Using Technology in Law

AuthorScott A. Hatch/Lisa Zimmer Hatch
ProfessionFounders of The Center for Legal Studies and developed their award-winning paralegal curriculum in 1980, offering it through 600 colleges nationwide
Pages275-285
CHAPTER 17 Using Technology in Law 275
Chapter17
Using Technology in Law
Recent technological advances have forever changed the way that law
oces function. A typical law oce 30 years ago communicated with tele-
phones plugged into the wall. Without the invention of voicemail, oce
assistants took written messages and put them in the appropriate receiver’s oce
box. Legal secretaries took dictation and typed up letters and legal documents on
typewriters until the 1980s when word processors nally eliminated the need for
correction uid and carbon paper. Almost every law oce contracted with a local
courier service to le legal documents with the courts before e-ling allowed for
almost instant delivery.
One of the more signicant technological advances involves the way legal profes-
sionals conduct legal research. In 1973, Lexis Advance began oering computerized
legal research as a subscription service. In 1975, West Publishing began a compet-
ing service called Westlaw. Prior to these innovations, attorneys and law clerks
researched the law in law libraries using multivolume series of statutes and cases,
the way it had been done for more than a century. Only in the last few decades
have these computerized legal research resources been made widely available
through a friendlier pricing structure.
IN THIS CHAPTER
»
Understanding (as much as you
need to) how computers and
networks work
»
Applying cool software applications
in the law oce
»
Catching the wave of online law
resources
»
Taking advantage of technology in
the courtroom

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