Spanglett Legal - Blawg #legal research

McGill Guide 10th Edition stylesheets for Zotero!

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:21:07 -0400

In the queue to be released shortly, but available now.

I'm pleased to announce the new McGill Guide 10th Edition stylesheets for Canadian legal research are done!

They are have passed the initial tests and in the Github queue to be added to Zotero repository.

But in the meantime, they are available for download here:

All citations are available here. Both Zotero groups are open, so you can join, view, and use the examples in your own Zotero instance:

McGill Guide 10th Edition Examples (link to Zotero group library)
McGill Guide 10e édition examples Français (link to Zotero group library)

The stylesheets were validated against the example citations in the Guide. The Word documents below have the citations added with pinpoints, and some notes about how to input the different citation types and variations in the McGill Guide:

(Apologies to francophone users - my notes in the Word document are in English. I will release a French version, but wanted to make it available now).

Special thanks go to Ethan Dubeau and the volunteers at CIPPIC who helped with entering and reviewing all the citations!

Government of Canada Consultations Research AI

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 12:18:35 -0500

Search and research consultations undertaken by the Canadian government. Connected to Government of Canada API.

Another API-enabled research assistant via ChatGPT!

Connecting to Canada's Open Government project and datasets, this GPT helps users research access to information requests and their outcomes, submitted to the Government of Canada. The GPT is connected to the Government of Canada's API to retrieve data based on a user's query input.

It can provide both aggregated summaries as well as details on specific requests. It can also create visualizations based on data returned by the government's API. I am interested in how AI tools like ChatGPT can be used to make data and information more accessible, and this tool allows research into FOIA requests federally without any coding or data analytics skills. My hope is that this tool will be of use to you and other Canadian legal professionals and academics interested in government openness and transparency.

This GPT only took a few hours to create start to finish.

https://chat.openai.com/g/g-OLkXkJHhG-canada-access-to-information-requests-research-ai

Canada Access to Information Requests Research AI

My Legal Research Assistant

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 17:43:35 -0500

Structured legal research assistant that guides users through an in-depth dialogue on legal topics.

This GPT is a structured legal research assistant designed to guide users through an in-depth dialogue on legal topics. It facilitates a structured discussion, starting with the user providing a legal topic. The AI assistant will then ask for research materials, which can include documents, text, or URLs related to legislation, cases, and legal journal articles. After gathering research, the GPT will inquire if there are any relevant facts or scenarios to consider. Once all information is gathered, the AI assistant will craft starting research questions and provide a thorough analysis.

The GPT then explores the topic further with you by answering questions, considering scenario variations, adjusting facts, or incorporating additional research. When using the browser tool for citations, it will provide long citations and include an ENDNOTES section with full URLs.

This tool is designed to facilitate a dialogue between the legal researcher and AI. It does not provide legal advice, and all research and sources should be verified. This custom GPT is public available for users with a ChatGPT account:

https://chat.openai.com/g/g-HKEqMispU-my-legal-research-assistant

My Legal Research Assistant