The SCALL 2024 Institute, organized by the Southern California Association of Law Libraries (SCALL), took place on February 23-24, 2024, at the Mar Monte Hotel in Santa Barbara, California. This annual event brought together law librarians and legal information professionals to explore the theme "AI Unleashed: Practical and Ethical Applications for Legal Libraries."
The program featured sessions such as "Practical Implications of Generative AI in Law Firms," where panelists discussed the current state of generative AI in legal research platforms and its impact on the legal market. Another highlight was "AI: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: 30 (or so) Sites in 30 Minutes," offering insights into various AI tools and resources relevant to legal professionals. Additionally, the "AI Showcase: How Does Legal GenAI Stack Up?" provided a comparative analysis of different legal generative AI platforms.
Attendees had opportunities to network during exhibit breaks and a reception on the first evening. The event also included a closing luncheon, fostering further engagement among participants. Notable speakers included Victor Chavez from Sheppard Mullin, Emily Florio from DLA Piper, and June Liebert from O’Melveny, who shared their expertise on AI's role in legal research and practice.
This institute was particularly beneficial for law librarians, legal researchers, and information professionals seeking to understand and implement AI technologies in their work. The sessions provided practical insights and strategies to navigate the evolving landscape of AI in the legal field.
Categories
Speakers(8)
Anna Russell
Executive Board Member at AALL
Anna is the Alaska Branch Librarian for the U.S. Courts Library for the Ninth Circuit.
Cara Johnson
Knowledge & Research Services Manager at O’Melveny
Cara manages research services and responds to legal research requests. She also develops and leads AI educational initiatives and new AI product testing as part of the Knowledge & Research Services AI Team.
Eli Edwards
Reference Librarian at UCLA School of Law
Eli Edwards embarked on a diverse professional journey before finding her true calling in librarianship. Prior to her library career, she held various roles including working at the Los Angeles Public Library, a bookstore, in investor relations, as a substitute teacher, a proofreader for an alternative newspaper, at Stanford University, at for-profit educational institutions, and at Ticketmaster. Interestingly, as a Los Angeles native, she appeared as an extra on several early 90s television shows. Eli’s educational background includes a MLIS from San Jose State University and a JD from Santa Clara University. Her librarian career has been equally multifaceted, with positions at the Internet Archive, Justia, the Western District of Washington for the Ninth Circuit, law firms in Seattle and San Francisco, at Santa Clara University School of Law as the Emerging Technologies Research Librarian, and finally, at UCLA School of Law where she is now a reference librarian. Eli is deeply invested in issues like access to law, governmental accountability, scholarly communications, tech law, and legal technology.
Emily Florio
Director of Knowledge Research & Resources at DLA Piper
Emily R. Florio is the Director of Knowledge Research & Resources at DLA Piper LLP (US), and is responsible for the creation, implementation and leadership of research and resource solutions within the firm. As a key component of the firm’s Knowledge team, she encourages a knowledge-sharing culture that helps the firm’s lawyers and business professionals practice smarter. Prior to joining DLA Piper, Florio was with Hogan Lovells, Finnegan and Fish & Richardson. In all her roles, she collaborated with firm practice groups and administrative leadership to infuse research resources and expertise within the firms’ initiatives, projects and vision. In addition, she actively mentors law librarians, developing their careers and potential interest in being future leaders. Florio is a past president and former board member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL). As AALL president, she prioritized identifying avenues for collaboration within the association and the legal information industry overall, particularly focused on the essential role of law librarians within their institutions. She appointed special committees focused on reviewing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and opportunities, along with identifying opportunities to increase the pipeline of people into the law librarianship profession. Florio is also a former president and treasurer of the Law Librarians’ Society of Washington, DC (LLSDC). Florio received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont and her master of library science degree from Simmons College.
June Liebert
Director of Research Services at O’Melveny
June Hsiao Liebert is the director of information services at O’Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles, California, where she oversees the firm’s information and records management initiatives. Her extensive background in both IT and information management comes from working in law schools, law firms and legal technology consulting. June received a JD and MLS (Master’s in Library Science) from Indiana University and a BS in Management Information and Decision Systems from Case Western Reserve University. Prior to joining O’Melveny, she was the Firmwide Director of Library and Research Services at Sidley Austin LLP. June has also served as the CIO, library and distance education director, and professor at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, as well as the CIO at the University of Texas School of Law and a research librarian at the UCLA School of Law. In 2021, she was named a Fastcase 50 top legal innovators honoree and was awarded the American Association of Law Libraries’ Presidential Certificate of Merit in 2018. June co-chairs the alumni board of the IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, and is a frequent speaker on a variety of topics including technology, data, and library management. June is also a prolific writer and co-authored an article about link rot in US Supreme Court decisions that was published in the Yale Journal of Law and Technology.
Michael Saint-Onge
Director of Research Training and Engagement at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
Mike has been a law librarian for 35+ years in both law firm and vendor roles. He is a frequent speaker at SCALL, AALL and other professional conferences and is thrilled to once again be presenting “30 sites” this year.
Tanya Livshits
Manager of Research at DLA Piper
Tanya is the Manager of Research at DLA Piper, where she manages a national team of researchers. Prior to joining DLA Piper in 2022, Tanya was a Research Manager at Holland & Knight and Director of Research Services at Irell and Manella. Tanya is an active member of SCALL, currently serving as the Vice-President, and AALL, currently serving as an AMPC team lead.
Victor Chavez
Legal Research Specialist at Sheppard Mullin
Combining his research experiences at the University of California, Los Angeles, with his education at Loyola Law School, Victor enjoys employing his research and legal skills to uncover whatever information or sources are needed at Sheppard Mullin. A proponent of collaboration, he is always willing to share his research trail with colleagues while learning from them as well. He considers himself fortunate to be in a field that utilizes his enthusiasm for technology and the law, remaining on the cutting edge of legal tech developments, staying up-to-date on vendor services, and sharing his knowledge with colleagues, empowering them to leverage technology’s potential in their daily practices.
Event Details
- Date
- March 1-2, 2024
- 2 days
- Location
- 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, United States
- Mar Monte Hotel
- Pricing
- $165 - $175
- Audience
- Law librarians, legal researchers, and information professionals.
- Attendees
- 88 registered attendees, 17 vendor representatives, 1 VIP, and 2 non-SCALL-member speakers.