Month: January 2008

Software as a Service – going mainstream in 2008

There are many words and phrases associated with Software as a Service (SaaS), including .net (dot net), hosted services, managed services, web-native, web services, browser based software, remote access software and outsourcing of IT. Whilst coming to the topic from somewhat different angles, all these phrases are really referring to the same central theme – […]

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Digital media and the law

“Law 2.0”, “digital media law”. Great tag lines but is it all “sound and fury”, signifying nothing new? After all, there are plenty of examples of how existing laws are being applied to the online world. Are the law and Web 2.0 an odd couple fated to be forever out of sync? Alternatively, are we […]

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Company Law Forum

Company Law Forum from LexisNexis is the first attempt at a substantial Web 2.0 site from a “mainstream” law publisher. It is intended to provide an environment for the legal and business community to share insights and discuss company law-related issues. It is free to access; registration entitles you to create a profile, publish opinions, […]

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Eleven years of Internet Law with Graham Smith

We do not generally cover books in the Newsletter but occasionally there are exceptions – and Internet Law and Regulation by Graham Smith and other lawyers at Bird & Bird, now published in its fourth edition, is an exception. Graham has been writing and editing editions of this book for 11 years and is one […]

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Legal research in England and the USA compared

I first need to tell you a bit about my own experience. I have worked in law firm libraries for 16 years, first with Nabarro (commercial work with an emphasis on property), then with Winckworth Sherwood (parliamentary, police, housing, ecclesiastical) and now with Sidley Austin (US, with the London office specialising in international finance). I […]

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The Network in 2008

In 2008 Facebook et al will continue to prosper, but there is room on the web for anyone with particular expertise and as to what Web 2.0 can do for lawyers, we should be looking elsewhere. In 2008 we’ll see the incumbent law publishers experimenting with Web 2.0, attempting to engage users on their own […]

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Getting to grips with HIPs

Berwins LLP (www.berwin.co.uk) is a 25 fee earner practice, 7 of whom are fully engaged in residential property in Harrogate and regionally. We have busy and successful private client, litigation, commercial and commercial property departments but residential property remains one of our biggest departments in terms of fee income, drawing new business into the practice. […]

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CaseCheck – Law 2.0 in action

CaseCheck (www.casecheck.co.uk) is a free, fully searchable, online archive of continually updated Scottish Court and EAT Case summaries. Built upon an open source blogging platform the content for the site is user generated and archive is composed of a back catalogue of previously issued email newsletters. However, the site is also designed to be a […]

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Wishing on a wiki

At PLC we like to be at the cutting edge of technology in the law, sometimes a difficult place to be. However, social software (blogs, wikis and the like) seemed one of our easier challenges. We already work collaboratively with our users. Our materials are often co-authored with lawyers in practice, we participate in industry […]

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Virtually unrecognisable?

The way things were I can remember my old legal life as if it was yesterday. Groaning filing cabinets stuffed full of cardboard files, a roomful of secretaries devoted to typing letters and filing correspondence, various miscellaneous admin staff, and a firm made up of lawyers who were obliged to be physically present in the […]

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