Changed times indeed and I found myself faced with many new challenges earlier this year when I returned to the UK after almost five years abroad and took up the position of Assistant Librarian at Dechert LLP. The BIALL conference came at an ideal time - I had settled into my new post, observing just how much was different within the world of legal information in the past five years. This was an excellent opportunity for me to meet fellow professionals and (hopefully) comprehend more about my new and seemingly very much changed working environment.

The programme was jam packed with interesting sessions and seminars covering a wide range of topical subjects, not to mention the entertainment! I found the range particularly appealing - it is all too easy for us to become wrapped up in our own working environments and the BIALL conference allowed me to understand more about both the legal and information profession and all that this encompasses. From corporate firms to universities, PSLs to trainees, what it is like to work for a government department or the Law Society and even hear about complexity theories and their practical applications.

Of particular relevance to my own job was the very first session where Jennifer Barrow spoke about Professional Support Lawyers. In my absence from the UK, PSLs have become common to many law firms and I was intrigued to see how their roles were defined by other informational professionals and other firms. The speaker covered different aspects showing us how the Library can help the PSL and vice versa. She talked about where things had gone right and wrong but most importantly what she had learnt from her experiences. I gained a great deal from this session as the speaker concluded that if you can strike up a good working relationship with your PSLs a wealth of timely, in-depth information can be provided to your end users - surely a beneficial and positive exercise for all?

Leap-frogging (no disrespect to those in between intended) right ahead to the last plenary session, Shona McTavish talked to us about trainee solicitors as part of her research for her PhD. Trainees are often the ones that are sent off to find information and I always assumed that more often than not the library would be an important port of call for them. Not always the case as Shona illustrated. This emphasized just how much we constantly have to sell the services that we provide in different ways to all the different people we work with. Not an easy task but surely a worthwhile one if as professionals we can market our services effectively in turn raising our profile and fully demonstrating our worth.

A big thanks to CLIG for this great opportunity and to BIALL for organising such an interesting and enjoyable conference.