CLE

Anna Russell Cornell Law School

Craig Newton The Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School

Building Solutions to Legal Information Challenges

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Overview AI Webinar Summary

Building Solutions to Legal Information Challenges

In-Person Location: 25 W 39th Street, 9th Floor New York, NY 10018

This joint presentation by the Cornell Law Library and the Legal Information Institute will examine contemporary challenges to accessing legal information faced by both legal professionals and the general public. Topics will include barriers to access arising from the privatization of government functions leading to a primary law-for-profit structure, the challenges inherent in court filing systems doubling as information retrieval platforms, and the obfuscation of legal information when accessed through commercial search engines such as Google. More than just identifying problems, though, the presentation will describe the work being done at Cornell and elsewhere to overcome these barriers to free and open access to legal information.

Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes

Originally broadcast: July 23, 2026 12:30 PM PT

Webinar Highlights

This webinar is divided into section summaries, which you can scan for key points and then dive into the sections that interest you the most.

00:00 Public Access to Legal Information

The speakers argue for public access to primary law, including taxpayer-funded case law and legislative statutes. They distinguish between commercial vendor tools and government-made laws, advocating for free access to the latter. They point out the unfairness of the legal information system's complexity and cost, which hinders individuals from accessing necessary legal information. The speakers criticize the role of commercial entities in restricting access to government-made laws through subscription-based systems.

10:59 Public Legal Information Portals

The speakers discuss the limitations of public legal information portals in meeting the needs of unrepresented litigants. They mention the high cost of attorney work and the importance of affordable access to legal information. They describe the challenges faced by law libraries in providing access to legal materials due to subscription-based content. The speakers highlight the potential of free public law portals with tools like search engines and bulk downloads. They emphasize the need for neutral citations to improve public access to case law.

26:22 Generative AI and Copyright Concerns

The speakers explain the concept of generative AI and its reliance on large language models for generating content. They discuss the legal implications of using copyrighted materials to train AI models, focusing on the transformative use doctrine. The speakers warn that restricting AI training to licensed content could limit competition in the AI space. They suggest that copyright clearinghouses could facilitate access to copyrighted materials for AI training.

45:16 AI-Mediated Search and Legal Information

The speakers discuss the role of AI-mediated search in legal research, comparing it to traditional librarian-mediated search. They note that most people use search engines like Google for legal research, which now provide AI-generated overviews. They highlight the importance of ensuring that AI-generated legal information is based on accurate and unbiased sources. The Legal Information Institute plays a key role in providing high-quality legal content for AI tools.

Please note this AI-generated summary provides a general overview of the webinar but may not capture all details, nuances, or the exact words of the speaker. For complete accuracy, please refer to the original webinar recording.

Speakers

Anna Russell Law Library Deputy Director
Cornell University

Anna Russell is the Deputy Director for the Cornell University Law Library. Prior to her appointment at Cornell, she was a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals library branch manager, based in Anchorage, Alaska. Anna began her law library career in a warmer climate, though, at the University of San Diego’s Pardee Legal Research Center. Read More ›

Craig Newton Co-Director
The Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School

Craig Newton is Co-Director of the Legal Information Institute. A member of the California bar, Craig previously represented clients ranging from some of the world’s best-known companies to pro bono litigants in a wide range of civil disputes with a focus on contracts, licenses, patents, and trade secrets. He is a graduate of Cornell Law School and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits

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Alabama CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2026

Alaska CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (In-Person), Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: July 22, 2031

California CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (In-Person), Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: June 30, 2028

Hawaii CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: July 22, 2028

Illinois CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: August 5, 2028

Nebraska CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: July 23, 2028

New Jersey CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.20 General

Earn Credit Until: July 22, 2027

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: February 28, 2027

Ohio CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2026

Pennsylvania CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Substantive Law, Practice, and Procedure

Earn Credit Until: July 22, 2028

South Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Difficulty: All Levels

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2026

Texas CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: June 30, 2027

Utah CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2026

Vermont CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (In-Person), Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: July 23, 2031

West Virginia CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.20 General

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2029

This presentation is approved for one hour of General CLE credit in Alabama, one hour of General CLE credit in Alaska, one hour of General CLE credit in California, one hour of General CLE credit in Hawaii, one hour of General CLE credit in Louisiana, one hour of General CLE credit in Maine, one hour of General CLE credit in Missouri, one hour of General CLE credit in Nebraska, one hour of General CLE credit in Nevada, one hour of General CLE credit in North Carolina, one hour of General CLE credit in Ohio, one hour of Substantive Law, Practice, and Procedure CLE credit in Pennsylvania, one hour of General CLE credit in Rhode Island, one hour of General CLE credit in South Carolina (all levels), one hour of General CLE credit in Utah, one hour of General CLE credit in Vermont, one hour of Other CLE credit in Washington, and one hour of General CLE credit in West Virginia. This program has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 1.20 hours of total CLE credit. This course has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE in the amount of 1.00 credit hours. Application for New York accreditation of this course or program is currently pending.

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