From: rc@depsych.Gwinnett.COM (Richard Carlson)
Newsgroups: misc.legal
Subject: Online Legal
Date: 27 Sep 92 12:02:26 GMT
Article-I.D.: depsych.RyDRRB1w164w

I was fascinated to see Erik J. Heels' post concerning a resource
called The Legal List.  In particular I hadn't realized what a
paucity of sources of legal information and discussion there is in
the entire online community.  He writes:

>5.  USENET NEWSGROUPS
>---------------------
>
>5.1  The following USENET newsgroups are of a legal nature:
>
>        comp.patents ***[need description, focal point, archive info]
>
>        misc.legal ***[need description, focal point, archive info]
>
>        misc.legal.computing ***[need description, focal point, archive info]

There are only _three_ Newsgroups dealing with legal matters on
the entire Usenet? (I have just seen the proposal for a family law
Newsgroup.  That would make four.)

>6.  BITNET LISTSERV GROUPS
>--------------------------
>
>6.1.1  INT-LAW (Foreign and International Law Librarians) is a
>list on for librarians and others interested in exchanging
>information related to foreign, comparative and international
>legal materials and issues.
>
>Selected topics in the six months since INT-LAW began include the
>READEX CD-ROM Index to United Nations documents, databases
>containing information on foreign and international law, the
>"European Court Reports", sources of information on careers in
>international law, GATT panel reports, the "National Trade Data
>Bank" C D-ROM, etc. INT-LAW came up on April 31, 1991.
>
>
>6.1.2  LAWSCH-L is a forum to discuss matters of concern which
>affect all law students; it is also designed to allow for
>interaction between students and law schools to lessen the gap
>between them.  The list is based at American University Law
>School.


There are only _two_ BITNET lists dealing with legal matters, one
discussing international law and one discussing the problems of
law students?  Isn't that incredible, considering the highly
specialized nature of so many BITNET lists?

Shouldn't there be a Newsgroup or at least a list to discuss the
new approaches of applying textual analysis, litcrit and general
hermeneutics to legal texts?  One on the social psychology of
legal norms and how they interface with informal social norms? One
on juvenile law and violence in the schools, on attitudes toward
legal remedies in minority communities, on the interface between
constitutional legal thought and social and political ideology?

I don't understand why there is so little on the net.

>7.  BBS SITES
>-------------
>
>7.1  Many Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) sites of a legal nature
>exist, including private BBSs, commercial BBSs, and Government
>BBSs.  ***[Editor's note:  Dozens of BBS numbers were tested in
>putting together this section, including numbers for the Dept. of
>Justice, the US Navy Judge Advocate General, the American Bar
>Association Network, and numerous private BBSs.  Without
>exception, all numbers had been disconnected.  Your help in
>updating this section is needed.  Please send this info to
>justice!heelse@ni

Does this mean that every single BBS that was ever set up to deal
with legal discussion or information exchange has gone down?  Does
it mean that lawyers and people interested in legal matters aren't
interested in online discussion of legal matters in public
"cyberspace?"  (Erik mentions Westlaw and LEXIS/NEXIS, the
commercial services.  Is that where the discussion is?)  Just what
does it mean that all these numbers, including that of the Dept.
of Justice, were "disconnected?"

--
Richard Carlson
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