I have a friend that noticed that one of the products she was using to pull company information was giving her some bad results. The data was either out-of-date, or was just flat out wrong. When she notified the vendor of the error, she got a little bit of the run around on why it happened and a vague statement of that they were looking into it and would make the necessary corrections at some point. Within a few days, however, she did get a basket full of SWAG delivered to her office. I’m guessing this was the vendor’s way of saying “Sorry our data sucked… but here’s some gifts so that we can still be friends!!”

I understand what the vendor’s representative was doing here… trying to keep a relationship going between my friend and her company, but it seems a little sad that the company’s response to the error was trying to patch things up with a few trinkets. Maybe by now you are wondering just exactly what kind of trinkets make up for bad data? Well, here’s what she got:

  • A few hats
  • a water bottle
  • a Frisbee
  • a soccer ball
  • a football
  • some antibacterial hand lotion, and 
  • a yo-yo…. 
What kind of message does this project?? “Hey, while we are fixing our data, you can go down to the city park and play hacky-sack with some of the local unemployed hipsters!!” Or, as another of my friends put it, this was the basic conversation between vendor and client:

Client: “Your product is crap. Here’s why and what I think you should do to fix it.”
Vendor: “Here, have a messenger tote/ t-shirt/ stress ball/ travel mug/ Frisbee!”
Client: “Er, thanks, but your product’s still crap.”
Vendor: “Oh, well, here’s a Starbucks card, too.”

I’m not against SWAG, by the way… I love my double-insulated “Starbucks-like” drink glass with screw-on lid and loss-resistant straw that I got from Priority Solutions at the PLL Summit in Philly a few weeks ago. But, that is conference SWAG… not “sorry we screwed up” SWAG. For “sorry we screwed up SWAG” the vendors really need to think about what would really distract the client from the mistake. I think I’ve come up with a good answer. How about a gift card to the local liquor store chain. (For example, we have Spec’s here in Houston.) It’s small, convenient, effective, gets around the “you can’t mail liquor into Texas laws,” and eventually it makes me forget why I don’t like your product… at least while I’m drinking away my misery… 

A friend recently gave me a copy of Blue Ocean Strategy, a business management book from 2005. The concept is very compelling, create new markets rather than struggle with increased competition for existing, shrinking markets. The authors call these new markets Blue Oceans. The competitive markets are Red Oceans, for all the blood in the water from cutthroat competition. Some of the examples they use are Cirque de Soleil and Yellow Tail Wines. These companies chose not to compete with the existing players using the established methods in their respective industries, and instead created new markets, by changing aspects of their businesses that kept customers away. Faced with a circus market focused on animal acts that were expensive and controversial, and on a standard circus model which wasn’t captivating audiences like it once had, and on market forces which were decreasing ticket prices in an attempt to compete with other regional circuses, Cirque de Soleil, ditched the conventional circus model all together. They dropped animal acts, they gave their performances themes, and artistic flourish, and they raised ticket prices to compete with theater, rather than with other circuses. Yellow Tail wines recognized that people were put off by standard wine terminology, and that most people weren’t willing to take the time to understand the complexity of wines, so they created simple, drinkable wines, removed all the fancy oenology gobbledy-gook from the label, and marketed their wine to beer and cocktail drinkers. The result in each case was phenomenal success in industries previously seen as completely saturated and shrinking. They created Blue Oceans by choosing to not compete directly with their competitors in the Red Oceans. This got me thinking about our ongoing Law Factory vs. Bet the Farm discussion. It seems to me, that whether we choose Law Factory or Bet The Farm, we’re still talking about a standard law firm competing for standard law firm customers in the same old way. We’re just segmenting the market and focusing on our chosen segment. But what if we imagined a Blue Ocean Law Firm. One that ditched the conventional wisdom, and set out on a new path building the law firm from scratch. Our Blue Ocean firm wouldn’t bill by the hour and it wouldn’t incentivize the attorneys by encouraging long hours. Instead it would bill based on the work completed, in a clear itemized manner. It would drop the Partner / non-Partner tracks and court attorneys who were interested in making a very good salary while practicing their profession for 40+ hours a week and having a life outside of the firm, rather than working young associates to death with the promise of potentially making ungodly amounts of money in the future. And most importantly, the Blue Ocean firm would actively write their legal documents in English rather than legalese, and would strive to minimize the length of those documents whenever possible. Rather than making attorneys unnecessary, this would make them more approachable. While we’re at it, let’s reconsider the staid, stale, law office. Let’s make it inviting and welcoming. Let’s drop the hard wood, and marble, and introduce couches and carpeting. We’ll cut the long list of Partner names in the firm name and go with a simple catchy name like Blue Ocean Legal. In short, let’s get rid of everything that makes people hate attorneys and start providing services which are simply defined, easy to understand, and affordable. That’s the firm I would go to if I needed to create a will, set up a trust, or create a contract. That’s the firm I would seek out to advise my small business. That’s the firm and the attorneys that I would want to build a long-term relationship with. But before you write this off as just another vision for a discount law factory, everything I’ve described would be welcome to big businesses as well. Simple billing for work completed and services rendered; pleasant, happy, well-rounded attorneys who are not motivated by profit at my expense; and legal documents written in a language that I, as a non-attorney, can understand without hiring another attorney to translate them. I’m not often called a naive optimist, though I suspect I may be after this post. Still, I would bet that a firm like I’ve described would be hugely profitable and would avoid the Red Ocean of the current legal services market. We’ll probably have to wait to find out until the law changes and I can own my own firm. In the meantime, maybe I’ll go get my JD.

For many of us that use the many products of the Thomson Reuters Legal stable, we can thank TR Legal’s Chief Scientist and head of R&D for many of the great features that make our research results better. Sadly, that giant of the industry died suddenly this morning at the age of 62. The announcement of Jackson’s death was posted on the International Association for Artificial Intelligence and Law group on LinkedIn.

Peter Jackson had a hand in the development of many of the products you use within Westlaw, WestlawNext, PeopleMap, CaRE, Concord and Research Plus. In addition to this part of his contribution, Jackson was always thinking of what the future of search, technology and AI. Those ideas were present in his 2010 interview with Jason Wilson, as well as on his own blog and website. Peter’s greatness wasn’t just with technology, however, apparently, he was an awesome guitar player as well.

The legal research and technology industry lost a giant today.

[Photo (CC) Enokson] 

Believe it or not, next week will be the one-year anniversary of the first Elephant Post. A year ago last night, Scott Preston, Toby Brown and I sat down to a curry dinner (and a few pints of beer) at the Red Lion in Houston and hatched this crazy idea of leveraging our diverse audience by asking them a single question and seeing how they answered it. Actually, it was pretty much Scott’s idea… Toby and I just take credit when things work well, and then blame Scott for when they don’t. In a run up to this anniversary, we asked what Elephant Post question did you almost answer this year. I know that many more of you out there should have answered this question because when I run into you at conferences or at speaking engagements, this is one of the first things that many of you tell me. So, if you missed your chance here, just add it to the comments this week and we’ll call it even.

Thanks to all of those that did take advantage of this second chance. There are some great answers, and one contributor went through a list of questions that he didn’t answer the first time around. For the 52nd Elephant Post question, we are going to have a little fun and let you test your skills at adding a caption to a couple of pictures. Read on through this week’s perspectives, and then take a look at next week and see if you can be clever in explaining what Mark Gediman and I are discussing in the two photos. I really look forward to seeing if you can keep it (somewhat) clean.

Cheryl Niemeier
How Did “The Great Recession” Change the Way You Do Your Job?

I lost my library assistant during the recession and had to become much more efficient in how the daily clerical tasks in the library got done, reduced the library budget (had to) and overall made the library a more time efficient and cost effective department for the firm. I am however happy to report that I do now have a library clerk again and the efficiencies created during the downturn are still serving the library well!!

John Gillies
Elephant Post: What Will the Law Firm of 2021 Look Like?

I think Richard Susskind has it right, namely that there will be a continuous (and inevitable) movement of legal services from bespoke to commoditized. That will mean fewer lawyers are more support professionals whose job is to ensure that the firm lawyers are able to deliver their services as effectively and efficiently as possible.   Those support professionals will include lawyers but will also include project managers, legal editors, law clerks, who have specialized expertise that is mobilized in the most effective way possible. Ultimately, the goal will be to do everything to ensure that the client gets the “best” service, but based on criteria defined by the client, not the firm.

Scott Bailey
How do you make sense of all the information in this overloaded universe?

I didn’t answer because Greg Lambert took my answer!  🙂  I use Tweetdeck columns too.

Bail Bonds Las Vegas
How Did “The Great Recession” Change the Way You Do Your Job?

We have definitely changed our ways of doing business in this tough economy. Working in the bail bond business, people don’t have much for collateral anymore since their houses are getting taken away and cars are being repossessed so bonds are getting written. We have had to search ads to find the cheapest office supplies, turn to cheaper forms of advertising and cut all credit! We now use only cash for purchases and if the cash isn’t available, then we don’t buy it!  It actually makes things a little less stressful because there are less bills to worry about!

Jeff Ward
So many, here’s a few…

Should Non-Lawyers Be Promoted On Law Firm Web Pages?
Yes, at top management levels. What Has Really Changed In Legal Education in the Past 20 Years? The students.
What Will the Law Firm of 2021 Look Like?
Each worker will be hidden behind three 40″ monitors, but they’ll be using their iPad7s instead of their Win10 desktops.
The Last 10 Years Have Really Changed _________!!
The rate of change and the acceptance of change. We still say that people don’t like change, and that is true, but compare it to ten years ago when people would cry (and some quit) at the prospect of a new application.
What Software Do You Wish You COULD Use At Work?
Social media for conveying information that affects IT. In IT, we have a difficult time conveying information, including tips, workarounds, discussions on problems, etc. E-mail doesn’t cut it.
What Software Do You Use That You Wish You Didn’t Have To?
Metadata cleaning software. It’s annoying to everyone. Although documents contain some risk, the riskiest stuff such as tracked changes and comments would not be in documents if people still proofed their work before they sent it out.
What Non-Traditional Conference Would You Like To Attend?
Any of several conferences offered by Chief Learning Officer magazine. It’s one of the best free mags out there, and the conferences always sound fascinating to me.
What Blog Do You Read That Others Should Be Reading?
http://www.businesswritingblog.com
What Do You Absolutely Love About Your Profession?
The people who I work with. I never imagined I’d be surrounded by such brilliant people.
What Are Your “Other” Predictions for 2011?
That I will finally answer an Elephant post.
Who Is Your Professional Hero? Tell Us Why.
Scott Preston. He’s influenced my ways of thinking for many many years.
What SNL Quote Have You Used At Work?
Makin’ copies…
How Is Social Media Changing Your Profession… Or, How Should It Be Changing Your Profession?
See above.
Which Fictional Character Would Be Outstanding In Your Profession?
Speed Racer (and crew)–imagine if the Mach 5 technology could be translated into businessware. Everything would happen at the click of a button, and when someone disturbs you, you push the button that brings out the radial saws.
What Drives You Crazy When Dealing With Vendors?
When, no matter what you throw at them, they say their software can do it. Yeah, if you give them 5 years and 50 developers.
“I think you need to look up the meaning of ________. I don’t think it means what you think it means.”
The backslash (): I’ve seen so many instances where someone uses it where a slash should be used. It’s not a real punctuation mark.
What Would You Tell a Law Student Before They Enter the ‘Real World?’
You are no longer writing just for yourself and your teachers. Learn to use the tools and procedures developed by the firm you’re with. Others may have to work in your documents, and it can be extremely difficult when you use weird options for formatting your text. (This was fun!)
Next Week’s Elephant Post:

What Are Mark and Greg Discussing in these Photos? (Add your own caption!)

Mark Gediman and I presented at this year’s AALL conference in Philadelphia. Here is a couple of photos of us talking to a room full of bloggers. Add a caption on what you think we are saying in each photo.

[Photo (CC) tracie7779]

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I watched a video called “How Thomson Reuters Redefined an Industry” last night, and found it to be an interesting account of the ideas and structure behind their WestlawNext project. Although the video is pretty much a “feel-good” piece for WestlawNext and its data structure built on NetApp, there was one specific part that I felt wasn’t just a problem with WestlawNext, but rather a problem with modern legal research itself.

In the video, at about the 42 second mark, Rick King, the CTO of Thomson Reuters, says the following:

One page from one jurisdiction may be exactly what that attorney is looking for that allows them to win the case. And, if they can’t find it, you haven’t done your job.

This is not an uncommon view of legal research. At the AALL Vendor Colloquium, Law Librarian of Congress, Roberta Shaffer, talked about this shift away from legal research that builds upon legal concepts, and instead is built upon finding needles in haystacks:

Law today is much more data driven as more of the disputes center around finance and science. And it is much more fact focused. Legal research used to be more rooted in theory or legal concepts; where we found the concepts and then placed the facts within that theory or concept. Today we look much more at the facts and try to pinpoint the law to that exact fact pattern. Much of the tools we have these days very much foster a fact based inquiry and process. As a result of finding and following facts, we tend to rely less upon scholarly pursuits and output. And so less people read or follow law reviews, treatises or scholarly articles than they have in the past. Mainly because they don’t “fit the bill” of the exact fact based pattern and are therefore irrelevant to the process of research today.

Many of us talk about the “dumbing down” of legal research, and I usually don’t agree with some of the arguments given on that topic. However, the thing that does worry me about fact-based inquiries and processes is the idea that if you don’t find that “one page” in that “one jurisdiction” then the idea is that “you haven’t done your job.” That just seems like a very high-bar to hold up for the legal profession. If we are teaching our law students, Summer and Fall Associates, our Paralegals, and our Legal Research Professionals the idea that they must find that one case in that one jurisdiction, then we are setting them up for failure.

Not every fact pattern can be answered by a previous court decision. In fact, it is usually the attorney that takes a blending of statutes, case decisions, and the ability to interpret the intention of the law within the community’s setting that wins the day. Fact-based, “one case in one jurisdiction,” is valuable, but the research process is far greater than that idea. Admitting failure by not finding that “one case in one jurisdiction” is selling yourself and the legal research process short.

“‘Is it making all of us uncomfortable? Yes. Especially when you start to move away from the more routine sort of work,’ says Toby Brown, the director of pricing at Vinson & Elkins LLP.”

Pricing Tactic Spooks Lawyers

Companies Use of Reverse Auctions to Negotiate Legal Services Is Accelerating

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904292504576482243557793536.html#ixzz1TsgujGyd

Recently I attended a presentation where a client in the legal space gave his critique on how the services he purchased were priced. He had obviously thought this issue through and outlined a litany of complaints with how the services are priced and billed.
The list included:
  • Confusing bills – With so many rates and prices he couldn’t figure out what he was buying.
  • Too many bills – He received 16 different bills in one month from one firm.
  • No value connection – He was never really sure what value he received compared to the price he paid.
  • Annual increases – His providers automatically raise their prices each year without real value conversations.
The list went on, but you get the picture. This is one client who is not happy and wants his providers to step up, address these problems and change the way they price and deliver their admittedly valuable services.
Was this a client of legal services? No. He was a BigLaw partner talking about his online research services providers.
As I sat there listening, I became increasingly uncomfortable. Not for the vendors he was targeting (they were in the room), but for him as a lawyer whose firm is likely doing pretty much the same to its clients.
Oh the irony.
Two Lessons:
  1. Glass house? Put the rocks down.
  2. Providers and customers are equally culpable. Blaming the providers is neither constructive nor honest. The pricing confusion in both of these markets (legal services and online research) is the result of past needs of both customers and providers. The solution to the problem is not swinging the blame stick, but instead will come from sitting down together and building a new approach.
Hopefully collaboration will prevail over rock throwing in both markets.

Michael Saint-Onge and I had the pleasure of waking everyone up at the AALL conference last week with our 8:45 AM presentation on technology tools used in law firm libraries. Although not everything we’ve listed has practical use in the law firm library setting, we thought we’d have a little fun with running through a few known, not-so-well known, and a few completely obscure resources that “may” have some application in the law firm library setting. It’s always a pleasure to present with Michael… but since we both like to rattle on, it was also nice to know that we only had a few seconds to talk on each one of these. Of course, if we missed something that you think should have made the cut, feel free to add it to the comments below. (If it is good one, I’ll even add it to the slideshow!!)
NOTE: if you can’t see the embedded presentation, you can go to Google Docs to view it.

For a project I’m working on, I asked a number of county law librarians to share their mission statements with me in order to see how individual law libraries view their services for the community they serve. In addition to the mission statements that were sent to me, I also attempted to go through a list of large US counties (marked with an asterisk*)  to see if they listed their mission statements on their websites. Most of the libraries I found online do list a mission statement, but not all. Surprisingly, some of the largest counties specifically don’t have a mission statement at all.

Most of the mission statements listed the county law library’s mission as providing access to legal information and research services to the members of the local community. A “Wordle” of the mission statements points out those common phrases. Although a mission statement may not be necessary to run a county law library, but it does seem that it would be important if you are intending to let everyone know what your scope of business is as well as the value you are bringing to the community. Also, not all county law libraries are “public.” Some are subscriber based or have limited public access because the monetary support for the law library comes from members or from the local bar association. In addition, not every county has a law library. For example, Detroit (Wayne County) Michigan uses the law school libraries as a de facto county law library.

In the era of online research through Westlaw, LexisNexis or Bloomberg, the assistance of services like LegalZoom, and the ease of Google to do your basic research, many may think that the idea of a public law library may seem passé. Fortunately, there are many county law libraries that still seem to believe that they serve a purpose to the community to enhance knowledge of the law and to facilitate access to the justice system (see King County, Washington.)

Just in case you have a county law library mission statement, I’ve listed these all out on an open Google Docs page. Feel free to add yours to the list!

Maricopa County (Arizona)*


For over 90 years, the Superior Court Law Library has provided legal research assistance to the bench, the bar, and the public in Maricopa County, one of the fastest growing counties in the country. The Law Library is a public-court law library with a collection of over 150,000 volumes and a broad array of legal databases. These resources aid the Law Library in the fulfillment of its mission to provide open, reliable access to legal information.

Yavapai County (Arizona)


The Yavapai County Law Library’s mission is to provide access to legal information – print and non-print – and information services to the general public and the citizens, legal community and court staff of Yavapai County in a prompt, impartial, economical manner.  The Law Library assists library and self-service users in locating resources to facilitate their research and provides access to legal forms for filing in the Superior Court of Yavapai County.


Alameda County (California)*


Mission: The Mission of the Bernard E. Witkin Alameda County Law Library is to provide access to current legal information to the public, attorneys and residents.
Vision: The Alameda County Law Library is a public Law Library. The Library envisions a future in which all people have effective access to justice. To bring about this vision, it provides access to information required for participation in the legal system, resolving legal disputes, engaging in commerce, and tending to personal affairs and academic projects.

Orange County (California)*


None found.


Los Angeles County (California)*

Vision Statement: The LA Law Library is the leader in providing public access to legal information.
Mission Statement: The LA Law Library provides access to legal information through effective, efficient and collaborative services in order to support current and emerging user needs in a dynamic legal environment.

Riverside County (California)*


The goal of the Board of Trustees for the Riverside County Law Library is to make available to the judiciary, state and county officials, members of the state and local bar, and all residents of the county, current legal materials, modern facilities and adequate trained staff, which will enable them to perform the highest level of research and practice.” (Adopted April 1984).

Sacramento County (California)*


Vision Statement
The Sacramento County Public Law Library staff strives to provide excellent service to all members of our diverse community, to respect the dignity and individuality of each community member, and to acknowledge the importance of each member’s access to legal information.
Mission Statement
Towards the fulfillment of our vision, it is the mission of the Sacramento County Public Law Library to:
Assist our customers in their effort to use the legal system effectively
Continually improve our services
Cultivate new technologies to best serve customers
Exhibit our values in our daily work
Seek to maximize our customers’ research dollar
Support each other in our individual and team efforts to improve the library

San Bernardino County (California)*


Our mission is to provide public access to current legal information. The Law Library maintains a comprehensive legal reference research collection, including state and federal cases and statutes, national and California treatises, legal periodicals (law reviews), legal encyclopedias, electronic databases, and self-help materials.

San Diego County (California)*

Vision: The San Diego County Public Law Library uses its staff, its collections, and the other tools and programs it develops to promote relevant, pertinent and timely legal information to the residents of San Diego County in order to provide them with access to justice.
Mission: Focus on meeting the needs of the library’s users.
Create a county-wide community resource that promotes interaction and collaboration in the dissemination of legal information.
Maintain a practical, timely and relevant collection and electronic access to legal materials that will meet the needs of the library’s users.
Make legal information available to users in the most appropriate and relevant format possible.
Provide professional library staff that demonstrates excellent communication skills and uses technology to improve workflow and enhance the flow of legal information.
Develop facilities and spaces within the law libraries that enable study and collaboration.

San Luis Obispo County (California)

It is the mission of the San Luis Obispo County Law Library to provide current legal materials that meet the legal research and information needs of Law Library users in San Luis Obispo County. We serve all members of the community and county government.


San Mateo County (California)


The mission of the San Mateo County Law Library is to provide access to legal materials to all persons interested in the law. To meet this end, the Law Library is a resource library open to the Judiciary, members of the State Bar of California, and all residents of the County of San Mateo and the State of California for the purpose of legal research and the examination of law books and other legal materials.

Santa Clara County (California)*


Mission: To empower our residents to do their own legal research

Stanislaus County (California)


The Stanislaus County Law Library provides free access to legal information for the judiciary, members of the State Bar, public officials, and to all residents of the county for the purpose of education and research.


Brevard County (Florida)*


The mission of the A. Max Brewer Memorial Law Library is to collect, preserve, and provide access to legal resources and information to Brevard County judges, attorneys, government officials and the public
The A. Max Brewer Memorial Law Library strives to provide courteous, confidential, and cost-effective service to all members of the community.
Broward County (Florida)

Hillsborough County (Florida)*


Mission: Collect, maintain, and make available legal research materials in print and electronic format not generally obtainable elsewhere in the County for use by the bench, Bar, students, and the general public.

Miami-Dade County (Florida)*

None Found.


Palm Beach (Florida)*


The Palm Beach County Law Library serves the legal and law related information needs of the county, including county residents, judges, attorneys, students, county officials and pro-se patrons. It provides legal reference and referral services, within the guidelines of Florida Statute 454.23.
The law library cooperates with the community to enhance knowledge of the law and to facilitate access to the justice system.
Our goal is to provide the patrons with accurate up-to-date legal information.


Pinellas County (Florida)


The Pinellas County Law Library is committed to providing cost effective and timely access to significant print and non-print legal resources at the local, state, and federal level useful to the Courts of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, the practicing Bar, Pinellas County Agencies, and the public in their search for law-related information and their pursuit of justice.

Cook County (Illinois)*

Provide a practitioner focused legal research facility; Maintain a practice-oriented collection of legal material in print and electronic format; Provide legal and legislative research assistance; Operate in a manner consistent with sound fiscal management.

Champaign County (Illinois)

The Mission of the Champaign County Law Library is to provide access to legal research materials to members of the public, lawyers, judges and other county officials in order to facilitate the just and equitable disposition of cases heard in Champaign County.

DuPage County (Illinois)

The mission of the DuPage County Law Library is to provide legal information services to all licensed attorneys, judges, as well as members of the public. Our goal is to provide our patrons with accurate up-to-date legal information. To achieve this goal we are committed to increasing the law library’s collection to meet the needs of the legal community. At its present pace, the collection will double in size every nine years. Presently the DuPage County Law Library contains more than 26,000 volumes including compilations of statutory and case law accessible through state and federal statutes, digests, encyclopedias, regional reporters, treatises and legal periodicals.

Kane County (Illinois)

Mission Statement
In support of its governing statute, 55 ILCS 5/5-39001, the Kane County Law Library & Self Help Legal Center staff strives to provide outstanding service, recognizing, supporting, and furthering open and equal access to legal and governmental information for all.

Vision Statement
Towards the fulfillment of our mission, it is the vision of the Kane County Law Library & Self Help Legal Center to openly advocate for and fiercely support equal access to justice through:
Assisting the public in their efforts to understand and use the legal system effectively and efficiently
Creating informed consumers with realistic expectations of the legal system
Ensuring equal access to legal and governmental information in the most cost effective manner
Continuing to educate ourselves and others about new technologies and services and supplying those technologies and services deemed appropriate at no or low costs
Actively advocating at local, state and national levels individually and through professional associations for open and equal access to legal and governmental information
Supporting not only the Judiciary, County Personnel and those in the legal professions, but the public and its diverse membership in their quest for legal and governmental information.
Creating positive contacts and experiences between the public and the legal system

Jefferson County (Kentucky)


The mission of the Jefferson County Public Law Library (JCPLL) is to provide the community with a current collection of legal reference materials based upon the belief that access to knowledge and information is essential to the promotion of justice and respect for the law.

Oakland County (Michigan)


The Oakland County Library provides free and open access to specialized collections and services generally not found in local public libraries for its residents, elected officials and county employees.


Wayne County (Michigan)


No law library – Relies upon the local law school libraries.


Middlesex County (Massachusetts)*


None found


Dakota County (Minnesota) 


To provide adequate and timely legal information to the judiciary, governmental employees, the members of the bar and the citizens of Dakota County, in the form most comprehensible to all types of users, bearing in mind that ready and convenient access to such information is vital to the justice system of a democratic society.
To collaborate with existing organizations to maximize the delivery of legal information and to avoid costly and ineffective duplication.
To utilize information technology to deliver legal information wherever financially feasible and acceptable to users.

Hennepin County (Minnesota)

Our mission is to provide access to legal information, a basic component of access to justice, to all citizens of the County, in ways that are reliable, efficient, respectful, innovative, and economical.



Ramsey County (Minnesota)

Mission.  The mission of the Ramsey County Law Library is to provide the best legal information services to its patrons, using print and online material, in the most cost effective manner.  Legal information is a basic component of access to justice.

Clark County (Nevada)*

VISION STATEMENT: A research library dedicated to providing equality of access to sources of law, related information and community resources.

MISSION STATEMENT: The Clark County Law Library provides access to the most recent precedents and the best available commentary regarding legal issues.

Bronx County (New York)*

The primary mission of the law libraries of the Unified Court System is to contribute professional library services to the process of providing just and timely resolution of all matters before the courts.
In order to fulfill this mission, timely, adequate, accessible, and effective resources are provided in an efficient, cost-effective manner. Library staff manage, acquire, evaluate, store, distribute and clarify information deemed appropriate to the mission of the library.

Kings County (New York)*

The library’s mission is to serve the bench, the bar, & the public by providing professional library services.

Nassau County (New York)*

The library’s mission is to serve the bench, the bar, and the public by providing professional library services.

New York County (New York)*

To acquire, process, and to provide access to legal information resources in all formats including digital, to library patrons; To provide research support and training for court personnel and other library users; And to provide library related technology support, including opportunities for web based searching and access to materials for library users throughout the Unified Court System.
The library also responds to reference queries from throughout the world if time and resource permit.

Queens County (New York)*

The library’s mission is to serve the bench, the bar, and the public by providing professional library services.

Suffolk County (New York)*

None Found

Cuyahoga County (Ohio)*

** Dues-Paying Membership — Public access only on Wednesdays from 8:30 -5:00 only **

Lane County (Oregon)

Mission Statement:  The Lane County Law Library is dedicated to providing a high-level of service to all members of the community. As part of this mission, the Law Library strives to provide access to legal materials and related resources needed for legal research by members of the bar, the judiciary and the public.

Vision Statement:  The Law Library will be recognized within Lane County as a major contributor to programs providing access to and use of legal resources.

Allegheny County (Pennsylvania)*


The Center for Legal Information advances the effective and efficient legal research competencies of the law school’s faculty and students, the local legal community, and the general public in a collaborative community environment.
(Joint partnership with Duquesne University Center for Legal Information)

Philadelphia County (Pennsylvania)*


** AKA “Jenkins Law Library” – Member Library… Not Public**
Our mission: Since its founding in 1802, the Jenkins Law Library has been dedicated to bringing people and information together within the legal community. As the nation’s oldest law library, it is committed to providing value through its outstanding service, comprehensive access to legal and other information, relevant educational programs, the latest technologies, and a hospitable place to work and visit.
Our vision: Jenkins Law Library will be seen as a destination to an ever expanding clientele, as a result of innovation and adherence to an excellence in maintaining, preserving and providing access to legal information by the public and legal communities.


Bexar County (Texas)*


The Bexar County Law Library provides the bench, bar, governmental agencies and the public with cost-effective access to the most recent statutes, case law and the best available commentary regarding legal issues.


Cameron County (Texas)


The Cameron County Law Library’s mission is to provide access to legal information to the citizens of Cameron County in ways that are reliable, efficient, respectful, innovative and economical.


Collin County (Texas)


The Law Library’s mission is to serve at a place that is both convenient and accessible and to maintain a legal reference for the judges, litigants, and residents of Collin County. The Law Library Fund is provided by fees collected in connection with civil suit filings.

Dallas County (Texas)*


None found

Grayson County (Texas)


The mission of the Grayson County law Library is to provide specialized legal reference resources in a variety of formats to the legal community, litigants, and residents of Grayson County, TX.

Harris County (Texas)*


None found


Hidalgo County (Texas)


The Hidalgo County Law Library’s mission is to provide access to information on legal research for the Judiciary, State, and County Officials, Members of the State and Local Bar Associates, and all Citizens of Hidalgo County with the best collection of law books and services available.

Tarrant County (Texas)*


The Tarrant County Law Library serves the legal research needs of the Tarrant County legal community and the general public.

Fairfax County (Virginia)*

To Promote Justice by Providing All Citizens with Access to Legal Information.

The Fairfax Public Law Library provides citizens with access to information about laws and legal procedures. Its resources include more than 35,000 books and legal periodicals as well as several public computer research terminals. The legal resources available in the law library are not available to the public at any other single location within the County of Fairfax. Although staff may not offer legal advice, they provide bibliographic instruction and assist more than 70,000 patrons each year in locating legal information and sample legal forms. The library is available to all, including members of the general public, members of the legal profession, and public officials such as judges, prosecutors, and public defenders. The Fairfax Public Law Library is a critical component of the county’s efforts to provide meaningful access to justice.

King County (Washington)*

The Public Law Library of King County serves the legal and law related information needs of the county, including the judges, county officials, members of the Bar and other county residents. The Public Law Library cooperates with the community to enhance knowledge of the law and to facilitate access to the justice system.

The Public Law Library will be conducted as statutorily directed in a fair, honest and courteous manner while avoiding debt and extravagance. The Public Law Library’s goal shall be to exceed user expectations by reason of superior performance and dedication by the Public Law Library’s employees.

Pierce County (Washington)

The mission of the Pierce County Law Library is to provide legal information services to the bench, bar, state and local governments and the public to assist them in their efforts to use the legal system effectively. Our mission is also to provide trained and knowledgeable Library staff to assist patrons in meeting their legal information needs.