Practising Law Librarian

Greg Lambert on Law Librarians and Legal Technology

Greg Lambert, Chief Innovation Officer at Jackson Walker, shares his fascinating career journey, transitioning from service in the U.S. Army to law school while programming at the Oklahoma University library, working to create the Oklahoma State Court Network during his time at the Oklahoma Supreme Court, rebuilding an academic law library destroyed by a tropical storm, and his move to law firm libraries. He discusses how his contributions to legal innovation and technology, including the implementation of AI tools, began and later progressed. Greg also talks about his insights on the transformation of law firm operations, the evolving role of law librarians in the legal industry, and the importance of communication. The Practising Law Librarian brings you conversations with — and for — the law librarian community. PLI is proud to offer resources including PLI PLUS, the award-winning legal research platform, to support the essential work of law librarians and practitioners. Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

Josh LaPorte on Learning by Doing

Josh LaPorte, supervisory librarian at the United States Court of International Trade, discusses his career trajectory, including stints in his high school library, as a cataloger, as a library assistant, filling in for various library jobs, in several law school librarian posts, and in his current position. LaPorte shares his experiences navigating the evolving landscape of legal research, including the integration of AI tools. He emphasizes the importance of understanding bias in AI-generated results and its potential benefits and limitations in legal applications. LaPorte also highlights the challenges and opportunities associated with developing library skills and the role of paralegal education in enriching legal librarianship. The Practising Law Librarian brings you conversations with — and for — the law librarian community. PLI is proud to offer resources including PLI PLUS, the award-winning legal research platform, to support the essential work of law librarians and practitioners. Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

Theresa Kim: A Pathfinder for Legal Research

Theresa Kim, Senior Business & Legal Research Analyst at Venable LLP, talks about how her 20+ year career has evolved from a print-dominated landscape to a digital one. With research tools ever-evolving, she discusses the use of AI as a resource supported by human input, as well as several tools Venable’s team has developed to streamline and enable attorneys’ access to information. Her advice to new law librarians includes embracing the unexpected nature of the work, maintaining curiosity, and never giving up on difficult research tasks. The Practising Law Librarian brings you conversations with — and for — the law librarian community. PLI is proud to offer resources including PLI PLUS, the award-winning legal research platform, to support the essential work of law librarians and practitioners. Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

John Davey’s Journey Through Law Librarianship and Beyond

John Davey, Research Manager at Alston & Bird and a seasoned law librarian with over 30 years of experience, shares insights about his career journey, the evolution of law libraries, and the integration of technology and AI in legal research. The conversation highlights his current role at Alston and Bird, reflections on changes in law librarianship, and his personal interests outside of the profession. The Practising Law Librarian brings you conversations with — and for — the law librarian community. PLI is proud to offer resources including PLI PLUS, the award-winning legal research platform, to support the essential work of law librarians and practitioners. Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

Be the Person That Gets Stuff Done

Dean Mason, the London-based head of Sidley Austin’s award-winning Library & Research Services team, shares his perspective from over two decades working in legal and commercial information. He discusses his thoughts on several differences in legal research at British and U.S.-based firms, how his department successfully raised awareness of its services internally with "Just Ask", and how working to be “the person that gets stuff done” has made an impact on his firm and his career. The Practising Law Librarian brings you conversations with — and for — the law librarian community. PLI is proud to offer resources including PLI PLUS, the award-winning legal research platform, to support the essential work of law librarians and practitioners. Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.