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![handle is hein.lbr/aaplper0019 and id is 1 raw text is: THE QUARTERLY OF THE PRIVATE LAW LIBRARIES SIS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF LAW LIBRARIES
RELECTIONS ON THE IE OF A PRIVATE LAW IIBRARIAN OR
LONCIFVI Y AN) EL EVANCE IN AN AG( OF CIIAN(F
Tt f tlu 2007 PLL IS Annual Meetin Luncheo Keynok Spetch
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by Kay Moiler Todd, Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker LLP, Atlanta, GA
My purpose today is threefold. First, Chris [Christine
L. Graesser, PLL Chair] asked me to describe my current
responsibilities as a private law librarian. Second to
discuss longevity-more surviving-as a librarian at one
firm. And third to reflect on the differences between law
librarianship at for-profit organizations versus non-profits.
I. Current Responsibilities
My title is Senior Legal Researcher, and I am in the
Atlanta Office of Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker. My
responsibilities are divided between management of the
library and its staff, and work for the Employment Law
Department by providing statistical analysis of
employment-related actions, such as layoffs and
promotions, and the development of affirmative action
plans for clients. The staffs for the two responsibilities are
separate. The library staff includes two other professional
librarians, and there are four analysts with expertise in
statistics who report to me for the labor-related work.
The Atlanta office is a branch office with
approximately 115 lawyers. I joined the firm almost 25
years ago, and at that time there were five lawyers in
Atlanta. My job description was the idea of one lawyer
who was thinking outside of the box. With only five
lawyers, he needed a law librarian who could contribute to
revenue. His vision was that clients would pay for
librarian time if it was marketed based on our expertise, as
being done cheaper, faster, and better. My position was set
up with a billable hours expectation, and my salary was
based on the standard billable hours times rates equation
that firms use for lawyers. As the Atlanta office grew and
the work increased, we added staff for reference and
administrative functions.
With the volume of my work for the Employment
Department, my library oversight now is less in the day-to-
day details, and more at a strategic level. This is the
appropriate time to introduce Scott Snipes, who is my
Associate, and who handles both reference and
administrative duties.
My work for the employment department began when
a client needed to provide to a federal agency statistical
information on the participation of minorities in its
workforce. The request came to me because I had
compiled statistical information before in response to
research requests. That single project led slowly to other
analyses and projects, including analyses of proposed
layoffs, and the development of the narrative and statistical
affirmative action programs that are prepared by federal
contractors and other organizations that have a diversity
focus.
It is not unusual for law firm library directors to have
responsibilities outside of the library-to have oversight
over Records, for example. What is different in my
situation is that my additional responsibilities have kept
me on the revenue side, which is consistent with the focus
that my position has had from the start. What is important,
I believe, is that the additional area of focus for my
department came as a natural corollary to the research
commonly done by law librarians, and builds upon skills
we all have.
My work for the employment department has
broadened my statistics knowledge, and given me
additional opportunities-but many of those are in areas
that are not unfamiliar to librarians: selecting software,
conducting training sessions, and direct interaction with
clients. Many of you have engaged in similar activities.
There is an interesting cross-over now between the two
parts of my staff--the librarians and the statistical analysts.
The analysts come to the librarians for statistics on college
graduates, specialized census data, and questions about the
latest federal regulations. The librarians draw on the
spreadsheet and graphing skills of the analysts.
Continued on page 5
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Volume 19 Issue 1](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.lbr/aaplper0019&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)