Law librarians and legal information professionals act as the gatekeepers of legal knowledge. Every year, annual conferences bring legal information experts together to share ideas, learn about new legal technology, and network.
Because law libraries rely heavily on advanced tech and software, major legal publishers and technology companies heavily sponsor these events.
Corporate sponsorship we are told keeps ticket prices down and funds major educational awards, social dinners, and keynote speakers.
Who is sponsoring what?
American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Annual Meeting
The AALL Annual Meeting & Conference is one of the largest gatherings of legal information specialists in the world. Thousands of academic, private firm, and government law librarians gather to study new industry trends, such as AI-driven legal workflows.
Top Tier Sponsors
The top sponsors for AALL events generally remain stable, with the absolute highest financial tiers dominated by the “Big Two” of legal publishing:
- Platinum Sponsors: Thomson Reuters (creators of Westlaw) and LexisNexis. These companies heavily invest in the event to showcase their newest AI platforms, like CoCounsel.
- Silver Sponsors: Bloomberg Law frequently takes a secondary top spot, highlighting its business analytics and litigation tracking tools.
Session and Core Contributors
Beyond general branding, several legal entities co-sponsor specific educational tracks (such as the Private Law Librarians & Information Professionals or “PLLIP” Summit). These include:
- Wolters Kluwer
- HeinOnline
- Clio
British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) Conference
The BIALL Annual Study Conference & Exhibition rotates to different cities across the United Kingdom and Ireland each year. Sponsorship at BIALL is deeply integrated into the conference schedule, paying for the highly anticipated networking dinners and evening celebrations.
Major Event Sponsors
- Annual Dinner: The headline BIALL Annual Dinner is traditionally sponsored by LexisNexis, which also co-presents the annual BIALL and LexisNexis Awards during the meal.
- President’s Reception: The formal pre-dinner cocktail reception is kindly sponsored by CRO Info.
- Social & Informal Networking Events: Major global publishers like Thomson Reuters sponsor informal evening mixers, complete with local food, drinks, and team-building games.
- Publications and Newsletters: Throughout the year, groups like Globe Law and Business and CB Resourcing sponsor the BIALL Newsletter, keeping members updated leading up to the main conference.
Australian Law Librarians’ Association (ALLA) National Conference
(Note: While originally founded as the Australian Law Librarians Group or ALLG, the organization is now officially known as the Australian Law Librarians’ Association (ALLA)).
The ALLA National Conference serves as the premier educational event for information professionals working across Australian courts, universities, and law firms. Much like its international counterparts, ALLA relies on legal tech innovators to power its multi-day gatherings.
Key National Sponsors
- Platinum Sponsor: LexisNexis Australia functions as a premier sponsor, consistently backing the conference’s key educational workshops, tech tables, and local professional recognition.
- Legal Tech & AI Innovators: Companies like Habeas (a legal AI and knowledge management group) sponsor the event to demonstrate how changing digital workflows impact physical law libraries.
- Case Law & Statutory Publishers: Organizations such as the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting (ICLR) act as prominent exhibitors and sponsors. They provide live demonstrations of premium digital legal research databases directly to the attending delegates.
Created with assistance from Google
