Law Firms Downsize Libraries, But Still Need Them

With the advent of Internet legal research, law firms have downsized their law libraries. But they still need them for some purposes.

Among them: providing a repository for materials that still can't be accessed online, as well as a peaceful haven for lawyers seeking to focus on a research project, reports the Birmingham Business Journal.

Plus, it still serves an important marketing function, says attorney Marc Ayers of Bradley Arant Rose & White, who points out that simply seeing a traditional law library strikes a chord with potential clients and new hires.

"I'm a big believer that aesthetics matter," he says. "When you walk a client in, they like to see those old books that look very classy."