Reed Smith LLP

Reed Smith Client Alerts

Resources for Lawyers

Subscribe
Home Perspectives Resources for Lawyers

For some of us, incorporating Internet resources into our daily professional lives has been a seemingly effortless transition. For others, it has been a process of trial and much error. And still for others, it has been a concept that sounds interesting, but has no practical application in our lives . . . yet.

While the purpose of this article is not to promote the wonders of the Internet or even to promote a greater use of the world wide web, I cannot hide my own favorable bias for using technology. My true goal is simply to share my thoughts and the thoughts of some of my colleagues on the resources available on the web and to outline some of the practical ways that Internet users at any level can take advantage of those resources.

Before we begin, let me share with you six general "rules to surf by" that I learned from the teachings of Kris Gilliland, the well noted Professor of Law and Director of the University of Mississippi School of Law Library, during her presentation at the Practising Law Institute in December 2001.

Rule 6: When in doubt, ask a librarian. This general rule has always been helpful to me when conducting traditional research and is also true online. In soliciting advice for helpful web sites in New Jersey, I was reminded several times by my colleagues to seek counsel from the library staff at my firm from whom I received excellent advice and direction.

Rule 5: Try to stay current with web developments. Because the Internet is not controlled by a single entity or body, both technology and content are constantly changing. The examples that I discussed below at the time I prepared this article, a few weeks before publication, have undoubtedly continued to change and grow in the passage of only a short amount of time. Resources for the public and resources for lawyers on the Internet will only continue to improve.

Rule 4: There is no organizational scheme for the Internet, making it impossible to effectively catalog what’s out there. While there are many excellent search engines and online directories, web sites come and go at exponential rates. When searching the we, you may not be finding all of or even the most relevant information available.

Rule 3: Question the source of your information. The Internet is a random network of computers located around the world and contributed to by anyone with a connection to that network. As attorneys, we conduct research and collect information mainly for the purpose of using and relying on that research as we prepare arguments and make representations to our clients, our colleagues, our adversaries and our judiciary. Many web sites are prepared and verified by reliable sources, while many are not. Remember that it is an attorney’s obligation to determine whether or not the information used is accurate, current and complete.

Rule 2: "You get what you pay for." Again, there are many ways to obtain reliable information via the world wide web if you know what to look for, but the free resources are rarely as comprehensive as the commercial research services.

Rule 1: Web sites are best used as supplements to, rather than as a substitute for, established legal research techniques. The first five rules can be consolidated into this single concept. By example, when you need to obtain a copy of a statute, a regulation, a case, an article, or proposed legislation, you will likely be able to find it for free on the Internet without much trouble. But when you need to find a comparable fact pattern or review an exhaustive list of cases relevant to your legal issue, begin with the techniques that you learned in law school.

The following web sites are provided as only a few examples of the hundreds of lawyer-friendly resources on the web.

Web Portals and Search Engines

The term web portal was created from the concept that individuals have to begin their journey on to the web from a place that introduces them to the vast array of available resources. Common portals include google.com, aol.com, iwon.com and yahoo.com. These web sites not only provide news and information about what's on the web, but also allow visitors to search a directory or database of web sites indexed by keywords and topics. In the legal services arena, findlaw.com is currently the preeminent web portal directed to the needs of attorneys and other legal professionals. Through findlaw.com, for example, one can find nearly all of the web sites that are highlighted in this article and can link to these sites directly with the click of a mouse.

Court Decisions

The usefulness and success of Westlaw and Lexis-Nexis are due in large part to a functionality that allows their users to successfully construct and execute complex word searches. While these searching functions have no true equivalent across the Internet, content creators like the judiciary and academia are having great success in making recent judicial opinions and other resources available online.

1. The New Jersey Judiciary Homepage – http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/

In addition to providing a detailed overview of the New Jersey court system and a directory of weekly reported decisions, the New Jersey Judiciary provides a host of functions to keep us all informed. For example, New Jersey Municipal Court Direct allows visitors to pay traffic tickets online, while the Civil Motion Calendar Search Page provides up-to-date motion calendar information from all twenty-one counties simply by entering the docket number. In addition, one of the most useful sections of the site, however, is the Legal Resource Room which provides a wealth of resources, including Child Support Guidelines, Civil and Criminal Jury Charges, Appellate Forms, the New Jersey Court Rules, and the Manual of Style for Legal Citation in New Jersey.

2. The Rutgers Law Library – http://lawlibrary.rutgers.edu

Rutgers Law School in Camden, in a joint effort with the State of New Jersey, provides the complete searchable text of opinions published in the past several years from the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the New Jersey Supreme Court and Appellate Division, the Office of Administrative Law, and the Ethics Advisory Committee Decisions. In fact, many of these decisions are not available elsewhere online, including Westlaw and Lexis-Nexis.

Legislation, Statutes, Regulations and Rules

1. Government Printing Office – http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/index.html

The Government Printing Office contains Bills and Public Laws, the United States Code, the Code of Federal Regulations and the Federal Register.

2. U.S. House of Representatives – http://uscode.house.gov/usc.htm

For a more effective tool for navigating the U.S. Code, visit the U.S. House of Representatives Internet Law Library, where you find a version that is fully searchable by terms, title and sections.

3. Thomas - Library of Congress – http://thomas.loc.gov/

This site is the best place to find current federal legislation. Visitors can search the legislative record by bill number and words and phrases. Thomas also provides access to House and Senate Committee Reports.

4. The New Jersey Legislature – http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/

Visitors can find the New Jersey equivalent of Thomas here. This site contains information on elected officials in the State and provides the ability to search, among other things, proposed and pending legislation, statutes, and the New Jersey Constitution.

5. Gann Law Books – http://www.gannlaw.com

While this web site is primarily subscription based, it is tied directly to the books published by Gann Law. These publications include the New Jersey Court Rules, the New Jersey Rules of Evidence, the New Jersey Federal Practice Rules, and New Jersey Attorney Ethics, and are provided in full text and are fully searchable for a flat rate that can be paid in conjunction with the purchase of the actual books.

Legal Organizations and Associations

An excellent resource for continuing legal education, networking and other types of professional development has always been our state and county bar associations, Inns of Court, and various other practice specific organizations. The following are several links to the web sites of some of those organizations:

1. County Bars

2. Misc.

3. Other Legal Associations

There are also practice specific web sites, web sites from nearly all jurisdictions around the United States, international databases, industry specific web sites, and an innumerable number of other resources that you may find useful in your quest for information. Please remember, that the only way to become truly comfortable with technology is to use it.