Practising Law Librarian

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 li...

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, includ...

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...

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 p...

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 work...

CJ Pipins, Director of the Law Library and Professor of Practice at the University of Baltimore School of Law, shares his journey from a BFA in musical theater to law librarianship, detailing the pivotal moments and mentors that guided him. CJ recounts his diverse experiences at various institutions, highlights his contributions to creating educational tools and managing public services, and discu...

Avery Le, the director of the Homer M. Stark Law Library, recounts her shift from aspiring trademark lawyer to law librarian, working in academic, corporate, and county government settings. She discusses her innovative 'Lawyer in the Library' program, which offers public legal consultations through a partnership with Atlanta's Legal Aid Society. Avery emphasizes the importance of exploring various...

Vicenç Feliú, Associate Dean of Library Services and Professor of Law at Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law in Fort Lauderdale shares his career journey from a marine officer, FBI agent, and high school teacher to an esteemed law librarian and professor of intellectual property and copyright law. In a departure from the practice of many law schools, his Panza Maurer Law Libr...

Zanada Joyner, Associate Director for Collections and Information Discovery at Francis King Carey School of Law at the University of Maryland describes with joy her role overseeing collections and facilitating resource access.  She discusses how law libraries have changed since the 1990s, including the transition from print to digital collections, the impact of COVID-19 on accessibility, and the i...

Chris Laut, Director of Library and Knowledge Services at Sullivan & Worcester, shares his serendipitous journey into law librarianship, starting from his initial role as a paralegal to his current position. He discusses his early days at Goodwin Procter, his pivotal experiences at Hemenway & Barnes, and his formal education in journalism and library science. Chris highlights his significa...

As the newly appointed Law Library Manager at the U.S. Court of International Trade, Taryn Rucinski brings a decade of experience as a librarian in the U.S. federal court system as well as leadership in professional organizations. Hear her observations on why print still has a role to play in legal research and records, how she overcame personal and profession-wide challenges during the COVID pand...

Before becoming Director of Research Training and Engagement for Morgan Lewis & Bockius, Michael Saint-Onge spent nearly two decades in library relations at LexisNexis. He shares his perspectives from this role — as well as his thoughts on librarians as knowledge managers. The Practising Law Librarian brings you conversations with — and for — the law librarian community. PLI is proud to offer...

Donna Nixon has many responsibilities in her roles as Electronic Resources Librarian and Clinical Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Listen to her conversation with Karen Oesterle about her work curating the school’s archives, digitizing critical historical documents for accessibility, and her research and law review article on integration at UNC-Chapel Hill. The P...

In this episode, hear from Miriam Childs, Director of the Law Library of Louisiana in New Orleans, about meeting patrons’ needs in her state’s complex court library system, the limitations of AI, and her work on connecting Spanish speakers in the New Orleans area with essential legal information. The Practising Law Librarian brings you conversations with — and for — the law librarian community. PL...

Alison Alifano, Manager of Library and Research at Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC in Vermont, shares her perspectives from working in three very different library environments. She tells Karen Oesterle about her ongoing work on digitizing resources, including what she learned from introducing online resources at the New York County Lawyers’ Association. The Practising Law Librarian brings you conversat...

Host Karen Oesterle catches up with one of her mentors, Loretta Orndorff, who recently retired after more than two decades at Cozen O’Connor. Loretta discusses her “zig-zag path to librarianship,” changes she’s observed over the course of her long career, her work on an important salary survey for law librarians, and more. ----more---- The Practising Law Librarian brings you conversations with — a...

Hear why Andre Davison, Director of the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library in Houston and AALL Executive Board member, says he’s most proud of his Seamless Access to Secondary Sources project, which allows attorneys to easily access materials – and how this reflects his commitment to creating connections, professionally and personally. ----more---- The Practising Law Librarian brings y...

Susan Ryan, librarian in the Washington, DC office of Seyfarth Shaw, says that “all librarians are teachers.” She shares how she developed the idea for a blog on marijuana law and discusses other learning resources she has developed on topics such as conducting cost-effective research and skills for new associates. The Practising Law Librarian brings you conversations with — and for — the law libr...

Scott Bailey, Director of Research & Knowledge Services at Eversheds Sutherland, shares how collaborating with a creative, open mind — and applying improv skills from his “theater kid” background — helps him and his team build value at their firm and beyond. The Practising Law Librarian brings you conversations with — and for — the law librarian community. PLI is proud to offer resources inclu...

Award-winning editor and author Ellyssa Valenti Kroski, Director of Innovation & Engagement at the New York Law Institute, shares how she pursues work-life balance while working remotely from a rural homestead, how her commitment to repurposing knowledge led her to connect escape rooms and libraries, and more. The Practising Law Librarian, part of the PLI Ever Current podcast, brings you conve...

Harris Crooks’ background in finance — and affinity for “assisting attorneys with weird and bizarre questions” — have led him to interesting roles at Stroock, where he serves as Director of Knowledge & Resource Services, and before that, at Skadden. Hear about his career path and advice for law librarians in the latest episode of the Practising Law Librarian #podcast: ----more---- The Practisi...

Elaine Knecht is not only the sole librarian for the 300-attorney firm Barclay Damon in New York — she is also a trained musician, opera singer, school librarian, and public radio classical music program host. In this episode, we explore the connections between music, mathematics, logic, and legal research with Elaine, and discuss her Summer Associate Research Academy and growing library of five-m...

Becky Katz’s lifelong commitment to serving those in need led her to found JusticeAccess , a free online law library for Washington, D.C. residents who need a law library but lack access to one. Among the library’s long-term plans is providing training to non-librarians so they can learn to do legal research and show others how to find the answers they need. ----more---- The Practising Law Librari...

As Head of Research Instruction and a reference librarian at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Olivia Smith Schlinck has some unique insights on Generation Z law students. She joins us to talk about her article “ OK, Zoomer: Teaching Legal Research to Gen Z ,” recently published in AALL’s Law Library Journal, as well as her tools for teaching introductory and advanced legal research at Columb...

Cornell H. Winston is the Law Librarian and Records Center Supervisor for the United States Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, as well as the incoming Vice President/President-Elect of AALL. He talks about his career path from student worker at the Harbor-UCLA medical library, to circulation clerk at Whittier Law, to library roles at law firms, to his current home at the Department...