Legal Informatics as Core Competency: Rethinking Legal Research Pedagogy
Abstract
Legal education must embrace technology as an integral component of preparing students for the practice of law. To achieve this, I propose incorporating legal informatics into the instruction of legal research through a carefully tailored course that equips students with foundational skills in legal technologies and legal informatics. By weaving these skills into the art of advanced legal research, students can develop the technological fluency that modern practice demands. This article explains why law schools must train future lawyers in legal informatics, clarifies which areas should—and should not—be included in the curriculum, and concludes by presenting a mock course design.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Legal Education and Practice Innovations
Artificial Intelligence in Law
Library Science and Information Literacy
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Legal Reference Services Quarterly
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 54–84
- Publication date
- 2 January 2026
- Language
- EN