Along with the rest of the world, University of Windsor students, faculty and staff had to pivot the way they learn, teach and work amid the pandemic. In the wake of this abrupt change, Windsor Law Librarian Annette Demers searched for strategic, collaborative partnerships. This fall, the Paul Martin Law Library at Windsor Law will partner with CiteRight: a Toronto-based startup company that specializes in providing legal research tools to law students and established lawyers alike.
According to its website, CiteRight makes legal research fast, affordable and simple. The startup’s flagship tool lets users collaborate on legal research while formatting legal citations automatically.
“CiteRight solves problems that affect law students and legal practitioners alike,” says CiteRight CEO Aaron Wenner. “Our partnership with the University of Windsor gives us the opportunity to collaborate with some really bright students to bring real innovation to the legal profession.”
The Law Library has come on board as a development partner with the legal research enterprise, exemplifying what is possible in a short amount of time with the right collaborative partners. According to Annette Demers, Law Librarian, this partnership will entail short projects along with a review and testing of their automated legal citation tool with the help of the law librarians, Student Reference Associates, Windsor Law’s Legal Innovation Hub student group and the Faculty’s Legal Research and Writing instructors.
“Aaron's demo of the project at our CALL Virtual Conference in May convinced me that this product will be a game-changer for the legal profession and for how we teach legal citation in law school,” says Annette.
Their newest tool, developed this summer by Windsor Law student Hilary Peters, compiles and consolidates free electronic filing resources for all courts across Canada. Hilary began working for CiteRight this summer as a legal research coordinator and had the idea for the tool in light of Canadian courts’ pandemic response to adopt electronic filing systems. Hilary also played an integral role in getting the company’s web presence and brand marketing off the ground.
“Working for CiteRight has been a much richer experience than I ever could have expected,” says Hilary. “I’m learning about software development, project management and marketing—things I never thought I’d have the opportunity to learn. The team is truly invested in my growth, so I’m very excited to continue working with them through the school year.”