To be successful in today's fast-paced society, a law firm must constantly strive for ways to offer high-quality legal services at a reasonable cost. The advent of legal self-help books and user-friendly software allows individuals to handle routine legal matters without ever speaking to a lawyer. This trend toward removing the personal touch dictates that lawyers compete for clients in new ways. In order to attract and retain good clients, the modern law office needs to be more efficient, responsive and effective than ever before. To accomplish these goals, the practice of law has and will continue to be more and more dependent upon technology to fulfill client expectations.
Computers, networks, case management software, time and billing programs, e-mail, law firm Web sites -- these developments are no longer luxuries for just large firms, they are (or soon will be) a mainstay for offices of all sizes. Even the sole practitioner must make a sizeable investment in hardware and software technology to competitively practice law.

One way to increase productivity and profitability is to use the Internet as a low-cost resource for your law practice. Just as you now wonder how you ever practiced law without a fax machine, you soon will question how you ever managed to work effectively without computer access to the abundant resources located on the Internet. If it hasn't happened already, Internet access will soon be a central feature of your law practice.

What's so important about the Internet and why do Maine lawyers need to have an Internet presence?

1. Clients are on the Internet.

Clients today are more sophisticated than ever before. Many of them are also computer literate and assume that you are too. Clients access the Internet from their places of employment, their homes, from schools, libraries and coffee shops. People use the Internet to purchase products, do online banking, look up information and e-mail their friends and family members. Increasingly, clients are using the Internet as their primary method to communicate with their lawyers.

Through their online connection, your clients have a wealth of information available to them on the Internet. They expect you to be as comfortable as they are using the Internet -- probably more so. If you aren't making maximum use of technology, your clients may begin searching for another lawyer or law firm that is more up-to-date. If that happens, any guesses on where they'll look? Right -- the Internet.

Internet access is at an all time high and its growth rate shows no signs of slowing down. Nielsen Media Research¹ recently reported that 35 million households comprising over 97 million people have Internet access in the United States. This figure represents a 43% increase from a year earlier. American Online (www.aol.com), the nation's largest online access provider, has grown from 300,000 subscribers in 1993 to over 17 million today.²

The Portland Press Herald (www.portland.com/) recently conducted a survey, which found that over 55% of Maine residents own computers (up 10% from one year ago) and two thirds of those computer owners are linked to the Internet (up 17% from the previous year).³ Assuming that most of your clients are Maine residents, this figure suggests that many of your potential clients are already online.

2. Business on the Internet has grown substantially and his will have a direct impact on the practice of law.

Think that no one is making any money on the Internet? Dell Computer Corporation (www.dell.com) receives more than $12 million in sales of computers and related equipment off its Web site each day.⁴ Cisco Systems (www.cisco.com), a company that sells computer related products like routers and switches, recently reported that its Internet sales for 1998 will be more than $8 billion (yes -- 8 billion).⁵

Closer to home, L.L. Bean (www.llbean.com) recently reported that 4% of its overall business came from online sales and that this figure is an increase of 250% over the revenue figures of last year.⁶ Bean's expects these sales percentages will increase as individuals feel more comfortable ordering products from their Web site.

I'm not suggesting that dispensing legal advice is comparable to what these businesses provide to their customers. Clearly, selling computers and camping equipment is far different than providing the personal service that practicing law often requires. However, these companies have achieved worldwide recognition based in part on their Web sites. With over 170 million people⁷ online throughout the world, the Internet is an excellent place to achieve global visibility at minimal cost. Wouldn't you like more people to know about your law practice?

3. Lawyers without an Internet presence are losingbusiness.

The Internet is populated with millions of people that will never have the opportunity to know about you and the services that you can provide unless you are online. If you're not connected to the Internet, the lawyer down the street probably is and the online client will find her through her Web site or her listing on an online legal directory.⁸ Not only is she marketing herself in a way to appeal to computer savvy clients, she's probably more adept at other types of technology that make her office more profitable. This increased use of technology in all likelihood allows her to have more time to pursue her other interests -- like family, friends and hobbies.

Technology is changing the both the way lawyers practice law and the way individuals obtain legal services. Some sophisticated clients are already doing Internet research before talking to their lawyer. These clients expect their attorney to be fluent with research materials located on readily accessible Internet sites.

In addition, the legal software market is flooded with programs that produce legally acceptable Wills, binding residential leases, guidance through divorces, articles of incorporation, real estate documents and more legal contracts that any one person is ever likely to need.⁹ Many price conscious people today are using an inexpensive software program instead of a lawyer. With legal software, the person can access the program at their leisure. There is no need to make an appointment with a lawyer, take time off work, fight traffic or pay high legal fees.¹⁰

Much of this same material is offered online -- some of it for free. The 'Lectric Law Library (http://www.lectlaw.com/) is a site that is filled with legal advice on practically every imaginable legal topic.¹¹ It also provides numerous legal documents for downloading for free or at minimal cost. It is clear that people are dissatisfied with paying large fees for relatively routine things like drafting a power of attorney, preparing a simple Will and other legal documents. In order to survive financially, lawyers must use technology -- including the Internet -- to offer clients more than what they might receive in a self-help book, a CD-ROM or on a legal Web site.

4. Traditional legal research tools are now available on the Internet.

It used to be that in order to do legal research the "modern way" you logged onto the office computer that had WestLaw or Lexis access on a CD-ROM. After installing the proprietary software on your computer and learning how to perform Boolean searches, you marveled at all the information that was held on those CDs. Rubbing your hands together, you shook your head in wonder at the less-than-technically savvy opponent who continued to do research with actual law books.

Well, guess what? CD-ROM research will soon become passe. Both WestLaw and Lexis have cites on the Internet where an attorney can log on from any computer and do legal research -- without needing any CDs or a particular type of legal software.¹² Anyone who has access to a computer and the Internet can perform the exact same research that is available on the CDs in your office. In fact, research on the Internet is more current than your monthly CD-ROM subscription. And because you can access it over the Internet, you can do research from your home computer, your hotel room with your laptop or the computer terminal at the local library. Just as some attorneys have chosen to abandon books in favor of CDs, in the near future many lawyers will shun CDs in favor of doing all their research on the Internet.

5. There is a staggering amount of non-legal research available on the Internet.

There is no limit to the ways you can use the information available on the Internet. Want to find an overview of a topic important to a case that you are handling?¹³ Would it be helpful to obtain information about adversaries, experts, competitors, deponents or witnesses?^14-15 Do you require medical information for your personal injury case? Are you traveling to a different state and want a map with written directions showing you how to get to your hotel from the airport?¹⁶ All these things -- and much, much more -- are just a few mouse clicks away.

In just a few minutes, you can often find enough information on the Internet to either fully answer your question, or else point you in the direction. In fact, many people find using the Internet is so simple that they have a difficult time pulling themselves away. It's easy to go from one site to the next and find that several hours have gone by without you realizing it. Imagine going to the world's largest library and being able to read any page from any book while still seated in your chair. That's the allure of the Internet.

There is now so much material on the Internet that the problem isn't if the information you want is online, but where it's located. It's been said that "everything you need to know is on the Internet -- you just can't find it!"

Locating what you need on the Internet is where search engine Web sites come into play. Once you type in what you're looking for, these sites do a great job of showing you where that information is located. Every lawyer should be familiar with all-purpose search engines like AltaVista, Yahoo, Infoseek and HotBot. If you're not yet aware of these search engines, ask your paralegal, secretary, or perhaps even better -- your teenager.

6. There is an ever-increasing amount of legal research available on the Internet.

The amount of legal information available on the Internet is unbelievably rich and diverse.For Maine practitioners, you can view online the full text of Maine Law Court Opinions the day they were written,¹⁷ read any provision of the Maine Revised Statutes,¹⁸ look up the Local Rules for the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine¹⁹ and download a variety of Maine Business Forms for your corporate practice from the Secretary of State's Web site.²⁰ All without leaving your office -- and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

In addition to the Maine sources of law, dozens of other Web sites will assist you in your legal research. If you don’t have access to WestLaw or Lexis (and even if you do), a good place to begin your legal research is FindLaw (http://www.findlaw.com). This site categorizes legal research and provides valuable links for just about every practice area.

7. E-mail is an essential communication tool.

E-mail is essential for providing an easy and cost effective way of communicating with your clients. E-mail can save you the cost of long distance telephone charges, the expense of letterhead and envelopes and the cost of postage. Sending e-mail attachments often saves the cost of using a fax machine.

In addition, clients today expect attorneys to have e-mail addresses. Be honest. Hasn't at least one of your clients in the last few months asked you for your e-mail address? If you're not yet on the Internet, what was that client's reaction when you said that you didn't have e-mail? What impression did that convey to that person? Is he or she still your client?

8. Legal newsgroups make the legal community closer.

E-mail is much more than just sending and receiving letters from clients. There are millions of individuals on the Internet that participate on e-mail newsgroups called listservs or mailing lists. These newsgroups are a great way to ask questions and get advice from other experts in many different areas of practice. When you subscribe to a newsgroup, you receive copies of all e-mail sent to the group. You then have the opportunity to respond to any message you read either directly to the individual sending the message or to the group itself (where everyone can read your response).

These legal newsgroups provide you with the opportunity to hold online discussions with other legal practitioners about particular legal issues that interest you. The site to visit to find legal newsgroups is Law Lists Info at http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/~llou/lawlists/info.html.²¹

9. Web sites are a form of marketing that you should embrace.

The Internet has eliminated geographical boundaries. While that might open up your firm to greater competition, it also allows you to establish a national or international practice if you handle matters such as immigration, patents, copyright, intellectual property and many other areas of law that aren't dependant on where you practice.

Be forewarned. A Web site that merely acts as a firm brochure and nothing more will probably not improve your legal practice. The top Web sites (both legal and non-legal) stress content above all else. They are also updated frequently to make them more relevant to visitors. For a list of top rated legal Web sites, go to Red Street Consulting (www.redstreet.com). This site lists the best law firm Web sites on the Internet.²²

10. There are loads of free things available to lawyers that help them efficiently practice law.

I like to call it good old Yankee frugality -- others will undoubtedly just call it being cheap -- but I love getting something for free. Luckily for me -- and you -- the Internet has free things everywhere you go. There are literally thousands of free or extremely inexpensive software programs on the Internet that will help you practice law more efficiently. Several excellent downloads include WinZip 7.0, Adobe Acrobat Reader, RealPlayer G2. There are many others. For downloading freeware²³ or shareware²⁴ , try ZDNet Software Library (www.hotfiles.zdnet.com) or Download.com www.download.com).

These ten reasons for being on the Internet are obviously highly subjective and hardly all encompassing. My hope is that they will get you thinking about ways that the Internet can help you practice law more efficiently, make your firm more profitable and allow you greater free time to pursue other things important to you.




¹ The complete news release can be viewed online at the following address: www.nielsenmedia.com/newsreleases/1999/netratings2.html.

² In a press release dated April 14, 1999, AOL announced that it's worldwide membership exceeded 17 million members. The complete news release can be accessed on AOL.

³ Portland Press Herald, February 18, 1999 at page 1A.

⁴ Direct From Dell by Michael Dell, HarperCollins Publishing Inc., page 101. Mr. Dell pulls no punches when he writes (on page 217) that all businesses must tap into the power of the Internet and those "that don't embrace these changes will end up roadkill on the information superhighway."

⁵ New York Times, Technology, Cybertimes. Real Force in E-Commerce is Business-to-Business Sales. See, www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/01/cyber/commerce/05commerce.html.

⁶ Portland Press Herald, March 7, 1999 at page 6.

⁷ NUA Ltd, an Internet strategy and resource company, estimates that the number of people online worldwide in May 1999 is 171.25 million. See, www.nua.ie/surveys/how_many_online/index.html.

⁸ The Martindale-Hubble Lawyer Locator is an excellent place to refer a case, find information about your opponent, or check out a competitor's legal Web site. If you are searching for the address and telephone number of an attorney or law firm, you'll find it here. This Web site lists all the same information about lawyers and law firms as can be found in the printed version of Martindale-Hubbell with the exception of ratings. (Another valuable resource is West’s Legal Directory at http://www.wld.com. This site includes attorneys and law firms not found in Martindale-Hubbell.)

⁹ To get a sense of the depth and variety of legal software available to consumers, look at sites such as Nolo Press (www.nolopress.com) and Quicken Family Lawyer 99 from Parsons Technology (www.parsonstech.com/software/famlaw.html).

¹⁰ This new use of technology is becoming so prevalent that the state of Texas recently sought to prohibit the sale and distribution of legal self-help materials within its borders. An official Texas subcommittee acting on behalf of the Texas Supreme Court has been investigating Nolo Press to determine whether the sale of it's books and software in Texas violates the state's "unauthorized practice of law" statute. See, http://www.nolopress.com/texas/index.html. Other unauthorized practice of law cases have been litigated or are pending in Alabama, California, Kentucky, Michigan and Oregon.

¹¹ Information available for downloading at the 'Lectric Law Library in the 'Laypeople's Law Lounge" includes numerous articles on dealing with the legal system, detailed explanations of Wills and Estate planning alternatives, articles on Human Rights, Employment, Starting a Business, Family Law, Real Property, Credit and Debt, Contracts and a variety of other topics. And this is but a very small portion of the information available to the public at this comprehensive web site.

¹² The Internet address for Westlaw is www.westlaw.com. The Lexis site is www.lexis.com.

¹³ Using a Directory -- a search engine assembled by people -- is often a good place obtain broad information about a topic. Yahoo (www.yahoo.com) is the most well known directory. Findlaw (www.findlaw.com) mentioned later in the article, is an excellent legal directory.

¹⁴ For information on adversaries and competitors, see footnote number 8. For information on experts, the following sites are helpful: The National Directory of Expert Witnesses (www.claims.com), The Noble Group Internet Directories -- Expert.com (www.experts.com) and the Northern California Association of Law Libraries has an extensive listing of experts located at www.nocall.org/experts.html. For information about individuals, try People Search (www.w3com.com/psearch) or The Ultimates (www.theultimates.com) which lets you six directories at once using white pages, yellow pages or an e-mail directory.

¹⁵ The Internet Grateful Med (http://igm.nlm.nih.gov/)is a medical research search engine that accesses the Medline database and numerous other medical research resources. Whether you are representing injured plaintiffs or defending such cases, this site provides lots of information to help you better understand the medical component of your case. Other choices are the AMA's physician database (www.ama-assn.org).

¹⁶ This is a wonderful feature that is a great benefit to any traveler. One of the best sites for accessing maps and full directions from one location to another is Mapquest (www.mapquest.com).

¹⁷ You can find current Maine Supreme Judicial Court opinions at www.courts.state.me.us/mescopin.home.html.

¹⁸ The Maine Statutes are located at http://janus.state.me.us/legis/statutes.

¹⁹ Access to U.S. District Court information is available at http://208.27.110.132.

²⁰ Many corporate forms are available in Adobe Acrobat Format at www.state.me.us/sos/cec/corp/formfees.htm. Adobe Acrobat Reader is available free at the web site and this software allows files to be retrieved in a format that preserves the exact original appearance of the paper document. This is the format used by the IRS for tax forms available at its Web site.

²¹ The site describes itself as being a place "intended to facilitate person-to-person networking, legal research, and exchange and dissemination of legal information worldwide."

²² Red Street Consulting recently recognized Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson (www.mainelaw.com) for its outstanding Web site. Check it out.

²³ Freeware is software that is copyrighted but which is offered at no cost. Provided by www.whatis.com.

²⁴ Shareware is software that is free during a trial basis (often 30 days) with the understanding that you may want or need to purchase it at a later time. Provided by www.whatis.com.