BIALL Conference Research Articles

Lazy, Selfish and Ruthless: Marketing Legal Information Services

Abstract“I will build it and so they will come” is not an effective strategy for any business or business function, Matthew Leopold tells us, and in this article, based on his presentation at the BIALL Conference in Belfast, he expands on this, exploring the importance of marketing legal information services internally and externally. Drawing on marketing principles and insights from renowned marketing thought leaders and academic research, this paper presents a four-step framework to enhance marketing effectiveness: understanding marketing's role, capturing attention through relevance and connection, delivering impactful communications and implementing actionable campaigns. By employing these strategies, legal information professionals can effectively promote their library services, enhance their visibility and meet the evolving needs of their audience.

Increasing Your Visibility and Going Beyond Your Job Title: the Pros and Cons of Saying Yes to Everything

AbstractThis article by Ian Hunter, which has been adapted from his BIALL Conference presentation at the Belfast Europa Hotel, examines increasing the visibility of law firm library and information services in terms of what should be done and what should not be done. Or, as Ian puts it: “Is saying yes to everything really the right thing to do?”

Commercial Awareness in the Law Library: a New Role for Academic Law Librarians?

AbstractIn this article, which expands on a lightning talk that was delivered at the BIALL Conference 2023, Lauren Cummings discusses how she developed and delivered a commercial awareness workshop to third-year students at Goldsmiths, University of London. She then reflects on how employability training relates to information skills and how developing these skills can help students from less advantaged backgrounds achieve their career goals. Lauren also discusses how employability work might fit into the role of the academic law librarian.

Blazing a Trail with Library Apprenticeships

AbstractIn this article Emma Sullivan and Sandra Smythe go through the presentation they gave at the BIALL conference entitled “Apprenticeship pathways into the library, information and knowledge profession”. Emma and Sandra co-Chair the CILIP Trailblazer group, which is currently developing a Level 7 Library, Information and Knowledge Professional Apprenticeship Standard. Here they discuss how and why they became involved with the group and why the apprenticeship route is so important for the profession, both for employees and employers. (For more background to the CILIP apprenticeship schemes see page 140 of the Autumn 2023 issue of LIM.)

Stephanie Hare

AbstractAuthor, broadcaster and researcher Stephanie Hare's presentation on technology ethics was one of the most spoken about events at last year's BIALL conference, a thought-provoking talk that left many wanting more. With this in mind, Mike and Jas Breslin sat down with Stephanie to talk about the fascinating and very readable book it was based on, her thoughts on why technology ethics is especially important to information professionals, and whether she believed AI will ever do law librarians out of a job.

The Lawyering Toolkit: a supportive tool to close the legal literacy gap between learners and practice professionals – a proof-of-concept report

AbstractThree academic and one law firm librarian, Susan Boyle, Virginia Conrick, Pattie Punch, and Ann O'Sullivan collaborated to create a ‘Lawyering Toolkit’. It was devised to support learners on the legal lifecycle from higher education to the corporate sphere and beyond. Arranged by skills level, it was imagineered via the online BIALL Irish Group meetings during the Covid pandemic. Learning steps were visually scaffolded in LibGuides to build a quick reference platform. This article describes how the Toolkit proof-of-concept developed through experiential reflection and shared discussion. It tracks the construction of a prototype to presentation at BIALL Conference 2022 and incorporates feedback from the conference and the BIALL Irish Group. It is envisaged that the Lawyering Toolkit will ensure a more collaborative and consistent approach to legal information literacy in the Republic of Ireland.

Global Perspectives: Thoughts on the Ever-changing Landscape of International Legal Research

AbstractThis article, by Jas Breslin, is a summary of a panel discussion held at the BIALL Conference in July 2022, an in-depth and absorbing debate with a focus on the changes in legal research across the globe over the last decade. Entitled ‘Thoughts on the ever-changing landscape of international legal research’, the discussion saw four panellists from different working environments explain exactly what international legal research meant to them, and what significant transformations they have witnessed in recent years. Interestingly, some universal key themes emerged during the discussion, regardless of the jurisdiction or sector the speaker worked in.

Legal Consequentials: an Information Seeking Task

AbstractThis article is a summary of a parallel session delivered by Stephen Gregory at the BIALL Conference 2022. We may frequently work with amended legislation but have we ever stopped to think about the processes involved in identifying and implementing amendments? Drawing on experiences of working with government lawyers this article explores how government legal information professionals can assist in identifying candidates for consequential amendment. The complexities of searching for references to specific legislation provisions are described, providing some suggested search solutions. A risk-based approach is suggested. He concludes that by working collaboratively government information professionals may add significant value and benefit.

The Mysterious Affair at Squire: Using Code-Breaking Games to Deliver Law Library Skills

AbstractThe Squire Law Library has designed and run a series of popular escape room-style events, aimed at masters and undergraduate law students. Intended to prompt students to explore the full range of legal resources available to them, the games typically challenge participants to open a locked safe: relying on legal databases, the library catalogue and print materials to decipher a six-digit combination. This article, based on Lizz Edwards-Waller's presentation at the BIALL (virtual) conference 2020, reflects on the practicalities of running and promoting code-breaking events within the library and considers the benefits of this style of event in addition to, or instead of, more traditional law library orientation tours.

The BIALL Conference 1970 to 2019

AbstractIn this article, the authors, Catherine Bowl, John Furlong and Caroline Mosley look at the direction the Association's Annual Conference has taken over the past 50 years since the first Conference in Liverpool in 1970. The emphasis is on the mid-1990s to the present day, during which period the authors served as Chairs of BIALL's Conference Committee1.

Cutting Through the Noise: Revamping Current Awareness at Irwin Mitchell

AbstractThis article by Jill Henderson and Louise Young is based on their ‘Lightning Talk’ at the 2018 BIALL Conference and describes the recent current awareness project at Irwin Mitchell. It outlines each stage of the project from recognising there was a need to change and choosing the right product to enable that, through to gathering requirements, building searches and launching the new alerts. It goes through each stage in detail and outlines the lessons learnt to help others who may be considering a similar project.

We've Always Done It This Way

AbstractThis article represents a summary of the plenary session that Barry Vickery presented to delegates at the 2018 BIALL Conference in Birmingham. It explored the changing role of technology in a range of different markets and showed how different management styles, attitudes and strategies have created very different outcomes for those respective companies. Those that have chosen to ignore technology have generally suffered, fallen behind the competition and in ever increasing numbers, gone bust. Parallels were drawn between these companies and professional services today. Are there lessons we can take from these failures that we can use in our working life, even in our personal lives, or do we just keep our head down and convince ourselves that ‘We've always done it this way’?

How to Get Students into the Library: Revamping a University Library's Welcome Campaign

AbstractThis paper is based on a parallel session presented at the BIALL Conference 2017 by Corryn Walker. The content focusses on a project undertaken by Manchester Metropolitan University Library during 2015/2016 to revamp their ‘Welcome and Induction’ programme. The project was coordinated by Corryn Walker and Elaine Cooke, both Deputy Library Services Managers. The article covers the background to, and motivation behind the project, its aims and objectives and the changes made to improve how the library welcomes new students to the service.

Up the Value Chain: Transition from Law Librarian to Research Analyst

AbstractThis paper is based on a parallel session at the BIALL Conference 2016 which was given by Helen Marshall and Kelly Taylor from Pinsent Masons. Pinsent Masons has a ground-breaking team of research analysts providing the firm with in-depth sector and market analysis. This innovative approach has benefits for Pinsent Masons and also for the research team. These include increased visibility within the firm and developing a role as a trusted adviser to the business. The team are drawn from a variety of backgrounds, including experienced law librarians. In this article, Kelly and Helen, who are both from a law librarian background, will explain Pinsents' unique approach to business and sector insight. The article covers how the team adds value to the firm and charts the development of our existing skillsets to meet this new challenge. The article also includes some practical insight into approaching business research and how to overcome common obstacles, notably the challenge in expanding our output from traditional legal research to more business and commercially aware pieces.

Tunes, Tubes and Clouds: Getting Your In-House Talent Out of the House and Online. Part 1: Production

AbstractIn his first of two articles, Daniel Bates explains the process for creating high quality audio and video recordings to capture knowledge or experience in your organisation, either for internal or external consumption. The article arises from a paper delivered at the 2015 BIALL Conference. The second article will consider the online platforms which are available to host and promote such content.

A ‘Charity’ Case in Point

AbstractThis article is written by Rebecca Herle who is the Head of Sales and Marketing at the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England & Wales (ICLR). Her article draws on material delivered by two of her colleagues at the ICLR, namely Daniel Hoadley's recent plenary session at the BIALL Conference 2014 called, ‘The Curious Case of the Judgment Enhancers’ and Paul Magrath's article published by Infolaw.co.uk, entitled ‘The Future of Law Reporting’. It also refers in part to Lord Neuberger's speech for the first annual BAILII Lecture (in 2012) entitled ‘No Judgment – No Justice’, and reflects upon the position of the ICLR in the legal profession today. From the birth of the ICLR in 1865 to the present day the article provides a brief history, and then explores the current day issues, of this charitable publisher in its surrounding legal environment. She also offers a glimpse into what the future might hold.

Flipping the Classroom: Revolutionising Legal Research Training

AbstractAt the University of Salford it is a struggle to find sufficient timetable space to deliver in-depth legal research training to new first year students. The training delivered often alienated students due to the information overload they experienced. Timetable pressures resulted in sessions being librarian-led with little interaction with students. This left students feeling overwhelmed, often nervous of using the library and performing research. As a result law students resorted to using Google as their academic research tool of choice. To combat these problems the Law Librarian, Nicola Sales, implemented the innovative training concept of ‘flipping the classroom’. Rather than using teaching time to instruct students in ‘how to’ perform research by demonstrating resources and concepts, the classroom was flipped so students studied online content before entering the classroom. Face to face teaching time was then spent actively learning through practical tasks and discussion to consolidate student learning. Students took responsibility for their own learning and teaching sessions were based on group work and discussion, facilitated by the librarian rather than being librarian-led. This article is based on the presentation, ‘Flipping Training’ delivered at the BIALL Conference 2013. It will look at how the ‘flipping the classroom’ concept works and how it has been implemented at the University of Salford. It will examine the benefits and drawbacks of flipping training as well as ideas for implementing flipped training within other organisations.

Soft Skills: a Valuable Business Tool or Just Psychobabble?

AbstractIn this article Jackie Fishleigh reviews and analyses three of the sessions, held at the BIALL Conference 2013 in Glasgow, that were concerned with ‘soft skills’.

LawSync: Collaboration in Action

AbstractA presentation about collaboration, itself the product of a collaboration, looking at a collaborative project as an example of the value of people from different teams working together! That was Peter Griffith and Pete Smith at the BIALL Conference 2014 in Glasgow, a conference which took as its theme ‘law as a business.’ They discuss the challenges with reference to the LawSync project.

Lines on Maps and the Frontiers of Legal Research

AbstractThis article by John Larkin QC, Attorney General for Northern Ireland, is based on his keynote speech which he delivered at the BIALL Conference which was held in Belfast in June 2012. He discusses the ways in which serendipity can play an important part in researching law, speaks of the frontiers that stand as limitations to contemporary legal research and identifies how these limits can be overcome; and he promotes the importance of both libraries and law librarians.