Legal Research

FindLaw launches in the UK

Posted on July 27, 2010
As reported late last week in Information World Review FindLaw has launched a "UK specific free legal information website"The site is primarily for anyone looking for a solicitor or advice in relation to a legal issue. However some of the content may be of interest to Legal Information Professionals.

LIG Supplier Survey 2010

Posted on July 26, 2010
The results of the survey that BIALL's Legal Information Group ran in March are now available on the LIG pages of the BIALL website.As it was the first year of the survey, we were cautious about what we agreed to publish. There has been some interest in more details being made available in future years, among both BIALL members and suppliers, so this will be discussed at the next LIG meeting...

Your views on the Digitial Economy Act (DEA)

Posted on July 06, 2010
The Digital Economy Act 2010 could have far reaching consequences for librarians. For example a library providing Wi-fi internet access to its clients could be an "Internet Service Provider" under the Act, which would involve a new set of obligations to assist in measurers to combat online copyright infringement...

BIALL Conference - Charity Raffle Draws

Posted on June 16, 2010
Charity Raffle WinnersThis year?s Charity Raffle was in aid of 'All About Kids' - the charity provide "a range of residential activity and respite breaks that allows children aged 7-12 to escape the traumas of their everyday life and simply become children again"...

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BIALL Conference - Exhibition Raffle Draws

Posted on June 16, 2010
Exhibition Raffle DrawsA big thank you to all of our Exhibitors at Conference who kindly donated great prizes to the Exhibition Raffle Draw.The lucky winners:Caroline Covington, St Philips Chambers won a bottle of Veuve Cliquot Champagne(donated by Dunn and Bradstreet)Fiona Morley, Legal Aid Board won pearl jewellery(donated by 7side)Vivian Grainge, Freeth Cartwright LLP won spa vouchers and a copy of the good spa guide(donated by Bailey Solutions)Julie Charles, University of Brighton won West End theatre tickets and fine dining for two(donated by BNA International)Louise Laidlaw, McGrigors LLP won spa vouchers(donated by Justis Publishing)Fiona Marshall, Norfolk County Council won a luxury hamper of Sussex goodies(donated by Oxford University Press)Tonia Sexton, Geldards LLP won a Sony digital camera(donated by LexisNexis Matthew Bender)Joe Twaites, Crown Solicitors Office won this year?s England football top(donated by Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales)Joanne McConville, Trowers & Hamlins LLP won a bottle of Veuve Cliquot Champagne(donated by Hammicks Legal Information Services)Felicity Howlett, Hart Publishing won £150 Bloomsbury and A&C Black books(donated by Bloomsbury Professional)Chris Holland, The Law Society won a John Lewis Hamper(donated by Softlink International Limited)Gillian Mayrick, Thomson Snell & Passmore won a Sony ebook reader(donated by Swets)Tina Reynolds, Driver Jonas Deloitte won £50 of theatre tickets(donated by Kluwer Law International)Amy Pankiewicz, Reed Smith LLP won £50 of i-tunes vouchers(donated by Bureau Van Djik)Joyce Janto, University of Richmond School of Law won a bottle of Tattinger Champagne(donated by LexisNexis)Emma Harvey-Woodason, Clarke Willmott won a bottle of Joseph Perrier Champagne(donated by Hart Publishing)Tina Reynolds, Driver Jonas Deloitte won a nest of owls(donated by Wildy & Sons Limited)Ian Hunter, Shearman & Sterling (London) LLP won a luxury hamper(donated by PLC)Julie Christmas, Allen & Overy LLP won two bottles of Lanson Champagne(donated by Soutron Limited)Janice Edwards, Maclay Murray & Spens won a hamper(donated by Prenax LLS)Robert Carey, Bar Council of Ireland won a Swedish glass bowl(donated by Lustrum)And the Exhibition Passport Game winnerKathryn Scott, Simmons & Simmons won a bottle of Heidsieck Champagne(donated by Softlink International Limited)

BIALL Awards winners 2010

Posted on June 15, 2010
At the Annual Conference in Brighton, various awards are given to recognise and rewards the high levels of service and professional commitment achieved by individuals and services working within the legal information/law library sector. BIALL are delighted to announce the recipients of the 2010 Awards...

Tell us what you think - Conference feedback

Posted on June 14, 2010
If you attended the BIALL Conference in Brighton last week I do hope you found the event useful for work, professional development and networking.The Conference Committee would be pleased to receive your feedback, whether it is positive or negative. We work hard each year to try to improve future Conferences - to point us in the right direction we need your feedback...

Online Copyright Infringement Initial Obligations Code

Posted on June 10, 2010
Chris Holland (Vice President - Copyright) reports on the new published "Draft Initial Obligations Code"Ofcom have been quick off the mark with their rather snappily titled Online Copyright Infringement Initial Obligations Code (BB - so that's OCIIOC!!), now up for consultation until 30th July...

Making the Right Investment - Recruitment and Selection

Posted on June 10, 2010
The last (we said that last time) blog post about a Conference session, this time around the BIALL Blogger asked Suzanne Wheatley of Sue Hill about her session "Making the right investment - Recruitment and Selection"BB - Your session is about recruitment and selection, how important is it for employers to get the job description/job title right?SW - The job description is the key starting point and should always be revisited and amended...

Delivering change, changing perception

Posted on June 09, 2010
In what is probably going to be the last post before the BIALL Conference starts "properly" tomorrow the BIALL blogger asked Catherine Kenwright about her session. Called "Delivering change, changing perception" the session will look at how Irwin Mitchell and Lexis Nexis embarked on a firm wide initiative to deliver a comprehensive integrated knowledge solution into Irwin Mitchell...

Can we trust the MET office?

Posted on June 08, 2010
With the BIALL Conference officially starting on Thursday, what can we expect from the weather? Well to be honest it doesn't look good, light rain on Wednesday followed by "heavy rain" on Thursday and Friday.But given the MET offices' track record in recent years can we trust this forecast! and actually how much does the weather really matter...

BIALL Conference annual Charity Raffle

Posted on June 05, 2010
All About Kids is this year's charity of choice, supported by our annual Charity Raffle. They offer "a range of residential activity and respite breaks that allows children aged 7-12 to escape the traumas of their everday life and simply become children again...

Value for Money: Making the Most of e-solutions at BU

Posted on June 04, 2010
Melissa Bowden Law Librarian at Bournemouth University (it must be lovely there on a day like today) and BWEB Committee Member will be talking about how get the most out of e-solutions in her session "Value for Money : Making the most of e-solutions at BU" In this post we asked Melissa about winning an award, being part of BWEB and attending the BIALL Conference...

Time to have your say

Posted on June 03, 2010
Have Your Say is where you ask the questions about BIALL'sactivities, and it will once again be taking place at Conference inJune.This is your formal opportunity to raise issues about the whole rangeof committees, awards, conference, activities, publications and eventsthat BIALL promotes or produces...

Don't forget to Tweet!

Posted on June 03, 2010
If you Tweet and are planning on attending the BIALL Conference next week do use the hashtag #BIALL2010 when you post any Tweets.This way anybody not attending the Conference in person can follow events at the Conference by either searching for the hashtag in Twitter Search on the Hashtag website or on Twitterfall Happy Tweeting!

Salary Survey - have you completed it yet?

Posted on June 03, 2010
A reminder that BIALL's annual salary survey is open for submissions. We've had over a hundred so far, which is an encouraging start. You can complete the survey online or on paper. Details are on the BIALL website here.

Duplicates Exchange Scheme: Next day fast approaching

Posted on June 02, 2010
This is a reminder that the next BIALL Duplicate Exchange Day is Friday 18 June 2010.If you are a current member of the scheme and you have not received recent email correspondence about the June exchange, please email Helen Williams.If you're not a member of the scheme but would like to find out more we would also be pleased to hear from you...

Managing Online Library Spend...

Posted on June 02, 2010
...and Increasing the Value of the Library with Electronic Resource Management Systems is the title of a very interesting plenary session led by Rory Kingan and scheduled for the final day of the BIALL Conference. So it wont come as any surprise to learn that the session is the subject of this blog post!BB - First up can you describe what Research Monitor does in ten words or less?RK -Facilitates better management and delivery of online services...

Negotiation of contracts - planning for the unknown with boilerplate clauses and other tips

Posted on June 01, 2010
Ten days to the BIALL Conference I hear you cry, how about another post to tempt you into attending a parallel session? this time the BIALL Blogger asks Fiona Fogden about her session and the move from a law firm to an accountancy firm.BB - First up, why should BIALL members attend your session?FF - This is about managing risk, and maximising choices...

You're Hired! Practical Tips And Techniques For The Confident Interview

Posted on May 28, 2010
Next in our series of blog posts interviewing presenters at the BIALL Conference is Keri Gray from Weekes Gray. Her session is called "You're Hired! Practical Tips And Techniques For The Confident Interview"BB - First up, why should BIALL members attend your session?KG - This will be an informal and interactive session...

Knowledge Management refocused

Posted on May 27, 2010
In the first in a number of posts, the BIALL Blogger (BB) has posed some tricky and not so tricky questions to individuals who are speaking at the BIALL Conference. First up is Harriet Creamer from Outer Circle whose session is called "Knowledge Management Refocused"BB - First up can you describe what Outer Circle does in five words?HC - We troubleshoot KM and L&D issues for professional services firmsBB - Why should BIALL members attend your session?HC - I?ll be talking about using better knowledge management to enhance profitability and help firms operate successfully in an alternative billing environment: its really important that everyone who works in the knowledge management sphere understands thisBB - Many Law Librarians are uneasy about the prospect of outsourcing/off shoring, are they right to be concerned?HC - I won?t be talking specifically about offshoring, but yes, law librarians and information professionals need to be prepared for thisBB - What role to Law Librarians/Information professionals have in the post recession/new KM worldHC - You?ll find out if you come to my session!BB - Where do you feel Social Media/Web 2...

Countdown to Conference

Posted on May 26, 2010
The countdown to the BIALL Conference has begun! Just in case you haven't seen the Programme yet it is certainly worth a look, and there's plenty of tasty sessions to get your teeth in to.Perhaps you are staying on after the Conference to get a flavour of Brighton, if so here are few links to help you decide what to do, where to go and where to eat:The Guardian reckon they have the insider's guide to Brighton, lots of ideas here and they also ponder whether Brighton is Britain's Hippest CityAA Gill reviewed the vegetarian restaurant Terre a Terre recently in The Sunday Times ...

Another Brighton Bulletin: Pre-conference dinner, 9th June

Posted on May 26, 2010
The Membership Services Committee are arranging an informal dinner for anyone in Brighton for the Conference on Wednesday 9th June at 6pm for 6.30pm. This will be in Strada (the main Brighton branch, NOT the Brighton Marina one), which is within easy reach of the main conference hotels...

The impact of the Digital Economy Act

Posted on May 24, 2010
From our very own Vice-President Chris Holland a short piece on some of the elements of the Digital Economy Act, which may affect Law Librarians.Are you concerned about copyright infringement issues arising from internet use?Then it would be advisable to consider the Digital Economy Act which crept in as part of the Parliamentary ?wash-up? process...

Questions for suppliers

Posted on May 20, 2010
The last day of the BIALL Conference sees The Legal Information Group (LIG) running a session where they will be putting questions to representatives of various suppliers. This year, LexisNexis, Sweet and Maxwell and PLC have all kindly agreed to take part...

BIALL Conference - 3 things in 3 weeks

Posted on May 19, 2010
With exactly 3 weeks until the start of the BIALL Conference, you might be planning the time you spend in Brighton. If there is any free time in your itinerary then you're going to want to visit the following sights and sounds which Brighton is famous for...

BIALL: Still the perfect membership organisation?

Posted on May 18, 2010
BIALL Conference is approaching fast and with it the annual Have Your Say session taking place on Thursday at 16:45.If you don't think BIALL is the perfect membership organisation, this is your opportunity to put your questions to BIALL Council and Committee chairs about their activities and plans...

Salary Survey 2010 now live

Posted on May 18, 2010
BIALL's annual salary survey is now open and waiting for your contribution.There are two ways to complete it this year. You can add your answers online via a secure and anonymous Survey Monkey site. Or you can download and print a version to complete on paper...

Ready, set...wait

Posted on May 06, 2010
If you've got a subscription to Lawtel you will have probably already heard about the new functionality they've rolled out called "Pending Actions"The basic idea behind this new functionality is that all documents submitted to the High Court are tracked by Lawtel which means users can follow proceedings from start to finish, and make decisions based on actions submitted to the court...

New blog for jobs

Posted on May 04, 2010
If you've been a victim of the credit crunch...or even if you haven't you might be interested in a new blog with blog posts written by the same people behind Jobsforinfopros.comThe blog which is called "Be social" sounds like it will be a useful resource for advice and tips on writing and updating a CV and preparing for job interviews...

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