Hello New Associates, Here's the Top 10 Things Law Librarians Want You to Know

It is unbelievably pathetic to see that the quality of research skills training has not improved much since I left law firm librarianship some 20 years ago. Bobbi Cross, the director of research and information resources with Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, recently published the "Top 10 Things Law Librarians Want New Associates to Know." The list, summarized below, reminds me just how bad new associates were and apparently continue to be.

1. Know the basics. Civics 101.

2. Know that you should never, ever start your research with Lexis and Westlaw if you are clueless about the topic at hand.

3. Know that cite checkers such as Shepard's or Key Cite are much more than case validators.

4. Know that efficiency in searching Lexis and Westlaw is essential.

5. Know that Natural Language searching has not really arrived.

6. Know that everything does not have to come from the Internet.

7. Know when to stop when performing Web-based research, free or fee.

8. Know the limitations of both Web-based research services and print resources.

9. Know that asking the partner or senior associate for clarification is OK

10. Know that asking your firm law librarians for help is encouraged and expected.

Read Bobbi's entire article to grasp how little the situation has changed. Sorry Bobbi. As long as legal research is taught in the context of legal writing, this situation is not going to improve much.