FROM THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF LAW LIBRARIES: The legal information landscape is shifting faster than ever—AI, staffing changes, and innovative services are reshaping the profession. The 2025 AALL State of the Profession Report delivers the data, trends, and real-world insights you need to stay ahead. Use this essential resource to guide planning,…
Articles Posted in Legal Profession
Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence: Winter 2026 Issue of SciTech Magazine
SciTech Magazine is published by the Science and Technology Section of the American Bar Association. INTRODUCTION: The Winter 2026 issue of The SciTech Lawyer, published by the American Bar Association’s Science & Technology Law Section, arrives at a pivotal moment in the legal profession’s evolving relationship with artificial intelligence. Centered…
Statement of ABA President Michelle A. Behnke RE: Shootings in Minneapolis
From ABA News and Insights , January 26, 2026. CHICAGO, Jan. 26, 2026 — Our nation is hurting. People are mourning the loss of two lives at the hands of immigration agents in Minneapolis. There is confusion and fear as to the legalities at hand. Let’s be clear: This level of violence is not normal.The gravity of these incidents cannot be overstated. The American Bar Association emphasizes the…
Brain Stimulation and Crime Prevention: Separating Science from Speculation
In recent years, advances in neuroscience have sparked interest in whether brain stimulation technologies might contribute to crime prevention. Techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have been studied for their effects on impulse control, aggression, and moral decision-making traits often associated with criminal…
Should the American Bar Association Be the Sole Accrediting Authority for U.S. Law Schools?
For more than a century, the American Bar Association has played a central role in shaping legal education in the United States through its authority to accredit law schools. ABA accreditation is widely regarded as the gold standard: graduates of ABA accredited schools are eligible to sit for the bar…
AI and the Law/Justice Information Professional: What 2026 and Beyond Will Demand
Introduction. This posting draws on guidance and analysis from AALL, IFLA, ACRL, the ABA, Thomson Reuters, LexisNexis, NIST, Stanford HAI, and the World Economic Forum, among others. Artificial intelligence is no longer a speculative “future issue” for law and justice information professionals. By 2026, AI will be embedded, sometimes invisibly, into…
Between Fact and Fiction: Law, Literature and the Search for Truth
Introduction The search for truth occupies a central place in both the legal system and the literary arts, yet each pursues that goal through fundamentally different means. Courts promise truth through structure, rules of evidence, burdens of proof, and sharply defined issues designed to resolve disputes while safeguarding liberty. Literature,…
AALL: Body of Knowledge (BoK)
The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) has introduced Body of Information,(BoK), an innovative information tool designed to serve as blueprint for fostering the career development of information professionals. It defines the the domains, competencies and skills todays legal information professionals need for success. BoK is future-focused and sets the…
From Co Counsel to Blockchain: Recent Key Legal Technology Updates
INTRODUCTION: The legal tech landscape is accelerating, with major announcements spanning AI, blockchain, and automation. Highlights include the American Arbitration Association’s partnership with Integra Ledger on blockchain document authentication, Thomson Reuters expanding CoCounsel and Westlaw Deep Research into law schools, law firms, law libraries and new product launches from Exterro,…
Stanford’s Liftlab: A New Frontier in Legal Tech, And What it Could Mean for Law Libraries
Introduction Stanford Law School has recently announced the launch of the Legal Innovation through Frontier Technology Lab (Liftlab),led by Stanford CodeX research fellow Megan Ma, who will serve as liftlab’s executive director, alongside professor of law Julian Nyarko. Liftlab ia a bold new initiative designed to explore how artificial intelligence…