Are you interested in law librarianship, but haven’t pursued it as a career path because you do not have a law degree? While some law librarians do have a J.D. (juris doctor) or law degree, it is certainly not necessary to work in the field. Law librarians work in many different settings. They can be found working in a variety of settings, such as academic law libraries, public law libraries, courthouses, government agencies, and private law firms. Their patrons can include the general public, law students, attorneys, legislators, and judges. 

If you would like to explore this area of librarianship, please attend this webcast to learn about opportunities and trends in law librarianship, how to be a competitive job applicant, how to conduct a successful job interview, scholarship and mentorship opportunities, strategies for effective networking, and more.

This webinar is hosted by iSchool instructor Vicki Steiner and features an esteemed panel of guest speakers who will share their experiences and suggestions for job opportunities and professional growth and development in the field of law librarianship.

Guest Speakers

Havilah steinman Bakken

A proud research and knowledge analyst at Ogletree Deakins, Havilah Steinman Bakken is a certificated paralegal and obtained her MLIS degree from the SJSU School of Information. She is passionate about writing and education and creates content for the LISP/SR Blog, Law Librarians and Access to Justice. She serves as the Palomar College Library and Information Technology Advisory Committee Chair and is a member at the SCALL and the North County Bar Association.

Diane Ellis 

Diane Ellis obtained her J.D. from Loyola and practiced law in private practice for 35 years, where she concentrated on business litigation. She obtained her MLIS degree from the SJSU School of Information, and after graduation, joined USC Gould School of Law as research librarian and adjunct assistant professor of law. Diane teaches legal research to first-year law students and also conducts legal research workshops for USC undergraduates. She is a member of SCALL and AALL, and she is also a member of the Mental Health Subcommittee for the USC Healthy Campus Initiative.

Cheryl Kelly Fischer

Cheryl Kelly Fischer is director of the William M. Rains Library and clinical professor of law at Loyola Law. Prior to joining Loyola Law, Professor Fischer spent 15 years at UCLA School of Law, where she taught advanced legal research and served as the law library’s head of instructional services. While at UCLA, she also taught legal research skills in numerous law and non-law courses on campus, supervised scores of faculty research assistants, and served as liaison to more than a dozen law reviews and journals. She earned her J.D. from UCLA School of Law and MLIS degree from UCLA, and is an active member of AALL and the SCALL.

Diana C. Jaque 

Diana C. Jaque is an associate dean and director of the John Stauffer Law Library at the USC Law Library. Her expertise spans the areas of collection development and acquisitions, with a strong focus in legal information pricing and vendor relations. At USC, Diana became the law library’s collection development/acquisitions librarian in July 1999, the head of collection development and acquisitions in 2002, and the associate dean and director of the Law Library in 2020. Diana earned a B.A. in Music and an M.A. in Music History and Literature from USC. She then completed her MLIS degree at the SJSU School of Information in 1999, and her J.D. at Loyola Law School in 2009. Diana has chaired numerous committees for AALL, as well as serving the SCALL as its president in 2003. She is currently the president of USC’s Women in Management organization. She teaches LL.M. Legal Research and First Year Legal Research. 

Sangeeta Pal

Sangeeta Pal is the access services librarian at the UCLA Law Library. She has been working at UCLA for more than 20 years, first as a library assistant, and later as a project manager. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Studies, both from UCLA. Her professional interests include improving information access; collaboration within the Law School Community; and outreach/engagement efforts to law students.

Holly M. Riccio

Holly M. Riccio is the director of the California Judicial Center Library, which serves the Justices and staff of the Supreme Court of California and the Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, and staff of the Judicial Council of California.  An AALL member for 30 years, she served as AALL President from 2014-2015.  In addition, she is a former president of the Northern California Association of Law Libraries (NOCALL), a former chair of the Private Law Libraries and Information Professional Special Interest Section (PLLIP-SIS) and is currently serving as Chair of the Government Law Libraries Special Interest Section (GLL-SIS).  She is also currently serving as chair of the California Supreme Court’s Equity & Inclusion Committee.  She graduated with a B.A. in History from New York University and a MILS from the University of Michigan.