazil,  . . . [more]

In November, I’m presenting to law students about plain language and the importance of good communication. As always when preparing for a presentation, my first consideration is ‘who is my audience’ and ‘how best can I deliver my message to this audience’. In this circumstance, who my audience is and the impact on their communications has become the message.

The majority of these students will be in their mid to late 20s: Millennials on the upper end and Generation Z on the lower end. In the 20 years since I graduated with my fellow Gen Xers, communication channels, styles, preferences . . . [more]

CALL/ACBD is accepting nominations for the 2025 Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing.

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries has long had an annual award for excellent legal publishing. Some years ago, we renamed the award we present after Queens University Professor Hugh Lawford (1933-2009) to recognize his contributions to legal publishing in Canada. As a group of legal information specialists, our work depends on being able to access and share high-quality legal knowledge.

We value innovation and this award is open to legal content in all information formats.

The award honours a publisher (whether for-profit or . . . [more]

I’ve previously talked about the CanLII Manual to British Columbia Civil Litigation, a free resource that includes an annotated version of the B.C. Rules of Court. However, B.C. is not the only jurisdiction for which you can find an annotated Rules of Court on CanLII.

The Civil Procedure and Practice in Ontario, published in 2022 and written by a team of 135 leading litigators and experts, provides both commentary and case law, as well as links to other useful resources. It includes short summaries of the cases cited, along with links to the full text of the cases. . . . [more]

For a few years now, I have participated in academic and professional projects, publications, events and conversations about territories located in Canada, the United States and across the world. These efforts have allowed me to build relationships with people working on the state of legal and government information in these territories, at the access and preservation levels. As a Foreign, Comparative and International Law Librarian as well as Professor of Legal Research, I know firsthand that without widespread access to these foundational materials as well as proper preservation plans, we risk losing relevant materials and data useful for all researchers . . . [more]

What motivates you the most in the workplace? Is it the sense of accomplishment from completing a challenging project? Or maybe the camaraderie of collaborating with a great team? No, of course not. Silly of you to think that! The thing that motivates all of us, of course, is fear and paranoia that comes from workplace surveillance! It is the sentiment of an invisible omnipresence—with the threat of criticism, punishment, or even unemployment—that will deliver managers the best results. What else could drive productivity quite like the Orwellian nightmare of constantly being watched by your superior?

This seems to be . . . [more]

Unless you are one of those legendary litigators who focuses on court and leaves all of their writing to someone else, lawyers spend a lot of time writing. It would be wonderful if legal and professional writing escaped the demons of creative writing, but in my experience, the demons of procrastination and self-doubt and the lure of online shopping can only be overcome by the looming dread of a deadline or the personal guilt of a missed deadline. It’s impossible for one book to banish a writer’s demons, but this summer a pair of complementary books brought me tiny slivers . . . [more]