Finding Common Ground: Linking Law Student Learning with Law Firm Research Needs

Finding Common Ground: Linking Law Student Learning With Law Firm Research Needs

Wednesday, March 25, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Fordham University School of Law Bateman Room (2nd floor) 150 West 62nd Street

Hosts: Sarah Jaramillo and Fordham Law School Panelists: Laurence Abraham, Irene Crisci, Lucy Curci-Gonzalez, Steve Lastres, Michael Roffer Questions: Steve Lastres or Laura Ross

A disconnect exists between how law firm research works and the research skills law schools are teaching, which is compounded by assumptions both sides make about the other’s needs. This program is aimed at bringing both sides of the researching coin together to correct faulty assumptions and to provide a venue for examining the research skills most tailored to creating contemporary research-ready attorneys.

A panel of law school and law firm librarians will provide their perspectives on the critical bridge between law school instruction and firm research needs. The panelists will be assisted by attendee roundtable discussions targeted to narrow current gaps in the legal research learning process.

Laurence Abraham is Head of Instructional Service at the Fordham Law School Library. He received a BA magna cum laude from Columbia and a JD from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.

After law school, Larry clerked for Justices Marie Garibaldi and Jaynee LaVecchia of the New Jersey Supreme Court. He also was a litigation associate at Sullivan & Cromwell, where he worked on complex commercial cases and on a death-penalty representation before coming to Fordham in 2004. Larry received an MS in Information and Library Science from Pratt Institute. He has been teaching at Fordham since 2005.

Irene Crisci is the Head of Public Services at the Gould Law Library and Touro Law Center, supervising staff and services of the Circulation and Reference Departments. She coordinates research instruction and library services for students, faculty, staff, and Friends of the Library. Irene teaches New York Legal Research and appears as a guest lecturer in various courses, serves as liaison to the Legal Clinic and the Public Advocacy Center, and regularly provides assistance in the Reference Office.

Irene joined Gould Law Library as Reference Librarian & Digital Archivist in 2010. She was instrumental in developing the Digital Commons initiative, which highlights the scholarly writing of Touro faculty. Prior to becoming a law librarian, she worked as an attorney in private practice in estate planning and administration, real estate, and corporate and partnership law. Irene has served as an adjunct professor at Long Island University, Dowling College, and St. Joseph’s College.

Lucy Curci-Gonzalez has over 30 years’ experience in library management and intellectual property research. Prior to joining Kenyon & Kenyon LLP as Director of Library Services, she was head librarian at Morgan & Finnegan LLP. She earned her MS in Library and Information Science from Columbia University. She has worked as a catalog, interlibrary loan, and reference librarian at state court, law school, corporate legal department, and federal government agency libraries in New York City.

Lucy is active in LLAGNY and in the IP Group of AALL’s Private Law Libraries Special Interest Section. She is a past LLAGNY President, PLL Chair, and AALL Executive Board member and has served on a number of chapter, SIS, and AALL committees. She has published articles and made numerous presentations for LLAGNY, AALL and PLL, the Practising Law Institute, Legal Information Alert, New York Law School, and St. John’s University Library and Information Science graduate program. Her primary interests are IP law research, law firm library management, and training the next generation of legal researchers.

Steve Lastres is Director of Knowledge Management Services for Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. He manages the firm’s information and KM initiatives with the assistance of a dedicated team. Steve works with the Task Force in charge of the firm’s KM effort to develop and implement effective KM strategy. He joined the firm in May 2005. Steve received his JD from New York Law School, where he received the Daniel Finkelstein Writing Award. He is a member of the Bars of New Jersey and New York. He received an MS in Library Science with a Distinguished Achievement Award in Information and Library Science from Pratt Institute, and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Pace University. Previously he was employed by Arnold & Porter LLP and Fulbright & Jaworski LLP as a Librarian and Information and Knowledge Management professional.

Steve has served as President of LLAGNY and ARMA’s Metropolitan NY Chapter. He is Past Chair of the Private Law Libraries Special Interest Section, member of the AALL Leadership and Nominations Committee, the ILTA Education Planning Committee, and former Manager of the ARMA Northeast

Region. Steve writes and speaks on the topics of KM and law librarianship. He was recently recognized as a Fastcase 50 award winner. He was an ILTA 2013 Publication Award Winner for Best Member- Contributed White Paper (http://epubs.iltanet.org/i/87421/32) and was recently awarded ILTA’s 2014 Knowledge Management Professional of the Year Award. Steve can be found on Twitter (@lastrst and @privatelawlibs) and LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/salastres).

Michael Roffer is the Associate Librarian for Reader Services and Professor of Legal Research at New York Law School. He teaches a variety of legal research classes, including Legal Research Practical Skills courses. He previously served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law co- teaching Advanced Topics in Criminal Law and Procedure: Federal Courts and Federal Crimes.

Michael joined the New York Law School Library in 2003. Prior to obtaining his MLIS degree from the School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies at Rutgers, he had been a Senior Counsel at Proskauer Rose LLP, where he practiced in both the Labor & Employment Law and Litigation departments for thirteen years. He had previously been associated with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He clerked for Judge Roger J. Miner in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the US District Court for the Northern District of New York.

Michael holds a JD degree magna cum laude from New York Law School, where he was a John Ben Snow Scholar and an Articles Editor for the New York Law School Law Review. He received his BA degree magna cum laude with Honors in Economics from Brandeis University. He has published articles in the areas of antitrust law, criminal procedure law, and employment law. He has been a member of the New York Bar since 1994 and is active in AALL, where he most recently served on the Digital Access to Legal Information Committee. He is active in AALL’s Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section as a member of its CALI Committee, LLAGNY, and is a member of the Washington University in St. Louis Libraries’ National Council.