Bruce (and others interested in the issue),
The law firm librarians we have been
talking with have said that they are taking a hard
look at using Westlaw or Lexis and that use is down
10-30 % in some of the major law firms. They are
concerned with costs in general as well as dealing
with clients who are less happy about paying online
charges. Apparently, they view it as overhead that
the firms should absorb. One firm has even told us
that they have to shepardize with the books because
it takes longer, creates more billable time, and
doesn't create the online charge the client doesn't
like. I hope this is the unusual case, but if a
major firm is doing it, I wonder if more aren't
as well.
Our students who return from summer positions
also tell us that their online time was limited; while
I am sure everyone limits their time compared to what
they are used to in school, I think their use is
limited to specific types of searches or updating
their research and that associates are not
using CALR as much as in the past.
Of course, the California economy seems to be behind
the rest of the country in recovering and we still
have firms that are adjusting to economic changes.
Maybe firms that have adjusted already have also
adjusted in their CALR use. But it does seem at least
locally that while we would like to see the students
know when to use books and when to use computers
because we want them to be efficient, the students
may be required to use a less efficient but more
economical method.
If your experience and that of your students is different
I would be interested in hearing. It may be we are
responding to a problem that is more prevalent here
than elsewhere.
Paul George
University of Southern California Law Library
University Park MC 0072
Los Angeles CA 90089-0072
(213) 740-6482
pgeorge@law.usc.edu
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>From law-lib-request@ucdavis.edu Thu May 13 13:06:36 1993
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From: Bruce Johnson <brjohnso@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
To: law-lib@ucdavis.edu
Subject: Re: Westlaw/Lexis training
Paul:
I am curious about your statement that CALR use in law firms is declining.
Is this a real decline in law firm use, or just a description of the lower
level of use found generally in private practice as opposed to law school
libraries? If private firm use of CALR is dropping off, what is the economic
motivation?
Thanks.
Bruce Johnson
P.S. "East coast campus" my eye - its the real thing baby! (I gotta get some
current South Carolinians to help me out with this).
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