From Grunts to Greatness: Frankenstein’s Monster and the Evolution of Legal Research

October 31, 2025 Heather Holmes

Image Source: https://ndla.no/r/engelsk-2/frankenstein-or-the-modern-prometheus-by-mary-shelley/0d3f85047e, Creative Commons

Much like Frankenstein’s Monster, every researcher begins with a kind of linguistic infancy—punching in a few keywords, seeing what comes up, and hoping for the best. This is the “fire bad” stage of searching: simple, direct, but often imprecise. Then comes the next phase—the learning, the refinement, the humanizing process. As we grow more skilled, we start using controlled vocabularies Boolean operators, and Terms & Connectors to sculpt our queries with precision. We might even engage with AI-powered tools or Large Language Models that can parse meaning, context, and nuance—much like Shelley’s creature learning to manipulate words and master the expression of complex human emotion. This increases the specificity and relevance of our results, and we exclaim: “It’s alive. It’s ALIVE!” The feeling can be electric!

Celebrating National Pro Bono Week: Supporting Communities and Bridging the Justice Gap

October 22, 2025 Heather Holmes

Every October, legal professionals across the United States come together to celebrate National Pro Bono Week, a time to honor the extraordinary contributions of volunteer attorneys and to encourage continued engagement in pro bono service. Organized by the American Bar Association, this year’s celebration runs from October 19–25, 2025, uniting lawyers, advocates, and community partners nationwide under the shared mission of expanding access to justice through free legal assistance.

The Nuremburg Trials - On the Road to Justice

October 17, 2025 Lori-Ann Craig

Published in accordance with the direction of the International Military Tribunal by the Secretariat of the Tribunal, under the jurisdiction of the Allied Control Authority for Germany., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

With an indictment issued on October 18, 1945, against 24 war criminals and seven organizations, what was the most significant trial in world history began. Nuremberg, a Bavarian city that was once “one of Europe’s most important trading hubs,” became the hub of a diabolical menace that threatened the very existence of humanity. In the years prior to World War II, Nuremberg was the marshaling place for Nazi propaganda, the site of annual rallies and the means by which Nazi ideals could be spread. Thus, in a symbolic gesture, the Allies chose the location that had once been the rallying place for Nazi propaganda to be the place that marked the “death of Nazi Germany.”

Digital Discoveries: 2024 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report

October 8, 2025 Lori-Ann Craig

Interested in how your fellow attorneys leverage the use of technology in their practice? If you are, check out the 2024 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report. Since 1990, the American Bar Association has surveyed attorneys about their technology use. Its finding are published in five volumes and cover the following topics: online research, technology basics and security, law office technology, marketing and communication technology, and litigation.

Ex Libris Juris - HCLL Blog