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Ask Veda: Your Always Available NCBA Colleague 

Catherine Sanders Reach

Imagine you’re working on a matter and need a quick answer. In the office, you might walk down the hall and ask a colleague. But what happens when you’re working from home at 10 p.m.? Or preparing for a hearing over the weekend? What can you do if you don’t know which colleague to ask? 

Maybe you’re looking for a form. Maybe you’re trying to remember which CLE addressed a particular issue. Perhaps you need guidance on trust accounting, law office technology, cybersecurity, client communication, succession planning or help with a substantive legal question. You know the information probably exists somewhere in NCBA resources and you need it now. 

That’s the problem Veda helps solve. It can assist you in finding the resources you need.

What is Veda? 

Veda is the North Carolina Bar Association’s AI-powered knowledge assistant. The name Veda is derived from the Sanskrit common noun that means “knowledge.” Think of Veda as a peer who has read thousands of pages of NCBA books, CLE manuscripts, webpages and forms; watched countless hours of CLE and non-CLE videos; and can quickly point you to the most relevant information. Rather than searching multiple places, you can ask Veda questions in plain language and receive answers grounded in NCBA content. 

One immediate benefit of Veda is that unlike a traditional search engine that simply returns links, Veda can explain concepts, answer questions and ask clarifying questions. It can guide you toward useful resources. Because Veda cites its sources, you can review the underlying materials yourself. 

Veda can help you answer substantive legal questions 

Many members may assume Veda is primarily a website search tool. While it certainly helps locate information from NCBA, it can also assist you as you ask substantive legal questions by drawing from NCBA CLE materials, publications and practice resources. 

You might ask Veda about the execution requirements for a North Carolina will or look for NCBA materials addressing fiduciary litigation, real property practice, family law procedure, discovery issues or estate planning considerations. Veda can surface relevant resources, summarize what they say and suggest related questions to explore. It does not replace legal research or analysis, but it can help you identify a productive path forward more quickly than a simple search on the website. 

Think of it as asking an experienced practitioner, “Have you seen anything on this before?” and getting an informed response, complete with references to where you can learn more. 

Considerations to keep in mind when using Veda

Veda does not have all the answers. When you ask Veda a question, it makes it easy for you to find NCBA resources that will help you find an answer. If the answer is not available in the knowledge base, it will tell you.

  • Veda is not meant to provide legal advice. It does not replace your professional judgment, ethical obligations, or responsibility to analyze the law and advise clients. As with any tool, users should review the Veda FAQs, Terms and Conditions and NCBA Privacy Policy before using the resource.  
  • Veda is not a legal research database. It is not a replacement for vLex Fastcase, Westlaw, Lexis or other legal research tools. It does not contain every case, statute, regulation or court decision. Its answers are drawn from NCBA content and resources within its knowledge base. Veda is not a substitute for reviewing primary authority. Because the law moves fast, it is important to always make sure that you have assessed accuracy and currency before relying on information provided by Veda.  
  • Veda’s purpose is to help you by pointing you to the NCBA resources available to answer your question. It answers your prompts, but it is not a drafting tool or an editor. It analyzes, explains, summarizes, compares, reviews and discusses ideas that a user provides when doing so helps answer questions. It cannot revise a user’s text or generate a document, clause, agreement, pleading, letter or other content. 
  • If you ask Veda to draft or edit content, it will politely respond that it does not know how to perform those tasks.

Conclusion 

Veda is designed to help members get more from the NCBA’s resources by connecting them quickly with useful information, practical guidance and the shared knowledge of the community. It will continue to evolve as its capabilities improve and its knowledge base grows, so each visit may offer new ways to learn and engage. Put Veda to work, and come back often!