This session will feature two presentations centered around Implementing AI:  

• From Manuscript to Meaning: Using AI to Recover Mississippi Territorial Court Records
• Taxonomy as an AI Infrastructure

From Manuscript to Meaning: Using AI to Recover Mississippi Territorial Court Records

Early court records are among the most valuable sources documenting the development of American law.  Yet, they are often the least accessible.  Handwritten manuscripts, fading ink, archaic terminology, and limited indexing often make these records difficult to use.  Recent advances in AI offer new opportunities to make these materials more discoverable while preserving the critical role of human expertise.

This session presents a real-world case study of an ongoing project to transcribe, analyze, and interpret records of the Mississippi Territorial courts.  Using examples drawn from original court minute books, participants will see how AI tools can assist in deciphering handwritten documents, identifying legal concepts and historical figures, extracting structured information, and transforming manuscript text into usable research data.

The presentation will walk through the complete workflow, from digital image to verified transcription, and from transcription to historical and legal interpretation.  Examples will demonstrate how AI can support the identification of judges, attorneys, jurors, litigants, and criminal defendants; explain unfamiliar legal terminology; assist with legislative and judicial history research; and help connect individual court entries to broader historical narratives.

In addition to discussing successes, the session will candidly address limitations and challenges encountered during the project. Attendees will see examples of transcription errors, misidentified names, historical ambiguities, and situations where human review remains necessary.  The session will explore practical strategies for quality control, verification, and responsible use of AI in archival and legal information settings.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

This session is designed for law librarians, archivists, legal historians, and information professionals interested in applying AI to unique collections, historical records, and other nontraditional legal information resources.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. Describe how AI can be used to transform handwritten court records into searchable and usable legal information resources.
2. Implement strategies for verifying and improving the accuracy of AI-generated transcriptions and historical research outputs.

SPEAKER:

• Stephen Parks, State Librarian of Mississippi, State Law Library of Mississippi

AALL BODY OF KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS: Research + Analysis, Information Management

Taxonomy as an AI Infrastructure

AI work product tools are growing more popular in law firms, with a push from many to integrate the firm's document management system (DMS) into these tools. The quality of a firm's DMS taxonomy determines whether those tools function correctly. This session will cover a brief overview of DMS taxonomy, why proper classification must be addressed before AI integration begins, and how inconsistent classification can create both retrieval failures and unintended access to confidential documents. Attendees will also learn about free existing standards like SALI, so firms starting with zero taxonomy understand they do not have to build one from scratch. Those who attend will also understand the practical first steps to conduct a taxonomy audit. Research and KM professionals across firms, government agencies, and academic institutions will come away with actionable steps for improving classification as AI becomes more embedded in legal information systems. 

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Research and Knowledge Management professionals involved, or interested in becoming involved, in their organization's DMS administration and AI deployment.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. Understand why a proper DMS taxonomy is a prerequisite for AI work product tools to function effectively and safeguard sensitive firm information.
2. Know how to conduct a taxonomy audit and identify practical first steps for implementation, including awareness of free existing resources like the SALI Alliance standard.
3. Recognize taxonomy work as a strategic opportunity for research and KM professionals to articulate their value and role in AI deployment preparation to firm leadership.

SPEAKER:

• Emma Pettey, Research Services Specialist, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings

AALL BODY OF KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS:  Information Management

All AALL webinars include live captioning services.

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