October 5, 1998
Contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens
(615) 322-2706
| |
October 5, 1998 Contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens (615) 322-2706 |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The speed in which clients can get in touch with lawyers via the Internet can raise unrealistic expectations about how fast the answers might come. Also, the prospect of lawyers and clients hooking up on line can lead to unchartered territory as far as confidentiality, security and ethics are concerned.
These and other new areas for Tennessee attorneys are addressed in a new guide that includes guidance for everything from the basics of "surfing the net" to marketing a practice on the World Wide Web. It's a new cooperative project of the Vanderbilt University Law School and the Tennessee Bar Association.
"The Internet Guide for Tennessee Lawyers" is designed to help attorneys access the Internet in the most practical and efficient way possible, according to Pauline Aranas, director of the Alyne Queener Massey Law Library and associate professor of law. She said the Tennessee guide is modeled after a similar one for Michigan lawyers.
"The Internet Guide for Michigan Lawyers" gave us a strong foundation on which to build a useful tool for Tennessee attorneys," Aranas said. "We worked in cooperation with the Tennessee Bar Association to revise each chapter to fit the needs of lawyers in our state. We also made sure that the information reflects current technology and trends."
In addition to explaining the technical basics, such as getting connected to the Internet and using Internet e-mail, the guide offers information about Internet research tools and customized Web sites. One chapter discusses the reasons for building a Web site and marketing a law practice using e mail. Another chapter, called "Future Directions of the Internet," examines significant trends and their effects on the legal professions. They include: dramatic growth in the number of Internet users, use of Internet phone and Internet video, telecommuting and charges for "premium" information and services.
The guide discusses the quality of life implications for the increase in use of Internet technology. For example, e-mail makes it so easy to contact people that attorneys and others receive more messages demanding their time and attention. "Even worse, clients who are used to using the Internet regularly for their other business affairs will probably expect responses to e-mail inquiries to be fast..." chapter eight notes.
Ethical concerns related to formation of an attorney-client relationship over the Internet, conflicts of interest, client confidentiality and security are also addressed in the guide. It warns that "until case law and ethics opinions address some of these issues, there are no certain approaches." The guide advises lawyers to check with the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court when they are in doubt about the legality of something they are planning to do on the Internet.
Another chapter lists Internet resources are listed by practice area. These resources can be found on the law library's Web site at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/Law/library/. The guide was adapted under license from the Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Ann Arbor, Mich. Future revisions are planned, according to Aranas, so that it remains a timely and useful publication for Tennessee lawyers.
-VU-
Vanderbilt University is a private research university of approximately
5,900 undergraduates and 4,300 graduate and professional students. Founded
in 1873, the University comprises 10 schools, a public policy institute,
a distinguished medical center and The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center.
Vanderbilt offers undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences,
education and human development, engineering and music, and a full range
of graduate and professional degrees.
For more news about Vanderbilt, visit the News and Public Affairs home page
on the Internet at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/News.