Biglaw

Law Librarians Still Have Value

The training offered by law librarians was critical for me in learning how to be more efficient with my time and find the best information possible for clients.

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Decades ago, it was not uncommon for major law firms to have expansive libraries with trained staff that could refer to printed materials and assist lawyers in research projects. Indeed, if you watch movies like “The Firm” and other legal films from years ago, they often show the law libraries upon which attorneys relied in prior eras. With the expanded popularity of computerized legal research platforms, law firms usually do not maintain expansive law libraries anymore and there are not too many law firm librarians that still work at many of the major firms. However, law librarians still have value since they can make attorneys more efficient and increase the amount of billable hours a lawyer can log for a firm.

When I was a summer associate about a decade ago, I worked at a firm that had a decent law library and several trained law librarians to assist attorneys and staff with research projects. At the time, it could be expensive to perform computer research, so it was often more efficient and cost-effective to consult printed materials. Law librarians had a good handle on the printed offerings of a law firm and how attorneys can consult such resources to best serve their clients.

Even in the modern era in which research of printed materials is not that common, law librarians still have immense value. Everyone knows how to use computerized research platforms to search for cases and statutes, but not everyone is skilled at culling the more uncommon resources on such platforms. For instance, it may be difficult to search the treatises and other similar materials in legal research platforms that digest information so attorneys do not need to conduct a survey of a field themselves. In addition, not every lawyer may be able to search model jury instructions, form offerings, and other resources that are used less often by lawyers. Law librarians can help lawyers access these materials and get to relevant information and materials as quickly as possible so they can get back to billing the most billable hours.

At some firms, law librarians can also keep people apprised of new research tools and new methods of conducting research. This was especially important as legal research platforms made a shift away from terms and connectors and in favor of natural search terms over the past decade or so and in other contexts. It can be difficult for lawyers to be focused on performing legal work and keep an eye on all of the developments in legal research, and law librarians can assist in this critical function.

In many contexts, law librarians can also assist lawyers in getting trained on legal research platforms. When I was in Biglaw, we had the resources to have a training room with rows of desktop computers and a projector television screen that could display trainings performed by law librarians located at different offices operated by the firm. The training offered by law librarians was critical for me in learning how to be more efficient with my time and find the best information possible for clients. I still feel like a headnotes king due to the training provided to me by law librarians and this information has positively impacted my career and allowed me to better serve clients.

Moreover, law librarians can be a neutral resource who are more open to associates than other people who work at a law firm. It can be difficult for associates to ask more senior lawyers for help. Lawyers may not want to annoy the more senior with questions, even if they are legitimate inquiries since they may not wish to interrupt the workflow of others or upset managers. In addition, associates might think that if they ask more senior lawyers questions, they might be perceived as less effective at their jobs and less capable at performing the tasks that law firm associates need to complete.

Law librarians can be an approachable resource for associates that is outside the attorney chain of command and are more accessible than senior attorneys. During my time working in Biglaw, I would call law librarians frequently to work through legal research issues, and often, law librarians would point me in the right direction. In some instances, law librarians would perform some of the research for me. This let me focus on the job of billing hours and best serving clients with the best resources possible.

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Not all firms have the resources necessary to hire law librarians, and there are many administrative professionals that might take precedence at a law firm over law librarians. Moreover, some major law firms might believe that law librarians are obsolete in the modern age with more accessible resources. Nevertheless, law librarians still have value since they can help lawyers be more efficient and stay focused on the task of billing hours and best serving clients.

Jordan Rothman is a partner of The Rothman Law Firm, a full-service New York and New Jersey law firm. He is also the founder of Student Debt Diaries, a website discussing how he paid off his student loans. You can reach Jordan through email at jordan@rothmanlawyer.com.

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