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Internet Newsletter for Lawyers & Law 2.0

The Internet Newsletter for Lawyers & Law 2.0 covers how the internet presents the law, how it widens access to the law, how it is affecting society and the world we live in, how it is affecting legal practice, getting the best from your website and legal aspects of e-commerce.

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The Internet Newsletter for Lawyers & Law 2.0 has become a community of lawyers, and those working with lawyers, who are interested in the legal internet from all its "angles" - how it presents the law, how it widens access to the law, how it is affecting society and the world we live in, legal aspects of e-commerce and websites, how lawyers themselves use it for communicating and for improving service to their clients, how it is changing legal practice for both solicitors and barristers, how they use the internet to market themselves and to sell legal services on the web and IT issues relating to all these topics.

It is typically taken by lawyers interested in how to develop their website and how to make the best use of resources online (particularly free ones), lawyers looking to develop the services they can offer their clients, marketing people within firms and chambers working on raising their profile and getting new work, IT staff responsible for applications related to the internet, and librarians and information-related staff, who circulate the newsletter to those with a special interest in one or more topics.

Main stories in the current issue.... Comments from Subscribers.... Purchase Details

January/February 2010 issue

Here are the main stories this time:

  • The new Supreme Court is the UK’s most technologically advanced court. Richard Susskind describes the new innovations in IT which make the court special and ground breaking.
  • Copyright, in various guises, has featured heavily in the media this year, being in the spotlight at both legislative and judicial level. Laurence Kaye picks out highlights from 2009 and provides a snapshot of where we are now with copyright and digital media law.
  • Tessa Shepperson, in her series on referral companies, has so far looked at Quality Solicitors, a very new player making quite an impact in the market, and Contact Law, an organisation which started in 2005 and is now owned by Sweet & Maxwell. This time she looks at LawNet, which started in 1989 for solicitors to share resources for group purchasing, quality assurance and training and now also offers group marketing and referral opportunities. (If you have suggestions for future articles, please contact me.)
  • Can the provision of pro bono legal advice be improved using the facilities of the internet? Bob Grindrod thinks that it can and he describes how LawWorks, the Solicitors Pro Bono Group, is going about this.
  • We have covered many virtual firms in this newsletter over the last couple of years, with several different “models” of how they work. This time we look at a hybrid model – part “conventional” law firm and part virtual law firm. Christina Blacklaws, founder and senior partner of Blacklaws Davis, London’s largest specialist family law practice, describes how they work.
  • Cloud computing is set to be one of the key topics of 2010 and Rupert Kendrick gives us an overview of what is involved. He discusses the risks involved in this approach and details the different types of “Governance” – Corporate, IT and Project Governance - which can be brought into play to keep the risks to a minimum.
  • Andrew Woolley describes 20 ways in which firms could simplify their life, cut out unnecessary processes, and thereby make – or save – more money. (He hasn’t implemented all of these yet – but he is working on it!).
  • Joe Reevy describes a new way of using RSS which does not “just” gather information for the firm itself, but can provide current and up to date data feeds for its web site AND can provide tailored versions of this information for the web sites of the clients of the firm.
The newsletter is primarily a printed publication (not everyone wants to spend their whole day glued to a computer) but it is also provided online, without extra charge. You can see what the newsletter looks like
here. You cannot see the full stories unless you are a subscriber but you can see how it "looks and feels".

Quick Summaries of Recent Issues

(Printed copies of the most recent THREE issues will be provided free to new subscribers as well as ALL of them available online).

In the November/December 2009 issue, we look at The Google Book settlement, which, if approved, will allow Google to put the books of the world online but not everyone thinks this is a good idea. We look at the topic of website accessibility which has gone very quiet recently. Why is this? We explain what is going on in this field. We continue our series on referral sites – which are successful and which are worth buying into; this time we look at Contact Law. We look at the different methods of assessing client satisfaction, and online methods in particular. It is now possible to “mix” elements of web sites, blogs, wikis and even twitter – we hear how this can be done, getting the benefit of all these technologies. We suggest how you can “engage” casual visitors to your site so that they become clients with a description of the devices, facilities and tools you can use for each stage. Not all virtual firms want to be described as "virtual" – we hear why. We provide a short tutorial on the Europa site and describe some of the best legal resources online (free ones) provided by chambers.

In the September/October 2009 issue, we look at the virtual firms which have featured in previous issues of the newsletter and find out how they are getting on now and we also summarise the key technology features which have made virtual firms possible. We start a new series on referral companies – which ones are worth the money? This time we cover Quality Solicitors. We look at the latest developments from Justis and get up to date on the nature and reliability of electronic evidence, disclosure and admissibility. We look at the way that outsourcing is developing. We cover the major features of Search Engine Optimisation with an indication of which areas are worth real effort and which are not. We look at ways in which Web 2.0 can be used within the organisation to make life simpler as well as more efficient.

In the July/August 2009 issue, we look at the development of the Statute Law Database, how it works, the extent to which it can now be relied on and how it is now being integrated with OPSI legislation. We look at the Human Rights database provided by One Crown Office Row and the Current Awareness blog from the Inner Temple Library. We find out why reputation monitoring is important and how you can counteract any bad coverage. We cover another virtual firm and the online tools needed, and we receive a primer on current social networking tools and how they can be used to good effect. We also cover the best 20 online legal resources currently provided by firms of solicitors which are “beyond marketing”.

In the May/June issue, we tell you about Legal OnRamp, a collaboration system for in-house counsel and invited outside lawyers and why it is important. We suggest that lawyers should not just read other peoples' blogs but should blog themselves. We give you practical advice for writing marketing material and how to make it accessible to the audience yu are seeking. We continue our short series on email marketing with details of the email software you can use, how to manage the list and how to plan a campaign. A solicitor tells us who his firm is using Twitter to tell potential house purchasers about new properties coming on the market and other innovations. We hear about the new Sweet & Maxwell site. We think that voice recognition is now easy to use and we describe how to choose a product, install it and what sort of training is needed.

In the March/April issue, We describe the basic methods of digital dictation, both standalone and in "workflow" systems. We look at how to get a useful (and legally acquired) database of clients, contacts and prospects for an email marketing campaign. We cover the latest developments in Software as a Service (SaaS) - what is available and who is using it. We look at "where we are now" with BAILII and cover how some regional firms are producing their own content and "intelligent documents" online. We have had articles from "virtual" barristers before, but now we hear how one actively practising barrister lives in Morocco. We look at new features for sight impaired visitors and a printout facility for visitors who want to be able to produce a neat record of what they have found. We look at how to persuade people to actually use RSS to gather information as distinct from just knowing about it. Finally, we provide more information on e-marketing including e-publishing, podcasts, partnerships, social networking, blogs, text messaging, web awards, banner advertising, pay-per-click and search engine optimisation.

In the January/February 2009 issue, we look at how law publishing is continuing to change in response to technological change and what will happen next. We hear from a major firm about how a (successful) intranet was developed; we look at one method of enhancing a web site - implementing a purchased data base of information; we cover "fax to email" services and how they work; we look at the new HIP Regulations regarding the ending of the transitional arrangements; we hear about OUP’s new international services online and also a new database of Scottish cases; we look at Richard Susskind’s new book “The end of Lawyers?” and hear about a strategy for e-marketing for chambers.

Full details on recent issues:

Note that ALL these are available to subscribers on line.

Comments from Subscribers

* Richard Susskind...
Keep the Newsletters coming. I'm a big fan!

* Alison Harvey, Gherson...
We are enthusiastic readers of the Internet Newsletter for Lawyers which we find very informative.

* Senior Assistant Librarian (Law Lords Library)...
I have found it to be an invaluable resource.

* Fawzi Zuberi (Partner), Lighthouse Solicitors
The newsletters are excellent and have already helped us in terms of giving us ideas on how to develop our I.T systems.

* Michael Haddrell, IT Manager, McEwens...
The newsletter is a brilliant way to stay updated and connected to all the latest issues and developments. Please, definitely continue our subscription and I am sure you will keep up the good work.

* Rowan Alys, Sydney Mitchell.....
It's always interesting and informative - and written in the sort of plain English that I can pass on to the non-geeky lawyers in our practice.

* Elizabeth Graham, Librarian, Brodies, Glasgow.....
I find the newsletter very interesting and informative. Thank you for all your efforts.

* Jill Cave-Browne-Cave....
I do enjoy your newsletter very much - it is certainly the best of its kind that I have ever read. May you continue with this, and your other great publications, for very many years to come.

* Vivian Grainge, Library and Information Services Manager, Freeth Cartwright
I think the newsletter is great.

* Richard Jennings, R.D.Y.Jennings & Co, North Yorkshire
Please renew subscription - and thanks for another good year.

(Other Subscribers)
* Thanks for your journal which (somewhat to my surprise since I am not particularly IT focussed) I get more out of than other.

* Your newsletter is one publication which I always make sure I read.

* I agree with the judges' comments, easy to assimilate, relevant, up to date information.

* As a subscriber I read your newsletter with great enjoyment and it is a great resource in so many ways.

* The Internet Newsletter is about the best value newsletter my firm subscribes to and I have found it extremely useful both in trying to work out a web strategy and as a "portal" to legal websites which we might otherwise have missed.

* I continue to think it is an excellent review of internet activities and just the right size for me to manage!

* I am not surprised that you won the award. The Newsletter is an excellent publication and I (and my students) find it of enormous value.

* Many thanks for the straightforward instructions on how to arrange access to the Intranet/Multiple Use version. It is refreshing to be able to provide on-line access to a publication via an Intranet without having to go through a long process of negotiating user numbers or having to distribute individual passwords!


Purchase Details

The Newsletter is produced bi-monthly in printed form (designed for lawyers and those who work with lawyers, who do not want to spend ALL their time in front of a computer) but it is also available to subscribers in a web version without extra charge. You can see what the online version looks like at Nick Holmes' infolaw site (although you will not be able to read the full articles unless you have subscribed).

The cost is £45 for the year (6 issues) or 50 euros. Go to Internet Newsletter for Lawyers & Law 2.0 and follow the link at the top to "Subscribe". You can pay with your credit card or pay on receipt of invoice.

You will receive THREE back issues of the printed newsletter without charge, with any new subscription, and also access to ALL back issues on the web.


Multiple Use Licence

For Firms or organisations who wish to encourage general online use across the firm or indeed multiple locations, view and download the pdf version, do lots of photocopying, or all of these, the cost is £75 plus VAT (or 85 euros). This includes Universities and Libraries.

The price includes a printed copy. You will also receive THREE back issues of the printed newsletter without charge, with any new subscription, and also access to ALL back issues on the web.

To subscribe, go to Nick Holmes' infolaw site. You can also see what the newsletter "looks like" on that site (although you will not be able to read the full articles unless you have subscribed).


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