Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the landscape of academic law libraries worldwide, offering new opportunities for enhancing legal research, information management, and user engagement. This article examines emerging trends in AI applications within academic law libraries, focusing on global developments alongside the unique challenges and opportunities faced in the Caribbean context. Key areas of exploration include AI-powered legal research tools, natural language processing (NLP) applications, and the ethical considerations surrounding AI integration. Drawing from insights presented at the CARALL Conference in July 2024, this article provides a comparative analysis of global best practices and proposes strategic recommendations for Caribbean academic law libraries to harness the potential of AI while addressing regional gaps in technological infrastructure and AI literacy.

The cessation of the Russian Federation’s membership in the Council of Europe (CoE) under Article 58 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and Article 8 of the Statute of the CoE is an important decision in the wake of Russian aggression against Ukraine involving serious human rights violations. Consequently, Russia’s disengagement from CoE mechanisms means Russians and other victims of human rights abuses seeking justice are no longer protected by the ECHR, as of September 16, 2022, thus affecting the human rights protection framework in Europe amidst the war. This implies that Russia no longer has a judge in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) under Article 20 of the ECHR. Its citizens will no longer be able to appeal against their government to the ECtHR under the individual ECHR applications mechanism, raising serious concerns about Russians’ lack of access to the ECtHR and the non-implementation of ECtHR judgments, which tests the reach and resilience of Europe’s human rights framework in protecting peace and security in the region.

In this context, the authors argue that since the ECtHR no longer exercises its jurisdiction in Russia, it is necessary to analyze the Rome Statute’s role in this regard. A possible solution can be found in European Union (EU) nations undertaking national investigations through mutual partnerships against the individuals who have committed atrocities of international concern, such as crimes against humanity or war crimes, based on the principle of international jurisdiction, to reestablish international peace and security.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has enriched the lives of people around the globe. However, the emergence of AI-powered lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) has become a significant concern for the international community. LAWS are computer-based weapon systems capable of completing their missions, including identifying and engaging targets without direct human intervention. The use of such weapons poses significant challenges to compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law. Scholars have extensively examined LAWS in the context of humanitarian law; however, their implications for human rights warrant further discussion. Against this backdrop, this paper analyzes the human rights challenges posed by LAWS under international law. It argues that using LAWS in warfare and domestic law enforcement operations could violate human rights, such as the rights to life, human dignity, and remedy, among others. Thus, it calls for a prohibition of the use of killer robots against humans.

The proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is significantly transforming conventional legal practice. The integration of AI into legal services is still in its infancy and faces challenges such as privacy concerns, bias, and the risk of fabricated responses. This research evaluates the performance of the following AI tools: (1) ChatGPT-4, (2) Copilot, (3) DeepSeek, (4) Lexis+ AI, and (5) Llama 3. Based on their comparison, the research demonstrates that Lexis+ AI outperforms the other AI solutions. All these tools still encounter hallucinations, despite claims that utilizing the Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) model has resolved this issue. The RAG system is not the driving force behind the results; it is one component of the AI architecture that influences but does not solely account for the problems associated with the AI tools. This research explores RAG architecture and its inherent complexities, offering viable solutions for improving the performance of AI-powered solutions.

Upon the occasion of the 250th birthday of Jane Austen, let us learn how to ace a bar exam from Professor Jane Austen. Yes, that’s right, because Austen readers unwittingly learn law and legal principles surrounding several areas of law, but particularly in family law and wills and estates. Basic rules from these areas of law seem to appear in every one of Austen’s novels, offered with a savory richness of understanding of not only their importance but also their complexity.

This brief essay reviews basic legal rules and legal analysis by efficiently using fact patterns from four of our professor’s novels: Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. By applying the standard IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, and Conclusion) method of legal reasoning to each, this essay undeniably endeavors to teach admirable bar preparation. General rules of American law are applied throughout, although legal rules and principles of Regency England that have a precise bearing on the fact pattern are explained as well. Can there be any more amusing way to prepare for the bar exam? One hardly knows.

Transnational environmental crimes threaten serious harm to ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health and have attracted international attention in recent years. India, being a country with a high degree of biodiversity and a unique geographical position, holds strategic importance in curbing illegal wildlife trade, logging, marine degradation, and dumping of e-wastes. To confront the challenges, India has implemented legislative reforms, technology upgrades, and capacity building. But obstacles of resource scarcity, red tape, and intricacy in multilateral cooperation have resulted in slow progress. These crimes tend to have worldwide networks, requiring concerted international action involving governments, agencies, and civil society. As India emerges as a world leader in environmental protection, developing partnerships and encouraging information exchange will be critical. This article emphasizes the eco-consequences of such crimes, reviews India’s aggressive measures through international cooperation, and discusses current challenges. Finally, it underlines India’s new role as a world steward committed to preserving natural heritage and pursuing sustainable development.”1

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was enacted to make information accessible to persons and organizations throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Despite the importance of this piece of legislation in enhancing and facilitating access to government records and information, which hitherto were shrouded in secrecy, the smooth implementation of FOIA has been constrained by a number of factors. This study examines some of these challenges and underscores the need for education and public enlightenment as a panacea that could potentially address some of the challenges highlighted in this study.

To compare and classify objects on the basis of quantitative indicators is nothing new. Bereft of any direct subjectivity, the quantified method of assessing quality may be a useful tool to avoid or reduce any bias or other forms of human frailties in the assessment. However, the effort to assess the quality of academic output with quantifiable metrics is perhaps a relatively new but increasingly common phenomenon. This article argues that while some higher education rankings can serve laudable purposes, such as sending signals to aspiring students and other stakeholders and giving institutions an opportunity for introspecting on their affairs, the ranking of research outputs on quantifiable metrics alone is an inherently hazardous task. Rankings may be used as an indicium of quality; however, they cannot and should not be the sole proxy for assessing the quality of scholarly outputs. Another main argument of the article is that the university-wide “one size fits all” metric should exhibit more deference to discipline-specific norms, such as law.

This bibliography collects sources on the independence and accountability of judges serving on international tribunals and domestic apex courts by focusing on selection, terms of service, and discipline and removal. It includes books, book chapters, and articles, primarily in English, with reference to some French-, German-, and Spanish-language materials. The ensuing text also discusses some logistical difficulties in compiling a bibliography on such a large topic, describes the contours of the subject matter, and concludes with some thoughts on the direction of the scholarship and the possible use of AI in international research such as this.

There have been three generations of foreign, comparative, and international law (FCIL) librarians in the United States (US) in the postwar era. FCIL librarians of the first generation were foreign lawyers who emigrated to the US after World War II. Those of the second generation were American lawyer-librarians who built the infrastructure of FCIL librarianship into what it is today. The third generation of FCIL librarians includes the authors of this article. We perform many of the same research tasks as our predecessors, but we do so primarily online through an ever-evolving array of new and emerging technologies. This article discusses some core skills of FCIL librarianship that have remained constant over three generations and highlights some select “cool tools” that FCIL librarians of each generation have utilized to perform their work.

The global transformation of the economy towards a digital one has fundamentally restructured business operations, economic models, and tax practices. With digital technologies and electronic communications embedded within industries, the digital economy has fostered innovative business models, transformed user behaviors, and increased operational efficiency. However, such a revolution has come at the price of exposing the limitations of traditional international tax models based on physical presence and tangible properties. The entry of borderless, intangible, and platform-based economic activities necessitates urgent tax redesign, especially amid digital businesses, which increasingly interact across borders yet leave no traditional physical presence.

This research describes the revolutionary influence of the digital economy on cross-border taxation, deconstructs the traditional conceptualization of the permanent establishment (PE), and evaluates the emergent principle of “tax where value is generated” based on recent literature as well as emerging global reform approaches.

In the digital age, “commercial sharenting” refers to parents excessively sharing their children’s images and data on social media for profit. Initially motivated by parental pride, this practice is now driven by child-to-child marketing, where young influencers shape their peers’ consumption habits. While regulations protect child influencers’ privacy, a significant gap remains regarding the rights of child viewers. We argue that commercial sharenting threatens children’s right to health under Article 24(1) of the UNCRC, potentially leading to harmful consumer behaviors and identity confusion. In response, China has adopted a fragmented regulatory approach to platform liability. This article advocates for a comprehensive legal framework incorporating content filtering, moderation, and reviewal to regulate commercial sharenting and safeguard children’s rights and interests in China.

The proliferation of satellite technology has ushered in an era of opportunity and challenge for the existing international legal framework of space law. International regulatory bodies have looked to existing treaties governing space activities like the Outer Space Treaty, the Liability Convention, and the Registration Convention. In this new era, the challenges that have emerged cannot be enforced by the broad language of the treaties and outdated terms. For example, the deployment of large constellations of smaller satellites poses new challenges, like orbital debris damage and evasive responsibility, which the legal landscape for outer space must address. Space law stresses geopolitical considerations and strategic international legal frameworks that work to reduce the militarization of space and ensure that space is for all. This paper explores current treaties and challenges and proposes legal and policy solutions for the satellite industry’s responsible use of outer space.

The integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) is reshaping traditional legal pedagogy by introducing new dimensions to research, drafting, and personalized learning. Despite its transformative potential, the application of GAI in legal education remains promising and is accompanied by such challenges as algorithmic bias, privacy concerns, and the generation of fabricated or inaccurate content—issues that continue to divide scholarly opinion on its adoption. With this in mind, the University of Kansas School of Law offered a one-credit, one-hour course on “AI for Lawyers” during the summer of 2025. Along with reproducing the syllabus of the course and some of the professor’s observations, the paper includes an overview of AI and legal pedagogy and some recommendations going forward for integrating AI into law school curricula.

In many developing countries, law students face challenges in accessing authoritative legal resources, including statutes, case law, and journal articles, due to the high costs of subscription-based databases such as LexisNexis, HeinOnline, and Westlaw. In Nigeria, additional subscription online resources are available, including LawPavilion, Legalpedia, and Compulaw. These platforms are all rich in content and currency; however, they are often unaffordable for both law students and law libraries. To overcome these challenges, there are many initiatives and movements administered by government institutions, universities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that provide access to both primary and secondary sources of law. Included in the latter group are the Legal Information Institutes (LIIs), Google Scholar, the Social Science Research Network (SSRN), and Justia. This paper examines the role of free legal databases as an alternative for law students and how these freely accessible platforms can support the access gaps that subscription-based legal research tools have often created. The study is conceptual in nature, with reliance on existing literature and analysis of freely available legal information resources to support legal education.

Featured Librarian: Diana Koppang

This study examined the use and satisfaction levels of State Law Advisors regarding online legal databases at the Research Centre in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in Pretoria, South Africa. The study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of digital platforms in facilitating legal research and decision-making processes. Data were collected via structured interviews with State Law Advisors, who function as primary legal experts in matters of international law. The findings reveal that although State Law Advisors recognize the efficiency and convenience of online legal databases, various challenges hinder their optimal use. Identified key issues include restricted after-hours access, dependence on librarians for database retrieval, insufficient mobile optimization, and a limited understanding of advanced search functionalities. Enhancements to infrastructure were recommended by respondents, specifically the provision of dedicated computers within the Research Centre and remote access through personal devices, especially for individuals working late or travelling internationally. Additionally, there was a significant demand for the incorporation of more specialized international law databases to address the specific research needs of State Law Advisors. The findings underscore the necessity for enhanced digital accessibility, focused user training, and increased resource availability to bolster legal advisory functions and effectively support South Africa’s international engagements.