RIPS Law Librarian Blog

Embracing the Unexpected March 24, 2023
Teaching legal research can feel like walking a tightrope on a windy day. No matter how carefully you map out your instructional plans, the unpredictable nature of the whole endeavor will inevitably blow you off balance and send your carefully-wrought … Continue reading →
Gerard Fowke
Can Law Students Develop the Expertise Necessary to Supervise Legal Chatbots … by Using Legal Chatbots? March 23, 2023
Casetext is marketing their new GPT-based tool CoCounsel as the “first AI legal assistant” and “the AI legal assistant for every practitioner.” Attorneys are required by rule 5.3 of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct to supervise “non-lawyer assistants” … Continue reading →
ianthahaight
Oh No, Another ChatGPT Post: Incorporating AI-Powered Chatbots into Legal Research Exercises and Assignments March 20, 2023
Since it was launched at the end of November 2022, the discourse around ChatGPT and AI search tools has been unrelenting. What impact will AI-powered chatbots have on education? Will students submit ChatGPT-written essays and homework assignments? Will AI make … Continue reading →
Olivia Smith Schlinck
Chat GPT-4 Aced the Bar Exam and the Bing Chat Waitlist is No More: Did the Future of Legal Research Just Arrive Today to Make Us Fact Checkers? March 16, 2023
By Sarah Gotschall and ChatGPT-4* Does today mark an important milestone in the world of AI legal research as Bing Chat, powered by GPT-4 technology, just became available to all without the need to languish for weeks on a waiting … Continue reading →
Sarah Gotschall
Strategies for Dealing with Difficult People March 15, 2023
Laughter is one strategy for dealing with difficult people. For instance, it was humor that probably saved me the time a patron came to the desk, stood in front of me, and asked, “Can I speak to someone smarter than … Continue reading →
Genevieve Zook
Legal Research for the People March 13, 2023
As research and reference librarians, we all need to take our audience into consideration when delivering written information. Academic librarians may need to provide more context and explanation when writing a reference email to a first-year law student than they … Continue reading →
Eric Berg
Do Librarians Need to Start Teaching AI-Legal Research? March 7, 2023
On March 1, 2023, Casetext announced the launch of CoCounsel–the first “AI Legal Assistant,” in collaboration with OpenAI (the group behind ChatGPT). According to their announcement, more than 400 lawyers across a wide spectrum of firms and organizations have beta-tested … Continue reading →
Christine Park
What To Do When A Shooting Happens In Your “Backyard” March 3, 2023
By Duane Strojny Monday, Feb 13, 2023 changed a lot of things in the Lansing, Michigan area. Many of you heard about the mass shooting that occurred at Michigan State University (MSU), killing three and physically injuring five. What you … Continue reading →
Emmawoodlibrarian
The Ideal Room for Legal Research Instruction March 3, 2023
During the immediate months after the COVID-19 pandemic began, many law teachers had to learn how to teach online overnight. Online teaching can take many forms, from asynchronous modules on course websites to synchronous, conference call like lectures. These methods … Continue reading →
Nicholas Norton
Recent Research on Flipped Learning March 1, 2023
“The PowerPoints killed me. They were long and boring.” —Anonymous student comment in my course evaluations “Some people talk in their sleep. Lecturers talk while other people sleep.” —Attributed to Albert Camus* Looking out at my class, sometimes I can … Continue reading →
Julie Tedjeske Crane