Our new 4th edition of The Comprehensive Guide to Legal Research, Writing & Analysis offers an in-depth, comprehensive, and up-to-date resource to help readers develop the practical competencies required by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. The text provides coverage on provincial, territorial, and federal research tools and processes. It places a keen emphasis on applying research techniques in both academic and professional settings.
It’s us against the robots.
So, if you believe AI has (or will) replace legal research by humans, let me tell you a little story about the NINETEEN AUTHORS (and zero robots) behind the creation of our brand-new fourth edition of The Comprehensive Guide to Legal Research, Writing & Analysis.
The fourth edition, like the three before it, is the result of dedicated collaboration lead by authors passionate about the present and the future of legal research. Fourth edition editors Moira McCarney, Ruth Kuras, Annette Demers, and Shelley Kierstead each reviewed every word of new content from eighteen other people, and made careful decisions about what to keep, what to remove, and what to update from the previous edition. To ensure that the book provides accurate pinpoint references, they negotiated with another publisher for pre-publication access to the tenth edition of the McGill Guide to Legal Citation, and they arranged for a review by none other than The Honourable Michelle O’Bonsawin, Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
With all that effort from the lead authors, what did the other fifteen contributors do? Well, thirteen of them prepared extensive and detailed materials about those aspects of legal research and writing specific to each of Canada’s provinces and territories: over 450 pages worth, to be specific – so that no matter where readers study or practise, the book will be locally accurate and relevant.
That leaves two authors unaccounted for. What did they do?
The last two authors, Tara Williamson and Jessica Asch, are the Co-Research Directors of the Indigenous Law Research Unit at the University of Victoria. Together, they crafted the brand-new-to-this edition “Chapter 3: An Introduction to Legal Research of Indigenous Legal Orders”.
Indigenous Legal Orders are poorly understood by most novice researchers. Diverse as the settings and situations to which they apply, these sources of Indigenous law often require deep immersion in a culture itself if they are to be properly understood. Ranging from academic works to oral tradition stories, through dances, art and ritual, these sources require a unique commitment to the research process if researchers hope even to scratch the surface of understanding. Introducing them appropriately in a traditional textbook was an awe-inspiring challenge; no wonder, then, that in describing the book, Madam Justice O’Bonsawin noted that “With each edition, this text offers richer and more informative guidance on the skills and principles for working competently with legal sources.”
Sorry, AI. You can’t properly research Canadian law without The Comprehensive Guide.
Oh, and if you think we’ve just got our heads in the sand when it comes to the role of AI in the research process, think again: Annette Demers, one of the four lead authors of the book, has been a regular commentator in the AI sphere; see this link, this link, and this link… among others. Coming to terms with how to ensure that generative AI serves the interests of justice and works for us, not against us, will be an essential challenge for the legal profession over the next few years. First, though, lawyers need to learn how to avoid being burned by it. For help with that, you’ll find a chart setting out the various AI policies drafted by Canadian governments and courts within the Casebook+ portal that’s included with every purchase of a new print or ebook copy of The Comprehensive Guide to Legal Research, Writing & Analysis. The portal goes live in August; look for a code in your new book to gain access!