December 13, 2022

APIs are the LEGO Building Blocks of Data - API Panel Discussion with Emily Rushing, Pam Noyd, Chris O'Connor, Keli Whitnell, and Erik Adams (TGIR Ep. 183)

44 minutes

This week, we have a jam-packed episode featuring five of our colleagues from a 2022 American Association of Law Libraries panel on APIs.

Emily Rushing, Director of Competitive Intelligence, Haynes and Boone, LLP

Pam Noyd, Information Resources Manager at Foley & Lardner LLP

Erik Adams, Manager of Library Digital Initiatives Manager of Library Digital Initiatives at Sidley Austin LLP, and Chief of Technology at Golden Arrow Publishing LLC

Keli Whitnell, Director of Firm Intelligence at Troutman Pepper

Christopher O'Connor, Senior Director, Product Management at LexisNexis

APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces, have become an increasingly important tool in the legal industry. The panel included members with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, including both librarians and non-librarians. This diversity provided a holistic view of the topic, covering everything from the technical aspects of using APIs to the importance of data quality and vetting vendors.

APIs are like building blocks for legal solutions (think: LEGO Blocks), allowing for the flexible sharing of data between different computer environments. This enables more creative solutions than vendors could create on their own and has led to a range of innovative legal solutions.

Overall, the panel provided valuable insights into the use of APIs in the legal industry and highlighted their potential for facilitating more efficient and effective legal work. As the use of API's continues to grow, it will be important for legal professionals to stay up to date on the latest developments and best practices in this area.

Links Mentioned:

Afraid of APIs? Implementing APIs for Law Firm Data Requires Soft Skills as Well

How To Evaluate and Get Started with Data APIs

If Data is the New Gold, then Law Libraries are a Goldmine: Panning for Gold with APIs

Crystal Ball Question:

Brad Blickstein discusses the potential for a recession and its effects on the legal industry. He speculates that Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSPs) will benefit from the downturn, as law departments will be unable to increase headcount. He also discusses the question of where the work done by ALSPs will go once the recession ends and whether law firms will be able to regain the work.

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Music: Jerry David DeCicca

Transcript available on 3 Geeks and a Law Blog

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By Greg Lambert & Marlene Gebauer

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