GREAT INTERNET RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT LEGAL TECHNOLOGY

By Dennis Kennedy
Written September 1, 1998.

I like to share the great Internet resources I find. I got some assistance on this list from Jerry Lawson, president of Netlawtools, Inc., one of my favorite writers on Internet and legal technology topics. Jerry has published a great book called The Complete Internet Handbook for Lawyers. Thanks for the help, Jerry.

• The ABA's Law Practice Management Magazine Web Site (http://www.abanet.org/lpm/). Burgess Allison's regular monthly column for LPM is the single best regularly-appearing resource on legal technology. At this site, you can find all of his columns, links to his great Internet book (a new edition, I understand, is due out in March, 1999) and other resources. You can also find Erik Heel's excellent Internet column. LPM does a great job on legal tech coverage and is all-around my favorite legal publication. The site also gives you access to the ABA legal tech e-mail discussion lists. You can also access a great deal of information from TechShow '98.

• Technolawyer (http://www.technolawyer.com). I really like the ideas behind Neil Squillante's brainchild. Neil is using a moderated e-mail discussion list to build a community of interest among legal technologists and, um, technolawyers. The basic premise is pretty simple. Each week, Neil sets five discussion topics and limits the e-mail discussion to those topics. Participants are asked to send thoughtful submissions on the topics. Neil moderates the list and refocuses the discussion when necessary. Some of the best posts are turned into articles and posted on the web site. You can even win the "Technopost" of the week award. I encourage you all to consider joining this list.

• The ABA Legal Techl Discussions Lists (http://www.abanet.org/discussions/home.html). The Lawtech list is the primary list. I also belong to the Network2d list. These lists are fun there where all the "name" legal tech people tromp around and the discussion can be invaluable. Unlike Technolawyer, the lists are unmoderated and the discussion can be free-ranging, to say the least. A great place to ask technical questions.

• Law Office Computing Magazine (http://www.lawofficecomputing.com). The web version of the publication. Excellent articles and reviews. Very practical articles that are highly focused on lawyers' needs.

• LJX's Law Technology Center (http://www.ljx.com/tech/). I find that I return to the LJX (from the publishers of the National Law Journal) site on a weekly basis. There are always a number of new articles, excellent links to other resources and good variety, although the focus tends to be on big firm issues (Lawyers Weekly (http://www.lweekly.com) focuses on the small and medium-sized law firms, particularly in my column). LJX also allows you to ask questions and has an archive of "asked and answered" questions. You can also subscribe to a good biweekly e-mail newsletter called Tech and Management Express. Job listings, a legal technology survey and other resources round out the features. Now part of the Law News Network Web Site.

• Law Library Research Xchange (http://www.llrx.com). Anyone else notice lately that this site and its newsletter have become a regular must-read. Very practical and very interesting articles. Fantastic resources. Obviously, the focus is on research issues, but you can really learn some things about the Internet and some technology issues on this site. Xcellent.

• The Rapidly Changing Face of Computing Technology Journal (http://www.digital.com/rcfoc/home.htm). This site and its newsletter are models for what I want to do with this newsletter. Jeffrey Harrow has written a newsletter on technology topics that interest him for many years. It started out as an internal Digital newsletter and grew. Fascinating short articles and opinions on cutting edge issues and, more important, the implications of technology. The most recent issue has an extended discussion of the idea of "electronic ink" and the future of displays. I'm a huge fan.

• CIO Magazine (http://www.cio.com). This is one of the sites I return to regularly. The target audience is, obviously, chief information officers of companies. The benefit is that you can learn about strategic issues, spot trends and learn how other companies handle technology issues. Excellent Year 2000 resources, great articles and opportunities for discussion.

• ZDNet (http://www.zdnet.com). This site is the umbrella for a variety of ZiffDavis publications (like PC Computing and PC Magazine) and ventures. Look at reviews and access articles from their publications. Take classes from the Online University. Get a variety of e-mail newsletters. My favorite feature lately has been Jesse Berst's Anchordesk (http://www.anchordesk.com) and its companion daily e-mail newsletter. Highly topical, highly opinionated and highly laden with useful content. Lots of technical tips, pointers to utilities and upgrades, reviews and product comparisons. Lately, I prefer this site to CNET (http://www.cnet.com), which is also a great resource on popular computer topics.

• Woody's Office Watch (http://www.mcc.com.au/wow/index.htm). Home of the great weekly e-mail newsletter on Microsoft Office and other Microsoft products. You want information, they've got it. The good, the bad and the ugly. Info on viruses, updates, upgrades, tips, tricks and techniques. Very comprehensive and mindbogglingly thorough.

• The Weekly Computer Magazines - ComputerWorld (http://www.computerworld.com), PC Week (http://www.pcweek.com) and InfoWorld (http://www.infoworld.com). I really like these magazines, some of which are available free to qualified subscribers. Great timely info and reviews. Excellent columnists, especially Bob Metcalfe in InfoWorld. Basically, it's too much to digest, but even the passing glance once a week over time can help you notice trends and developments.

• FindLaw (http://www.findlaw.com). Well, what can't you find on FindLaw? FindLaw is aptly described as the Yahoo for the legal profession and contains several helpful directories of legal technology resources.

Don't forget tNetTech's comprehensive list of legal technology resources at http://www.nettechinc.com/lawtech.htm.