Welcome to the BIALL 56th  Annual Conference & Exhibition

From the Clyde to the Cloud: Legal Information in Transition

This year’s Conference explores the major forces shaping legal information today — from advances in AI and more efficient workflows to international perspectives and the evolving landscape of professional practice

 Practical Skills

• Optimising systems and workflows
• Maximising value from subscriptions
• Enabling modern legal learning and effective knowledge sharing

 AI & Innovation

• How research is being transformed
• Practical technologies that enhance efficiency
• Understanding the impact of rapid digital change on the profession

  Global & Cross‑Sector Insights

• Perspectives from International law libraries
• Navigating work across borders and jurisdictions
• Updates from specialist community 

 Professional Growth

• Raising the profile and influence of information professionals
• Fostering community, inclusion and sustainability
• Developing research skills to meet evolving user needs

This year’s programme also features a keynote from Richard Susskind, one of the leading voices shaping the future of legal information.  We are also delighted to welcome Renate Ní Uigín and Jas Breslin, who will deliver this year’s Willi Steiner Memorial lecture.

Keynote Speaker

Professor Richard Susskind CBE KC (Hon) is the world’s most cited author on the future of legal services and a leading expert on the impact of AI on society. He is President of the Society for Computers and Law and, from 1998 to 2023, he served as Technology Adviser to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. In 2024, Richard was appointed Special Envoy for Justice and AI to the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. Richard specialises in three fields – in the future of professional services, in the future of courts and dispute resolution, and in the impact of AI on society, business, and humanity. He advises leading professional firms, in-house legal departments, and governments and judiciaries around the world. In the 1980s, he wrote his doctorate on AI and the law at Balliol College, Oxford.

Richard’s work has been translated into 18 languages and he has been invited to speak in over 60 countries. He has written eleven books, including The Future of Law (1996), Tomorrow’s Lawyers (2013, 2017, 2023), The Future of the Professions (with D Susskind, 2015, 2022), Online Courts and the Future of Justice (2019, 2021) and How to Think About AI (2025). He has also contributed more than 150 columns to The Times. In 2000, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen. In 2023, Richard was appointed an Honorary King’s Counsel. He was promoted to CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the King's New Year Honours List 2025.

Conference Highlights include

Training & Development

Keynote presentations, plenary and parallel sessions, Lightning Talks

Trade Exhibition

Discover the latest industry developments, products and services

Networking with BIALL Colleagues

During the social events and BIALL Annual dinner

Conference Partners

Platinum Partners

Silver Partners

Countdown to Conference

The British and Irish Association of Law Librarians is the leading professional body in the UK and Ireland for information professionals working within legal information. Membership is representative of all sectors including academic, law firm, government and professional bodies.

It supports those working in the industry, promoting the value of law librarians and the legal information profession.

Who should attend?

• Directors/Heads
• Senior Managers
• Library/Knowledge Managers
• Deputy Managers
• Solo Librarians
• Senior Librarians/Librarians
• Information/Knowledge Officers
• Library/Information/Knowledge Assistants

If you work in the following sectors you should be there.

• Academic
• Central or Local Government
• In-House
• Law Firm
• Inns of Court/Chambers
• Professional Body
• Publishing
• Self Employed/Freelance