Selected presentations:

Finding Diamonds in the Rough: Internet Research
Legal research is about knowing where to look for the best and most authoritative information available. Resources abound, but you have to know where to look, and go beyond (or at least harness) Google. This presentation for the Illinois State Bar Solo/Small Firm conference in September 2008 highlights techniques, resources and methods for legal and business research, as well as current awareness. Once you’ve found all these great resources how do you keep up with them? A few simple methods, including RSS feed readers and research notebooks, are included.

Legal Research: Tips to Zero in on the Good Stuff… and then finding it again!
Legal research isn't just about where to find the information and how to search, but also increasingly knowing how to manage, store, and recall the information you find. In this session for the Arkansas Bar Association Midyear meeting in January 2008 we discussed some of the best starting points for online legal research, as well as how to make sure the information is authoritative, accurate, and updated. We also covered tools for helping the research come to you - RSS feed readers and web-based clipping services. Finally, we explored the concept of personal knowledge management - how to store, track, search, and reapply the research you have already done to help kick start your next research project.

Doing the Research: slaw.com and Other Legal Research Sites
Legal research on the net – how to do it efficiently and effectively – what are the new research sites, how do you balance them with the paid services and when it pays to use a professional legal researcher. This presentation and accompanying paper for the 2006 Pacific Legal Technology Conference help lawyers get up to speed with new tools and reminds them of the potential pitfalls of having "everything" on the 'Net.

Becoming a More "Resource-full" Librarian
Presentation given at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw.
A presentation focusing on cost recovery and tracking of online legal research in the private law firm library. Topics discussed include ethical consideratations, how to choose software, available options, and the benefits of tracking and reporting of online legal research.

See our presentations page for more presentations.

Selected articles:

10 Ways To Stretch Your Research Dollars- How to Get the Facts on a Dime!
This article was published in the ABA Law Practice Magazine, March 2009.
It’s easier than ever to get your hands on information that once existed only on paper or in pricey databases. Here are ideas for tapping the Web’s amazing resources to keep your research overhead as low as possible.

Harnessing Information for Business Development
This article first appeared in the American Prepaid Legal Service Institute's NewsBriefs Newsletter, November 2008.
The web offers attorneys numerous opportunities to develop their businesses, but capitalizing on those opportunities requires that attorneys harness the myriad sources of information flowing on the web -- news, articles, blogs, web sites and more. This article discusses two tools attorneys can use to translate that overflow of information into a usable resource.

Keeping Track of Information with Evernote and OneNote 2007
This article first appeared in the ABA Section of Family Law eNewsletter, October 2008.
For busy lawyers keeping track of disparate types of information, there are several software-based note-taking and organization tools that may be worth looking into, such as Evernote and Microsoft OneNote.

Using RSS Feeds with Internet Explorer
This article was published in YourABA, October 2008.
RSS feeds bring Web site updates to subscribers, eliminating the need to monitor newly-posted content. They are easy to set-up and use. Find out how with this step-by-step guide.

Get More From Google
This article first appeared in the ABA Section of Family Law eNewsletter, August 2007.
Google is the search engine of choice for millions of people, but it can do more than just find websites. In this article, we we share five easy tips to make Google a little bit more helpful in your every day life and practice.

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Train 'Em: How Lawyers Conduct Legal Research
This article first appeared in Legal Information Alert in January 2006.
If librarians only had a nickel for every time they heard "isn't everything available on the internet?" they would all be able to retire to their own private islands. However, we know that is not the case and even if all 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 article first appeared in Legal Information Alert.

Taming Online Research: Tracking, Reporting, and Cost Recovery
This article first appeared in Business Information Alert, September 2003.
Law firm libraries and information centers have new and better oppurtunities to track usage of online research and participate in cost recovery endeavors. Software vendors, both new comers and old timers, help make better reporting possible.

KM 101: Assistive Technology for Knowledge Management Initiatives
An abbreviated version of this article first appeared in AALL Spectrum, December 2002.
Find out how to take the sting out of the buzzword with this introductory article on how technology can assist a law firm in achieving knowledge management. Discrete areas of information within a law firm are identified and suggestions for technologies to help capture, organize, and retrieve this information are discussed.

Feasibility/Viability of Digital Law Library
Discussion of research on the private law firm library, conducted throughout 2002 as part of a AALL/Aspen Legal Publishing research grant. The article looks at issues helping or hindering adoption of digital law libraries in private US law firms.

See our articles page for more articles.

For more information on Online Research and a variety of other topics, visit our articles, presentations, and FYIs: Technology Overviews pages.

LTRC Hotline:
LTRC researchers can provide information on topics that are of special importance to your law office. LTRC staff are available via a Hotline (312) 988-5465 or via e-mail to help with your technology questions.

ABA Lawtech Discussion List
Lawtech is intended for members of the legal community who wish to discuss issues related to the use of technology by practitioners. Its subscribers include lawyers, law school and law firm IT staff, court staff and judges and other legal professionals. Subscribe, change your subscription or search the archives here: http://mail.abanet.org/archives/lawtech.html.

• Library Databases
• Legal Software Purchasing Checklist
• Resources for Legal Technology Research
• Small/Solo Firm Options for Online Legal Research

More overviews on a variety of legal technology issues can be found on our FYIs: Technology Overviews page.

Universal Citation
An overview and comprehensive collection of resources on uniform/universal citation around the world.

Feasibility and Viability of the Digital Library
Presentation given at Techshow 2003 revealing the results of a year long study on the digital library, funded in part by an American Association of Law Libraries Aspen Law and Business Grant. The presentation, and accompanying paper, include results from surveys of law librarians and legal publishers, as well as the results from the lawyers surveyed for the Online Research volume of the annual LTRC Legal Technology Survey Report (2002).

Legal Research Databases Chart
This chart compares access to state and federal caselaw, state and federal statutory law, and provides pricing options and supplementary services for the major legal research database vendors.