Jenny Wondracek, J.D., M.L.I.S., director of the Capital University Law School Library and professor of legal research and writing, has woven technology into every aspect of her legal career. Her work reflects not only her personal evolution but also the broader transformation of the legal field through the lens of AI and technology.
Her fascination with technology started early, inspired by her parents’ interest in computers. Even when her career shifted from practicing law to legal librarianship, “my tech skills seemed to have followed me,” she said.
“My parents were blue-collar folks. My dad worked for the electric company. He would bring old computer shells home and rebuild them. My mom would sit there and work through all the registry edits. My first computer was an 8088, not even a Pentium. Because my parents were interested, I was interested,” Wondracek said.
“My actual first computer was a Commodore 64 when I was five. I got online in 1995 in high school, and I was building my own webpages. I built one on intellectual property when I was in college just to keep track of all my research. Someone ended up finding it through a search engine and I got a Webby award. It was probably the first time I thought maybe this tech stuff can help me.”
As AI has become more prevalent, Wondracek has been at the forefront of integrating it into legal research and practice. She notes that AI is not exactly a new concept.
“We’ve been using AI for decades. One of our big legal research databases, LexisNexis, integrated it in 1997. Google has never existed without AI. Spellcheck is AI. It’s something we’ve using for a while. My big focus is to make it less scary. It’s not new. The creation of new content is the newer part, but I think people, attorneys especially, are risk-adverse and they tend to fear the new tech,” said Wondracek.
Wondracek’s commitment to demystifying AI for lawyers and law students is evident in her work at the Law School Library and in the legal community.
“I believe that the library should be the heart of the institution. We are here to help,” said Wondracek. “AI is not going away. The AI box is open, so now it’s looking at how can we best use it. All of our digital tools run on AI, and I like to learn how my tools work. I didn’t get a chance to play with generative AI until ChatGPT came out in November 2022. I like tech and I wanted to see how it was going to affect law.”
Wondracek frequently educates students on the importance of learning foundational skills before relying on advanced technology. She compares it to learning basic math before using a calculator.
“If that calculator somehow goes rogue, you can tell two plus two does not actually equal five. Maybe your calculator is broken,” she said. This analogy extends to AI, which can produce errors and hallucinate.
A major part of Wondracek’s focus is the intersection of technology and legal ethics. With technology competency now embedded in professional conduct codes across 40 states, including Ohio, lawyers are required to understand the risks and benefits of technology relevant to their practice. She highlights the Mata v. Avianca, Inc. case as an example of AI misuse leading to court sanctions and potentially more severe consequences. This case underscores her emphasis on the importance of education and proper AI usage.
“For the first time in history, we’re seeing AI cases end up in disciplinary charges under the technology competency rules,” said Wondracek. “We know Mata is getting hit with sanctions. Both attorneys and their firm were sanctioned. When I talked to the judge who sanctioned them, I asked him if he thought there would be disciplinary charges and he said he cannot comment on on-going cases. We’re waiting to see if the airline that they were representing sues them, but unfortunately, this is not the only occurrence.”
Wondracek believes that AI, when used correctly, can be a powerful tool for legal professionals, especially her students.
“AI systems are not like Google. They do not work well when you just toss the kitchen sink at them. You’re going to get better results if you give it context. I keep telling the students it’s like Sheldon Cooper in the HR office. All the knowledge in the world, no human context,” said Wondracek. “You can use it to brainstorm and outline, but you need to do the actual work. You need to do the actual lawyering and then come back and use it to polish.”
Looking ahead, Wondracek envisions the development of specialized AI systems tailored for legal practices. Her work at Capital exemplifies how technology, when understood and applied thoughtfully, can transform the legal field.
“I think we’re going to see a lot of specialized AI pop up. We have, for instance, two huge publishers in the legal realm, LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters which publishes Westlaw. Both are in the AI business now,” said Wondracek. “I think it’s really powerful. AI is going to help us automate a lot of the mundane tasks so we can truly focus on that lawyering aspect. Going back to the Sheldon reference, it can do a thing that doesn’t really need context and then you add in the human spark.”
For more information about Capital University Law School, visit http://www.law.applegatearchitects.com/.