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25 Legal Information Alert 1 (2006)

handle is hein.lbr/leinfal0025 and id is 1 raw text is: khatls new in legal publications, databases, and research techniques Volume 25, No. 1 January 2006 If you Can't Beat 'Em, Train 'Em: How Lawyers Conduct Legal Research Database Report New Sources ALERT PUBLICATIONS 1981-2006 Contents mm M If You Can't Beat 'Em, Train 'Em: How Lawyers Conduct Legal Research by Sarah Palmer If only we librarians had a nickel for every time we heard isn't everything avail- able on the Internet, we would all be able to retire to our own private islands. However, we know that is not the case, and even if all of the information anyone ever needed were available on the Internet, users would still face obstacles in finding the exact answer they require using online sources. This is where a librarian's expertise in searching and retrieving information can be used to assist users with online legal research. Law librarians know that lawyers are using the Internet for research. They also know that frequently research requests start with I was looking for this on the Internet and could not find it, can you help? The 2004-2005 American Bar Association Legal Technology Survey Report, conducted by the Legal Technology Resource Center, showed increased use of online sources for research by attorneys, and also reported that attorneys respond positively to training from in-house employees. Training employees on how to use better search techniques establishes librarians as partners in successful information retrieval. In this article, I will examine when attorneys are conducting online research and what sources they are accessing electronically. I will also look at how training can boost search results and, finally, I will offer suggestions for managing the output generated by online legal research. In order to highlight firms that would be more likely to employ library staff, the statistics quoted in this article are from the 2004- 2005 American Bar Association Legal Technology Survey Report Online Research volume, for attorneys in offices with 50 or more attorneys. Survey Results The survey showed attorneys have an almost universal comfort in using the Internet, with 95 percent indicating that they read news and current events online. Just as large, at 96 percent, is the number of attorneys conducting any type of research online. When attorneys were surveyed about who performs legal research regularly, though, the numbers drop, with only 57 percent reporting that they continued on page 4 1 8 9 Publishers 16 Index 16

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