The Public Library of Law

For lawyers (evne if it is not quite a solution to Lexis and Westlaw) and the general public, The Public Library of Law

Searching the Web is easy. Why should searching the law be any different? That's why Fastcase has created the Public Library of Law -- to make it easy to find the law online. PLoL is the largest free law library in the world, because we assemble law available for free scattered across many different sites -- all in one place. PLoL is the best starting place to find law on the Web.

What is available on PLoL?

* Cases from the U.S. Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals
* Cases from all 50 states back to 1997
* Federal statutory law and codes from all 50 states
* Regulations, court rules, constitutions, and more!

Knowledge Discovery Compilation

Another useful tool from LLRX.com - Knowledge Discovery Resources 2009: An Internet MiniGuide Annotated Link Compilation

This Internet MiniGuide Annotated Link Compilation is dedicated to the latest and most reliable resources for knowledge discovery available on the internet. With the addition of new and pertinent information added online continuously, it is very easy to experience information overload. The key is to be able to find the important knowledge discovery resources and sites both in the visible and invisible World Wide Web. The following selected knowledge discovery resources and sites offer a range of knowledge and information discovery sources to help you accomplish your research. Also, visit the Knowledge Discovery Subject Tracer Information Blog for updates. Other white papers and subject tracers by Marcus P. Zillman are available by clicking here.

Online resource for the Lawyers - Free Research Sites

Thanks to Robert Ambrogi's article, Tour the Legal Web's New Sites for the heads up on Quest and the review of Lexis Web. I had run into Lexis Web earlier. Here is the whole of Ambrogi's review:

LexisNexis has launched a beta version of its Web search tool, called Lexis Web.

Unlike general search sites such as Google, Lexis Web searches a more limited sphere of legal-oriented Web sites. The user guide says that the sites it searches have been selected and validated by the LexisNexis editorial staff, so that users "can trust that all content has met LexisNexis criteria for being authoritative and accurate."

This is similar in concept to the Law.com search tool, Quest, which searches an editorially selected sphere of Web content in addition to Law.com's own content. The goal is to produce search results that are more relevant and targeted to legal users.

In addition to search results, Lexis Web displays a selection of "LexisNexis Recommended Sources." These are sources and libraries within the subscription version of the LexisNexis Research System. If you have a subscription, you can click on any of these recommended sources to run the same search there.

Another feature of Lexis Web is clustering to help you narrow your search results. Clusters are topical folders and subfolders shown in a pane to the left of the search results. A search for "Antonin Scalia" resulted in top-level folders for "Legal Topics," "People" and "Keywords," among others. You can also use this to narrow results by subject or geography.

In the search results, when you click on a link, it opens a nearly full-sized preview of the linked page. Click one icon in the preview to go to the actual page or another to close the preview. Lexis Web is free, but the user guide includes this foreboding note: "During the beta offer -- all search activities will be available to you free of charge." Does this suggest Lexis plans to charge at some point? Charging for a Web search tool would make little sense, so let's hope not.

I admit to one problem with Lexis Web. Let me explain that I use Firefox and have not tried this in Internet Explorer (which I do have on the computer but just do not like using). The following is what the site looks like when you run a query:
Clicking on a link does not open that link in a new tab but instead opens a pop up which gives you a preview of the page:


Which I think is a bit unnecessary. On the other hand, I got a lot more pertinent results from Lexis Web than I did with Quest.
Which makes Lexis Web much more appealing to me. Charges seem silly as some of this information can be had via Google or using Google to search blogs:

Jureeka for Using Foxfire While Doing Legal Research

Ok, this is more a heads up than a review. I use Foxfire as my browser. I do almost all of legal research online now. So when I read of Jureeka, I thought I need to check this out. Well, it is on the desktop that sits now on the secretary's desk. Which means I have not had quite the time I to use the extension as I thought I would. Which also seems to epitomize my life and practice of late.

Still, I think more lawyers need to know about Jureeka, so here is a link to the extension: Jureeka! 1.2

I also learned the developers have a blog. Give it a look. I feel that this could be a very big thing for us lawyers.

Tools for Creating Legal Documents

This post collects a few odds and ends about either online or computerized programs for creating legal documents. I use HotDocs to run my practice - perhaps too much - but I have no personal experience of the programs discussed below. I have two points to make with this post - one for lawyers and one for non-lawyers.

For the lawyers: here is our future. I do not think this can be denied any longer.

For the non-lawyers: do not stake the outcome of whatever legal proceeding you are undertaking solely to any computer program. They are a start of a conversation with a lawyer and that is all.

Let us start with AdamsDrafting 's review of BaselineNDA—A Tool for Reviewing NDAs

BaselineNDA will knock provisions out of, or drop provisions into, a given draft, but it isn’t able to critique those provisions in the original that are retained. But BaselineNDA doesn’t intend to remove the reviewer from the process. Instead, the goal is to bring a document to an acceptable starting point by deleting objectionable standard provisions and adding those standard provisions that had been omitted but that the user wants in the document.

All told, what interests me most about BaselineNDA is the snapshot summary it produces and its ability to process an NDA using a customizable Playbook. I’m less interested in the built-in knowledge in the form of standard provisions and the Knowledgebase, as I have my own views on such matters.

Would I use BaselineNDA? That’s too theoretical a question. For one thing, I’m not a practicing lawyer. Even if I were, an answer would depend on my NDA workload and my willingness to either rely on the built-in knowledge or construct my own. I’d also want to know the price, which hasn’t yet been determined.

In any event, I think that BaselineNDA is certainly a worthy addition to the information-technology tools available to those who toil in the contract process; I encourage you to check it out. It’s a tough field, and a number of seemingly plausible entrants are fighting what appears to be a losing battle against inertia. I’ll be checking on the fortunes of BaselineNDA and the Baseline concept generally.

Mr. Adams makes this point: "but it isn’t able to critique those provisions." Therein lies the reason I say for non-lawyers that computer programs are a place to start a conversation with a lawyer.

I was asked this question a while ago: Is it safe to use ''Quicken's Will Creator'' to create a generic will to cover guardianship of my two children? My answer lead me to this article, Law and the Internet, Part 1: A Little Self-Help which makes the following points:

The benefits of these different document services lie in the eyes of the beholders. The major benefit is that consumers cut their legal bills -- usually by a significant margin. Also, they can complete the process more quickly than trying to find time on a busy lawyer's calendar.

There are some shortcomings. Many documents they offer address laws that are set at the state level, which can vary widely. As a result, there may be instances where the wording in a document does not mesh with local regulations. Also, the law constantly evolves, and there may be cases where documents become outdated.

Some legal professionals think online documents shortchange consumers. "At some point in the legal process, a consumer should consult with a lawyer," said Ryan Sabia, president of Interactive Technologies, which operates OnlineConsultant.com. "If you needed an operation, you would see a doctor, not perform it yourself," he told the E-Commerce Times.

More for any lawyers reading this post is RealDealDocs. The site has this to say about itself:

Over the past eight years, we built a proprietary, patented categorization engine which efficiently organizes huge libraries of professional documents, including deal agreements and litigation work product. We combined it with a blazing fast full text search engine and refined it by reviewing the results over millions of professional documents. Importantly, we have also presented this application in an easy to learn search interface so that users can figure out how to get to the information the first time they use it. So whether you’re trying to find an example of an employment agreement for a financial executive at a bank in North Carolina or an obscure pricing clause for a supply agreement out of Asia, you’re going to quickly be able to figure out how to find it.

Yes, a bit top end for those of us who are solo attorneys but ask yourslef what do you do to preserve and reuse your work product? Also think aobut how this levels the field for small firms.

Online Resources: Trade Secrets Blogs

I want to second Kevin's Security Scrapbook's Your Trade Secrets Are At Constant Risk:

Make your boss open that security budget wallet... Visit and bookmark the Trade Secret Vault for the latest horror stories. Proof, funding proactive security is a no-brainer.

You will find a link to The Trade Secret Vault in my blogroll. Give it a look. And Kevin's blog, too.

Legal & Litigation Software Reviews from 3rd Party Sources

Legal & Litigation Software Reviews from 3rd Party Sources is probably more for the lawyers in the crowd but I offer it for your consideration anyway:

"Welcome to LitiReviews, the largest collection of free legal and litigation software reviews on the web. All reviews (100+) are full-text, and have been published in legal magazines, journals, websites and blogs. LitiReview links to copies of reviews available on the internet, or hosted by us at the author's request."

This from the "About" page:

LitiReviews is a free collection of recent third party reviews of litigation and other legal software of interest to lawyers, paralegals, litigation support professinals and consultants, IT professionals and consultants, and others involved in legal or litigation practice, or litigation support. These reivews are drawn from independent sources and do not include vendor white papers or other internal reports. LitiReviews is the largest collection of free 3rd party litigation and legal software reviews on the Internet. LitiReviews gathers summaries of and links to these reviews and organizes them into an easy to use searchable collection. We include the software reviewed, review title, review author, a summary of the findings or conclusions, the publication, and year published. LitiReviews is text-searchable to allow users to find articles by applicable keywords. Reviews are all available free in full-text.

The site has a newsletter and a RSS feed.

From what I have seen this is an impressive site. Reminds me how much I miss the late Law Office Computing magazine.

Online Resource: Collaboration for Attorneys

I subscribe to Tom Mighell's Internet Legal Research Weekly (and I think any lawyer wanting to know what is going on out here on the Net needs to subscribe to this blog). This came in this week's e-mail update:

To celebrate my six-year blogiversary, I decided to start a *second* blog! Okay, it's not because of the anniversary -- Dennis Kennedy and I have launched a companion blog for our book, The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together (http://tinyurl.com/2ogv8m). The blog is located at www.lawyersguidetocollaboration.com, and we're talking about collaboration issues over there every week. The blog also has a Collaboration Tools Wiki (http://collaborationtools.pbwiki.com/), where we have posted a directory of the collaboration tools we mention in the book. We intend the wiki to be a work in progress -- we'll be adding more tools over time, and we hope to enable users to rate or comment on particular tools in the near future.
Give it a look!

I did give it a look and added its RSS feed to my bookmarks. For those of you who are lawyers, I suggest with all seriousness to check it out.

Online Resources: Employment Law Guide

The federal Department of Labor also brings us the Employment Law Guide.Actually more of a guide to the DOL's employment laws.

This Guide describes the statutes and regulations administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) that affect businesses and workers. The Guide is designed mainly for those needing "hands-on" information to develop wage, benefit, safety and health, and nondiscrimination policies for businesses in general industry.

Here is the table of contents:

# Wages and Hours of Work

* Minimum Wage and Overtime Pay
* Wage Garnishment
* Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection
* Child Labor (Nonagricultural Work)

# Safety and Health Standards

* Occupational Safety and Health
* Mine Safety and Health
* Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection
* Child Labor (Nonagricultural Work)

# Health Benefits and Retirement Standards

* Employee Benefit Plans
* Black Lung Compensation
* Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation

# Other Workplace Standards

* Family and Medical Leave
* Lie Detector Tests
* Whistleblower Protection
* Plant Closings and Mass Layoffs
* Union Members
* Uniformed Service Members

# Work Authorization for Non-U.S. Citizens*

* Authorized Workers
* Temporary Agricultural Workers (H-2A Visas)
* Temporary Nonagricultural Workers (H-2B Visas)
* Workers in Professional and Specialty Occupations
* Immigration for Workers Obtaining Permanent Employment
in the United States
* Crewmembers (D-1 Visas)

# Federal Contracts: Working Conditions

* Wages in Supply and Equipment Contracts
* Prevailing Wages in Service Contracts
* Prevailing Wages in Construction Contracts
* Hours and Safety Standards in Construction Contracts
* "Kickbacks" in Federally Funded Construction (Copeland Act)
* Notice of Employee Rights Concerning Payment of Union Dues

# Federal Contracts: Equal Opportunity

* Employment Discrimination and Equal Opportunity in Supply and Service Contracts (Executive Order 11246)
* Employment Discrimination in Construction Contracts
(Executive Order 11246)
* Equal Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities
* Employment Discrimination and Equal Opportunity for Certain Veterans Who Served on Active Duty and Special Disabled Veterans

# Index of Acts by Specific Industry

* Agriculture
o Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
o Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA)
o Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act)
o Authorized Workers (Non-U.S. Citizens)
o Temporary Agricultural Workers (H-2A Visas)
o Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)

* Mining
o Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977
o Black Lung Compensation

* Construction
o Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act)
o Davis-Bacon Act and Related Acts
o Copeland Act ("Kickbacks" in Federally Funded Construction)
o Executive Order 11246 (Employment Discrimination in Construction Contracts)

* Transportation
o Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act)

Employment Law Online Resource: The EEO News Room

EEO News provides capsules of court opinions on employment discrimination. Employment Law Case Headlines is just what it says it is. The site also provides services relating to human resources, so I am seeing this page to be related to marketing its business side. Nothing wrong with that except it may explain why the site has no RSS feeds. Good for employers who want to keep informed (or have HR directors who want to keep informed) but not so hot for lawyers.

Online Resources - Minimum Wage Laws in the States - January 1, 2008

Want to know the minimum wage in all fifty states? See Minimum Wage Laws in the States from the federal Department of Labor. Nothing much more to say about the site/page.

Employment Law Online Resource: The Privacy Right Clearinghouse and Employment Background Checks

Today's online resource comes from the The Privacy Right Clearinghouse and is directed towards employees - Employment Background Checks:

"Whether you are hired or promoted for a job may depend on the information revealed in a background check. Job applicants and existing employees as well as volunteers may be asked to submit to background checks. For some jobs, screening is required by federal or state law. The current emphasis on security and safety has dramatically increased the number of employment background checks conducted.

In short, employers are being cautious. At the same time, applicants and employees fear that employers can dig into the past in ways that have nothing to do with the job.

This guide explains the why and how of background checks. It also tells you what can be covered in a background report, your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and what you can do to prepare. For more information, go to the References section at the end of this guide. The PRC does not perform background checks"

The entire article comes in ten parts.

Online Resources: Employment Law Information Network

Employment Law Information Network was a resource I dropped due to information overload and a change of my practice. When I was doing in-house counsel work for a temporary employment agency, I subscribed to their newsletter. There was a lot of employment law information. Lots. I see now they have RSS feeds for both state (each one) and federal employment news. I am back subscribing to the RSS feeds. Yes, it is a very good employment law portal.

Online Resources: Employment Law and Pregnancy Discrimination

The EEOC maintains a FAQ page on pregnancy discrimination, Facts About Pregnancy Discrimination. The subject covered are Hiring, Pregnancy and Maternity Leave, Health Insurance, and Fringe Benefits.

Is there really any reason for an employer not to print this off and have it around the office? The ability for businesses to educate themselves has increased with the Internet and should not be ignored. After all, what do you have to lose except money?

Online Resources: Lexis-Nexis' Labor & Employment Law Page

Yes, Lexis-Nexis' Labor & Employment Law Page is a commercial site. Still, it presents articles for free. Worth keeping bookmarked but I think a RSS feed would make the page (and its sibling pages) more useful (if not also more used). Lexis-Nexis describes the page as:

Welcome to the Labor & Employment Law Practice Area Community from LexisNexis®. This site has been designed as a convenient, one-stop resource for labor and employment law practitioners. Recent news, cases, articles and government documents related to this practice area are accessible here. You'll also find useful information about CLE seminars and our products and services.

Online Resource for Employment Law: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Brief Bank Index

Yes, the EEOC's Brief Bank is online here. I should say sort of online. What you will get is a download of the entire index (you cna choose Word, RTC or Wordperfect formats). For me, that limits its usefulness.

Memoryhole maintains the page and this is the site's description:

>>> In 1998, The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated a unique and useful guide to some important aspects of employment discrimination law. This guide is the index to the EEOC's legal brief bank, a collection of legal filings and court documents concerning a wide range of employment issues.

The brief bank index, developed with public tax dollars, provides an overview of the complex issues arising when employees and companies become involved in possible discriminatory behavior, and the damages caused by employment discrimination. It also outlines areas that may not be protected under federal employment law. The index contains a list of subject areas as well as the designation numbers of legal documents and briefs covering that subject. Overall, the document demonstrates the wide scope of valuable work being done at the Commission.

Online Resource: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Regulations

Give the federal government credit for providing easy access to the regulations for truck drivers on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration site. Drivers - as well as lawyers - might want to take a particular look at Hours-of-Service Logbook Examples - Revised August 2005.

Online Resource: Corporate Legal Times

Corporate Legal Times provides a spare but accurate description of itself:

A legal online magazine which provides readers with updated daily news and development of all local and national legal issues. Visit us often for the latest legal news.

The site has sub-pages for the following:

* Corporate Legal
* Corporate Legal Times
* Latest News
* Lawyer Talk
* Legal Blogs
* Tech News

(Being curious about the "Legal Blogs", I took a look and found what I would call more news rather than blogs: no blog roll, no links to blogs, no comment section.)

However, it does have an RSS feed. I would call it a good news site for its topic.

Employment Law Blog: Quirky Questions - Real-Life Employment Blog

While this particular blog focuses on Minnesota employment law, I like it. Written by Roy A. Ginsburg of Dorsey & Whitney, you got to like something named Quirky Questions - Real-Life Employment Blog. The blog describes itself as follows:

"Nearly every day, executives and managers, and the Human Resources personnel who work with them, are confronted with unanticipated questions regarding the workforce. Just when they think they have 'seen it all,' along comes a new and often stranger scenario involving an odd twist to an area they thought they fully understood. Whether the situations involve sexual harassment, disability issues, leave questions, compensation inquiries, or a myriad of other issues, managers and executives often find themselves back at square one when trying to construct an appropriate response and devise a creative solution to the problem presented. Sometimes these 'Quirky Questions' can be resolved easily; other times, they implicate issues (both legal and practical) that are not immediately apparent."

For Those Wanting Forms: Legal Zoom Review

Many visiting here look for forms and that is not really the purpose of this blog. Instead, read What is LegalZoom? from eLawering Blog. I think the review does a good job of balancing the pros and cons of a service like LegalZoom.

The review makes a point of something I have noticed about these online sites:

The company claims that: "With LegalZoom's lawyer-free service, you can save up to 85% off the rates an attorney would charge for the same procedure. " This comparison misrepresents the contribution that an attorney makes when serving a client. It suggests that the LegalZoom service is equivalent to the services of an attorney, when it clearly isn't. The representation suggests that a consumer will receive the same result that they would get if they went to an attorney, which is clearly not the case. Moreover, there are many attorneys who charge fees which compare favorably with LegalZoom's fee structure, so the fees that lawyers charge for comparable transactions which are published on the LegalZoom web site are true of some law firms, but not all solo and small firms.

Cheap is cheap, and you need to keep that mind. A little research into what a local attorney will charge for forms and services would do you better than relying on a commercial with nationwide reach.