Recommended readings by John DiGilio

It’s a new year, bringing excitement and trepidation for what lies ahead in legal research and technology.

Lagging in digital law practices?

First up, we have some sponsored content created by Clio, creators of a popular cloud-based practice management application. “Sponsored content” is a way for vendors to talk about their products and services in more educational ways, but there is a deeper message to this piece. As the article begins,

“Digital law practices are no longer a luxury, they’re a necessity, and it’s time to make technology work for you.”

Yes, the revolution is here and the question is whether your firm is being left behind.

Librarians as information lynchpins

Thomson Reuters’ Gregg Wirth takes a wider view of the changes occurring to drive home an important message—librarians are key to the successful transformation of the industry. In part one of his interview with Katherine Lowry, Director of Practice Services at BakerHostetler, Gregg notes that as our roles change so does our image. He writes,

“Today’s law firm librarian is much more likely to be one of the most tech-savvy members of the executive team, and the lynchpin of the firm’s strategies around knowledge management, information resources and business process improvement, all while keeping a hand in the latest innovations, such as blockchain and artificial intelligence.”

Do not miss out on the inspiration.

Cutting through the hype of artificial intelligence

As information professionals, librarians and researchers often have voracious appetites for insights, best practices, and trends from across the spectrum—lessons to which we can relate and that we can apply to what we do ourselves. For example, this engaging and thought-provoking interview with Dr. Michael Chui of the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), one of the foremost research organizations in the world on how AI will affect organizations and their workforce. Dr. Chui has some practical advice for everyone struggling with the AI juggernaut.

If that is you, as it is most of us, you will want to not miss.

3 necessary traits for AI success

Regardless of some of the exaggerated claims about AI, we know that artificial intelligence is clearly here to stay. We are moving beyond mere hype to a competitive quest to integrate the technology in meaningful, lucrative ways. Is there a formula for success for law firms looking to take the lead? Dean Sonderegger believes there is. He writes,

“Despite the high degree of irrational exuberance (to paraphrase Alan Greenspan and Robert Shiller) around artificial intelligence, the reality is that applying AI to complex problems is, at best, a nuanced proposition and one that typically entails more investment than one may think.”

To find out exactly what kind of investment he’s talking about, head over to Above the Law and check out this article that discusses “three necessary conditions for the application of AI technology to any knowledge profession” as revealed in the title, Conditions for AI Success: Discipline, Data, and Patience.

Information governance: new approach to old issue

Information governance is growing in importance, yet it has not garnered a whole lot of new thinking. Ari Kaplan brings the topic back to the forefront by interviewing Gillian Power, Chief Information Officer for Lathrop Gage, and Jed Bronstein from InOutsource, a company that specializes in information governance and technology implementation. Give this interview a good listen and you will understand why.

Blogging for lawyers

One of my favorite publishers in the legal media space has been Robert Ambrogi—his writings regularly make it onto my reading lists. I was excited to hear the news that he will be joining LexBlog, a comprehensive blog publishing platform that includes ongoing education and other resources, designed for law firms of all sizes.  As Robert says in his announcement,

“I am joining LexBlog as publisher and editor-in-chief of a new arm of the company that will make legal news, information and analysis more easily and intuitively accessible to legal professionals and the public and that will shine a light on the many bloggers who are writing all this.”

I wish Robert much success in his new venture, which you can read about here.

Getting real with PacerPro

Speaking of legal blogging, I’m going to do a little self-promotion for my own blog. TiLT (Tomorrow’s Information & Legal Technology) is making its long-overdue return. When I’m not writing or speaking on behalf of LibSource or LAC Group, I like to write and speak about legal information topics on my own terms. I’ve joined up with Stosh Jonjak, Manager of Research Services at an AmLaw 100 Firm and up-and-coming expert in the legal research and information industry. We swing back into action with an in-depth exploration of PacerPro and its potential value to law firms that want easy access to federal court documents. I have written on PacerPro before because it’s an easier, more efficient way to search PACER. This time I am sharing a free white paper that I hope will help you learn a little more about this resource. You can get more information and a copy here.