Author: Jean Davis, Associate Librarian for International Law at Brooklyn Law School Library
Introduction
The CRIV semiannual call with Wolters Kluwer (WK) occurred on January 7, 2025. The call included: a discussion of VitalLaw’s new features, a review of VitalLaw’s resources for administrators, and WK’s responses to questions introduced by CRIV. This report concludes with links to blog posts about VitalLaw AI for further reading and an opportunity for those in the New York City metropolitan area to preview VitalLaw AI at LegalWeek New York.
Participants
Jean Davis (CRIV member and liaison to Wolters Kluwer); Jeff Brandimarte (Customer Success Manager, Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory, U.S.); Shamika Dalton (AALL Executive Board Liaison to CRIV); and Vani Ungapen (AALL Executive Director).
What’s New/Relatively New:
QuickLinks
VitalLaw’s All Content dashboard includes QuickLinks. For example, Quick Links > Practical Content links to: Smart Charts, Smart Tasks, Answer Books, Calculators, Checklists, Decision Trees, Forms, and Guide Books. If a customer has Primary Source as part of a VitalLaw subscription, the customer will see on the All Content dashboard: Quick Links > Primary Source. Quick Links > Primary Source links to: Laws and Regulations, Legislation and Rules, and Create Legislation and Rules Alerts. WK is working to enhance coverage of primary content. Jeff Brandimarte later noted: “We have also added agency rules to some of the dashboards on particular topics.”
ESG Curated Searches
VitalLaw’s All Content dashboard includes ESG Curated Topic Searches. These are searches created by WK editorial teams. For example, a researcher could click: ESG Initiatives to run the curated search: “ESG W/10 (Policies OR Guidelines Or activism OR movement) OR “corporate social responsibility.” The researcher could filter the curated search results by practice area, document type (e.g., Treatises, Explanations and Annotations, News and Blogs, and various primary sources) and jurisdictions. In the future, WK most likely will add Curated Topic Searches to the Securities and Tax dashboards.
Support Center Enhancements
On February 5, 2024, WK launched a “new and improved” VitalLaw Support Center that provides searchable articles, short videos, and announcements. To access these resources from VitalLaw’s All Content dashboard: under “Need Help?” click “View online help.” Complimentary Webinars often provides multiple opportunities to attend a product training session. For example, Complimentary Webinar: Kluwer Arbitration Training will run each month between February and June 2025. Additionaly, there is still an opportunity to attend the Complimentary Webinar: Boost Your Federal Securities Research with Wolters Kluwer VitalLaw Tools in January 2025. For customers who cannot yet access but wish to preview VitalLaw AI, see the online help category: Using VitalLaw AI. WK’s article: VitalLaw AI includes screen shots from an AI-generated answer to a customer’s search. The AI-generated answer includes links to sources in a customer’s subscription. This article also describes how to interact with the VitalLaw AI Assistant. WK’s article: Writing Effective AI Prompts states it offers a “brief introduction” and provides “best practices for crafting effective prompts to maximize the benefits of VitalLaw AI.”
Change Analyzers – Example: Securities Enforcement Analyzer
WK now offers the option to license a Securities Enforcement Analyzer in the VitalLaw dashboard: Securities and in WK product: RBsourceFilings. According to WK, this data visualization tool assists users to “quickly identify past SEC actions that best match your current situation, better assess risks, and advise clients on the best defense strategy.” This tool includes penalty analytics.
Hot Topics on VitalLaw Practice Area Dashboards
On selected practice area dashboards, WK now offers Hot Topics: curated searches that yield results from each customer’s individual subscription. One can filter the results by document type (e.g., Explanations, News and Blogs, and various primary source materials). Many of the “hot topics” curated searches pertain to AI legal and regulatory issues. Examples of dashboards that currently include Hot Topics are: HealthCare, Human Resources, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment Law, and Securities.
Resources for Administrators
On VitalLaw’s All Content dashboard under the heading “VitalLaw Resources,” there are MARC Records and Product Titles with Links. Note: One needs a VitalLaw user ID and password to access the MARC Records tool. A site contact or a delegated administrator also can access a Dailies Admin Tool (to register someone to receive daily emails included in a customer’s individual VitalLaw subscription, such as Health Law Daily Wrap Up); and an ID Manager (to add/remove users).
Questions Introduced by CRIV & WK Responses
CRIV: What does WK believe are its most significant content and platform enhancements of the past six months?
WK: For customers with access to VitalLaw’s Primary Source content, the All Content Dashboard > tab Primary Source now includes the full U.S. Code and All [50] State and Federal Regulations. “Versioning” of U.S. federal legislation is available, including a comparative analysis/redlining tool that extends back to 2009. There is an interactive timeline for any piece of U.S. federal legislation from the present back to 2009 (111th Congress) with clear version numbering and action labels. Additionally, there are now ESG Curated Topic Searches created by WK editorial teams.
CRIV: Some librarians have expressed an interest in licensing a less extensive version of VitalLaw Complete at a lower cost. Would WK consider such a licensing option?
WK: Licensing agreements are customizable at the account level. Librarians may work directly with their account manager or customer service to find an ideal combination of content and pricing.
CRIV: Regarding the 300+ titles on VitalLaw that date back to 2006, has WK considered offering a perpetual access option to customers?
WK: Not currently. The offer continues to be subscription based. Archived materials are available for access and continue to be expanded across practice areas.
Follow-up question from CRIV: Is it possible to obtain a list of the WK titles removed from Westlaw that are no longer available as of August 2023?
WK: It is best for individual accounts to contact their WK or Thomson Reuters Representative (or Jeff Brandimarte as CRIV liaison) if clarification is needed regarding specific titles as the mere removal from Westlaw of WK content does not necessarily mean that the content is not licensed elsewhere.
Follow-up question from CRIV: Did WK build up or expand any of it guidebooks (explanatory/analytical sources) on its VitalLaw platform during the past 6 months?
WK: These sources are updated on an “as needed” basis and each guidebook has its own editorial team. As an example, Jeff Brandimarte noted that S Corporations Taxation by Robert W. Jamison is updated annually. The next update will be the 2025 edition (on February 1, 2025). Customers should check each source’s information (“i” ) for an edition (or version) date, a “last updated” date, and a “next updated” date.
CRIV: When will law school customers receive access to VitalLaw AI?
WK: No determinations have been made at the moment for when VitalLaw AI will be available for academic accounts. We continue to solicit feedback from our law school customers on how best to integrate VitalLaw AI tools and resources in the academic environment. Note: Only “a handful” of law firms currently have access to VitalLaw AI.
CRIV: If a customer wishes to arrange a demo of an AI-enabled product like CCH AnswerConnect, who is the best initial contact?
WK: An AnswerConnect Sales/Account Manager will be able to advise. They partner with colleagues who are able to demo/train on the platform.
Further Reading & Opportunity to Preview VitalLaw AI:
Blog posts about VitalLaw AI include:
3. Matt Perez, Wolters Kluwer Adds AI To Research Tool VitalLaw (Sept. 26, 2024)
4. March 24–27, 2025: In the Exhibit Hall of LegalWeek New York (New York Hilton Midtown, 1335 6th Ave, New York, NY), WK VitalLaw will occupy bBooth 1115 + WK will occupy Booth 2108.
Leave a Reply