Research awareness: giving you the competitive edge

When thinking about applying for training contracts, how much thought do you give to a firm’s research resources? Lots, some or none at all? Competition for training contracts is stiff and your strategy may be to apply to lots of firms to maximise your chances. However, if you wish to make a discerning assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the firms you apply to, research resources should be up there with the most important factors to influence your decision.  Even if you are willing to go to any firm that will have you, or are aiming to get into a particular type of firm - be it high street, mid-size or magic circle - it is important to be mindful about the sorts of information resources and support you might encounter once you arrive.

Why?

Your chosen profession is knowledge and information driven. Professional success depends in part on your mastery of the sources of these mediums. Knowing where to find information is as crucial as interpreting that information and can often present an equal challenge to the latter as a new trainee. You need to provide your clients with the best advice you can, and your advice will be informed by the quality of the resources you use.

When deciding where to apply for a training contract, consideration of their information resources should be a priority. Then at interview and throughout your contract, to gain a competitive edge over other candidates, it is a good idea to show your awareness of these issues.

What are information resources?

‘Information resources’ means the sources you will get your legal, company, business or industry information from. Traditionally these may have been in hard copy: books, journals, law reports, citators, newspapers and company documents. While these are still widely used in practice today, you will be aware that they often have their online equivalent. The databases which host them vary quite a lot in terms of content, format and also how they charge (ie, free - or not free!).

Certain legal and business information publishers now dominate the market in online information resources and you may well rely on these databases at law school. The question for you is: will you be able to access these information resources once you start a training contract?

What is the range of resources that different firms will have?

This will really depend on the size of the firm and the emphasis they place on research and knowledge. Some firms are lucky enough to have information professionals who evaluate, procure, manage and advise upon online and hard copy information resources, as well as provide training and research support to lawyers.  It is likely that only the larger firms will have these dedicated information professionals. These firms may have a more extensive hard copy library, as well as many online subscriptions to large legal and business databases. Smaller firms may have a hard copy library staffed by a secretary or a trainee, and may rely on free sources of law and document supply libraries for their materials.

Gaining a competitive edge: research issues to be aware of

Know your resources

You will look good if you know the key sources and where you can find them going into your practice area and the difference between legal information databases: which practice areas do they publish most resources in? What law reports do they carry? A good illustrative example is shipping and maritime law - a lot of these cases are published in law reports owned by the publisher Informa - does the firm have an Informa subscription? If not, then how do they access case reports?

Cost

Be aware of charging models for different resources you will use.  Will you incur a charge for searching or downloading documents? Does the firm charge back the client for documents you download to do research? Will the amount you use a database have an impact on how much a firm must pay in future subscription costs? In order to be fully engaged with the way a firm is run as a business, these are issues which you should be aware of.

Online and hardcopy searching skills

You need to be information literate. Plan research tasks by thinking of the sources and search terms you will use beforehand, remembering the different search operators databases employ. Don't just rely on one source alone - it is always worthwhile double checking the information.

How can you show your awareness at interview?

At interview, you can ask questions to show that you have a deep understanding of this aspect of the life of a lawyer and the business aspect of the firm. You could ask questions such as:

• Does the firm subscribe to any legal or business information databases? (If you already know which type of law you want to practice, find out if the firm subscribes to specialist databases in that area.)
• Is any research support provided?
• Do you employ information professionals or librarians?
• How do you access current awareness and research materials?

How can information professionals and librarians help make you look good?

If a firm is lucky enough to have dedicated staff in these roles, it is important to recognise the ways in which they can boost the impression you make at a firm. Staff in these roles are research experts, and although they are not employed to do your research for you, they can be an excellent source of help in guiding you towards the best resources and searching techniques. Often staff have years of experience leading to expert knowledge in how to find and use the best information resources. One representative association of these professionals is the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL). BIALL has an online Wiki which is a guide on how to find various types of legal and business information, and is always worth a look if you are stuck with your research. There is also an information literacy statement, which you could use to develop your legal research skills.

An alternative career path?

Some law graduates decide against practising in law and become legal information professionals. It is a specialist and rewarding career. BIALL can provide information on careers in this area - go to its website for further information.

Lucy Angier is a librarian at a US firm in London and a member of BIALL.