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Useful Web Sites for Legal Professionals

Robert J. Ambrogi
The National Law Journal
07-08-2002

The Internet can be a great resource for lawyers and other legal professionals. Here are some useful legal Web sites.

American Society of Trial Consultants
www.astcweb.org

Founded in 1982 to advance the practice of litigation consulting, the American Society of Trial Consultants recently launched its first Web site. For trial lawyers, the main attraction is a directory of the nearly 400 ASTC members nationwide. Use it to search for a particular consultant or to locate one by state. Each entry includes contact information, areas of expertise, and a link to the consultant's Web site, if available.

Chilling Effects
www.chillingeffects.org

When Internet expression meets with a cease-and-desist demand, look for guidance to Chilling Effects, a site devoted to the legal protection of online speech. Launched by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and four law schools, it publishes actual cease-and-desist letters annotated with comments on the applicable law. Topics include linking, fan fiction, parody and criticism, copyright and trademark.

LegalVote.com
www.legalvote.com

Let a virtual jury help you assess the strength of a case and gauge what it may be worth at LegalVote.com. The "jurors" are visitors to the site who have completed a brief profile. They review a summary of the case prepared by the lawyer, then answer a set of standard questions. The price of the service is $500 for an assessment of damages, $2,500 for a standard case study and higher for expanded or customized studies.

Internet Tools for Lawyers
www.netlawtools.com

The practical perspective of someone who has been a lawyer for more than 20 years and understands what lawyers need and want from the Internet is the key ingredient of Internet Tools for Lawyers. The site, maintained by Jerry Lawson, is a mixture of articles, links, how-to guides and more, all focused on lawyers' use of the Internet. Substantive sections on research, marketing and other uses are supplemented by regular features.

Skipease
www.skipease.com

The Internet took skiptracing from an art to a science. For lawyers, this made it much easier to locate missing witnesses, track down long-lost heirs and investigate opposing litigants. Skipease has culled the Web's most useful skiptracing tools and assembled them together here. Using its links, you can research property ownership; Social Security numbers; death, birth and marriage records; professional licenses; and more.

LexisONE
www.lexisone.com

Free court opinions and legal forms remain the hallmark of this newly slimmed-down version of lexisONE. Gone from this Lexis Nexis site for solo and small-firm lawyers are discussion groups and sections devoted to themes such as client development and lifestyle. Still here is the legal Web site directory. Added into the mix is the upsell, with offers at every turn to purchase upgrades to your research.

The Religious Liberty Archive
www.churchstatelaw.com

Religious freedom as it has played out in courts and legislatures is the focus of The Religious Liberty Archive, a unique new Web site from Denver law firm Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons. The site is a virtual library of religious freedom law, housing the full texts of pertinent U.S. Supreme Court cases since 1815, federal and state laws, treatises and historical materials. News of recent developments and links to related materials round out the site.

Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
www.tlpj.org

Created at the urging of consumer advocate Ralph Nader, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice marks its 20th anniversary this year. Specializing in public interest litigation in such areas as toxic torts, the environment, access to the courts and discrimination, TLPJ uses its Web site to offer descriptions of its current caseload and a library of its briefs and legal filings. A public interest database provides links to more than 2,000 Web resources.

Legal Writing Success
www.legalwritingsuccess.com

Deadlines loom. Briefs to research. Pleadings to draft. Where is a lawyer to turn? Legal Writing Success is a Web-based service that connects to a network of lawyers available to perform research, writing, rewriting and editing. The site was started by a practicing lawyer as a resource for his legal-writing students, but quickly became a destination for legal professionals of all types seeking editorial assistance and advice.

Robert J. Ambrogi, rambrogi@amlaw.com, is author of the book "The Essential Guide to the Best (and Worst) Legal Sites on the Web," available at www.lawcatalog.com. He is editorial director of The National Law Journal, www.nlj.com.