Acting Manager of the Accredited Specialist Program, Alison MacDonald, said the program's aim this year is to press the availability of the service on the public. The Internet service, developed by Social Change Online, links 1000 prac titioners and the public to an extensive database of lawyers from 12 specialty areas. Recent figures show 237 of the practitioners listed have e-mail addresses.
Access is by category and region.
One fact he can be certain about is that the majority of hits so far have been in the area of personal injury - not surprisingly since that is the specialisation with the greatest number of accredited practioners. Interaction between solicitors and the public is through six or seven different forms, Van Dijk said. This gives greater flexibility. Regional Law Societies are also being launched on the Internet. The Law Society of New South Wales is the professional association for the solicitors branch of the legal profession in the State of New South Wales, Australia.