CRIV CONNECTION

Author: Jean Davis, Associate Librarian for International Law at Brooklyn Law School Library

Introduction

The CRIV semiannual call with Wolters Kluwer (WK) occurred on May 12, 2026. The call included updates on: Kluwer Law International titles now available through certain VitalLaw subscriptions; VitalLaw’s expanded Academic Initiative; and VitalLaw Expert AI’s new features. It also included WK’s responses to CRIV’s product accessibility questions. This report concludes with recommended sources for further reading.

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 Kim Rundle (AALL Leadership Services Coordinator).

Select Kluwer Law International Titles Now Avialable Through VitalLaw

Dependent on your subscription, select Kluwer Law International (KLI) publications are no accessible via the VitalLaw platform. These KLI souces focus on air and space law and maritime law. European Energy and Environmental Law Review are also available through VitalLaw. MARC records for these titles may be obtained via the MARC Records Manager on VitalLaw.

VitalLaw Expanded Academic Initiative

WK has expanded its academic initiative to include 145 law schools. As noted in a prior post, the goals are to increase WK product awareness among law school customers and to aid students’ transition from an academic setting to a practice environment. During the semiannual call, WK highlighted:

• Beginning in July, law school subscribers will see the below pop-up when accessing VitalLaw through EZproxy or personalized credentials. The “Learn More” link will direct users to the “Getting Started with VitalLaw” knowledge base article. The pop-up can be customized with different messaging or links to different knowledge base articles or videos at the school’s request. Please contact Jeff Brandimarte for further guidance.

VitalLaw Expert AI Update

At LegalWeek New York (March 12, 2026), WK Customer Success Managers and WK product developers provided updates on VitalLaw Expert AI’s new features. They activated VitalLaw option: Include AI Generated Answer and showcased a researcher’s ability to:

• Save Chat History for 30 days; rename/delete a conversation; and search prior conversations by title.
• Export an entire conversation as a PDF.
• Click suggested prompts (i.e., related questions) following a search.
  • A WK representative ran the following search: What are the key differences between a GRIT and a GRAT and what are the tax implications for beneficiaries when the grantor dies?
  • The AI Assistant provided an answer, links to sections of multiple WK treatises, and links to the following suggested prompts:
    • How does a GRAT calculate gift tax?
    • What happens if grantor dies during term?
    • Do GRITs qualify for family transfers?
• Select multiple secondary sources; request analysis of a legal topic; and ask for summaries from the chosen sources.
  • This is a related prompt from Using VitalLaw® Expert AI > VitalLaw® Expert AI – Use Cases: “Please summarize the analysis provided by [selected secondary sources] about [legal topic] and highlight recent developments or areas of debate among experts.”
• Link from a footnote in an AI answer to a specific source.
• Link from an AI answer to a specific, pertinent section of a source (= the new PinCite feature).

During the March 12th call, WK stated there was no additional information regarding when/if VitalLaw’s AI component will become available in law schools. WK noted some corporate, government, and law firm clients are now using VitalLaw Expert AI.

Accessibility & Support Issues

CRIV requested information from WK about accessibility support for its legal products. WK responded:

• WK now has a WCAG 2.2 VPAT for VitalLaw. WK thereby complied with the most stringent standards applicable at the time it created its VPAT. Currently, this VPAT is available to those who are interested in subscribing to VitalLaw and to current VitalLaw customers.
• CRIV notified WK that it is organizing an upcoming virtual panel featuring legal vendors responding to questions about product accessibility testing/support. CRIV will contact WK after CRIV and the AALL Annual Meeting & Conference to set the final date for this panel.

Further Reading

Sources Produced by Wolters Kluwer & Kluwer Arbitration International

In WK’s VitalLaw or VitalLaw Expert AI product, click: View online help to access article collections on topics like: Getting Started with VitalLaw Research; Help for the Delegated Administrator; Using VitalLaw Expert AI; and Working with Tax Content. In collection: Using VitalLaw Expert AI, see:

• VitalLaw Expert AI – Use Cases (updated March 13, 2026) – Provides 11 examples of how to apply VitalLaw Expert AI and includes prompts that librarians could use in training sessions.

2026 Future Ready Lawyer Survey Report: Building confidence in an AI era (summary report available for free download) – Provides “a snapshot” of the legal industry and is based on interviews with 810 lawyers working in law firms and corporate legal departments in the U.S., China, and nine European countries.  WK noted in its May CRIV Update presentation: “This year’s findings highlight emerging opportunities, urgent challenges, and how legal professionals can remain future-ready in a landscape that refuses to stand still.”

Kluwer Arbitration International, Kluwer Arbitration Blog (free blog) – Contains many posts by those in the arbitration community who are grappling with rapid technological change. Includes:

• Lexie Gao & Emma Garrett, The Neutral in the Machine? Emerging Designs of Dispute Assessment in Arbitration (April 28, 2026)
• Muhammad Faisal Hayat & Fazeena Hisham Azhar, Can AI-Assisted Arbitral Awards Survive Enforcement Under the New York Convention? (April 10, 2026)
• Nico Gielen, David Isidore Tan & Özge Yazar, 2025 in Review: Technology (February 10, 2026)

Additional Recommended Sources

Ron Drescher, AI Tools for Practicing Lawyers (free podcast) 

• Tip: Listen to a podcast, then check whether attorney Drescher provides a companion piece that librarians could use to develop training sessions, such as 21 Ways AI Can Hallucinate In Your Legal Brief and 12 Practical Ways BigLaw Associates Are Using AI in Legal Drafting.

Law.com’s weekly Legal Tech Rundown (subscription) – Discusses product launches and new partnerships. Includes: 

• Benjamin Joyner, Harvey Partners With DeepJudge, AAA Announces Agreement to Mediate Tool, and More (May 22, 2026).
• Law.com also publishes articles on legal issues arising from rapid technological change, such as: Ava Malkin, When Conversations with AI Become Evidence (March 20, 2026).